White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies – a copycat recipe of the popular Byron Bay cookies found in cafes all across Australia! The combination of white chocolate with the soft creamy crunch of macadamia nuts in a big, thick, buttery cookie is a match made in heaven.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Byron Bay cookies changed the Aussie cookie market forever when they first came out. They were known for their size (big!), the buttery crisp-but-melt-in-your-mouth texture and most importantly, the generous amounts of “stuff” inside. Big chunks of chocolate (here’s the Choc Chunk version!), nuts, M&M’s.
Nobody eats a Byron Bay cookie and is left feeling dissatisfied!!
They’re now found in cafes all across Australia, and as popular as ever. They also come with a fairly hefty price tag of $4.00 each.
So it was inevitable that I’d pursue a copy-cat version with a vengeance!
This recipe is a copycat of Australia’s most popular cafe cookie – Byron Bay cookies!
Byron Bay Cookie recipe – what you need
This recipe was developed using Shortbread Cookies as a base which has a similar texture and flavour, then tweaked by referencing the ingredients listed on the Byron Bay Cookie jars in cafes (I cheekily took photos of the labels to reference back at home!).
Just a note on a few ingredients:
Rice flour – this makes the cookie crumb a bit “silkier” than when made with just flour, to mimic the texture of Byron Bay Cookies (it’s listed in the Byron Bay ingredients). Can sub with normal flour;
Brown and white sugar – both used to achieve the balance of texture, flavour and colour. White sugar makes cookies crisper, brown sugar makes cookies chewier, browner and a touch more flavour; and
Macadamia nuts and white chocolate – the base cookie is the same for all white Byron Bay Cookies so feel free to sub this with other “stuff” of choice – choc chunks, M&M’s (the Dotty Cookies!), other nuts, dried fruit, caramel bits etc.
Leftover egg whites – Here’s my list of what I do with them and all my egg white recipes can be found in this recipe collection.
How to make it
This recipe is one of those recipes where you form a log which is refrigerated to firm up, then sliced. In the spirit of Byron Bay Cookies, I make these BIG and THICK!!
I use a hand held beater here but it can be done with a stand mixer or even with a wooden spoon and a bit of an arm work out.
It cost about $12 for all the ingredients, and this recipe makes 13 cookies (because it would be asking too much for any recipe I invent to make a nice even number like 12 cookies). So at $4 a pop, this makes $52 worth of cookies.
So I’m feeling very smug right now. I know I know, I’m soooo immature!!! 😂 – Nagi x
PS These cookies keep very well, staying the same texture rather than going soft like some cookies do. The record so far is 4 days. I’m holding onto 1 cookie to see how long much longer it will last.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Watch how to make it
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White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 175g / 5.5 oz butter, unsalted, softened (11 US tbsp)
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup white sugar , caster/superfine best
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 egg yolks (Note 6 for using leftover whites)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract/essence
- 1 1/2 cups flour , plain/all purpose
- 1/2 cup rice flour (sub with plain) (Note 1)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 100g / 3.5 oz macadamias , roughly chopped (Note 2)
- 125g / 4 oz white eating chocolate , chopped into pretty small pieces (not baking chocolate, Note 3)
Instructions
- Beat butter, sugar and salt on medium (speed 5) using a hand held mixer for 1 minute until smooth.
- Add egg yolks and vanilla, beat for 1 minute or until smooth.
- Add baking powder, rice flour and half the plain flour. Beat with mixer on medium speed until flour is incorporated.
- Add remaining flour and beat with mixer until flour is incorporated. Add macadamia nuts and chocolate, then mix through with a wooden spoon (dough gets a bit too hard to use mixer).
- Scrape mixture onto a work surface, press together and shape into a 22cm/9″ log.
- Roll up in baking paper or cling wrap, twist ends then refrigerate for 2 hours.
Slice and bake:
- Preheat oven to 200°C/390°F (180°C fan).
- Line 2 trays with baking paper.
- Remove log from fridge, unwrap and slice into 1.75cm / 3/4" thick slices (12 – 13 cookies).
- Place 6 on each tray, bake for 10 minutes.
- Turn oven down to 170°C/340°F (150°C fan), switch the trays between shelves.
- Bake 15 minutes, remove from oven and cool cookies on tray.
- Cool fully before serving.
Recipe Notes:
- Initial high temp “sets” the cookie so it doesn’t spread everywhere, then we lower it to finish cooking through without the cookie going brown
- Bake time time is longer than usual recipes because these are BIG thick cookies!
- Cookies do not spread or rise very much
- For smaller cookies, reduce the cook time of the lower temp
- Different measures in different countries – recipe has been written to cater for different cup sizes in different countries. Only exception is Japan – please use weights.
Nutrition Information:
More cookie / cracker copycats
Other recipes I’ve created in the past for the same reason as these Byron Bay cookie copycat recipe (ie because I love ’em but they’re expensive!)
Byron Bay Triple Choc Fudge Cookies – Chocolate cookies with white AND dark chocolate, these are seriously chewy and seriously chocolatey!
Byron Bay Choc Chunk Cookies – the same cookie dough as this recipe, but loaded with choc chunks!
Gourmet Fruit & Nut Crackers for Cheese – homemade version of the rather expensive fruit and nut crackers to serve with cheese! Homemade is incredible – the flavour is so much better than the store bought. Plus it’s way WAY cheaper!
Muesli Cookies (Breakfast Cookies / Granola Cookies) – copycat of the thick, chunky, chewy muesli cookies sold in cafes across Australia. A healthy breakfast option because it’s like a bowl of oatmeal in cookie form – refined sugar free, low fat, gluten free, keeps you full for ages but it tastes like a sweet cookie!
Life of Dozer
Executive Producer Dozer, reporting for duty!
To die for! Omg 🤤
WOOT! Thanks Carly! N x
Hi Nagi!
I’d love to make these, even have all the ingredients! But I don’t own electric beaters (newbie baker). Is it worth doing by hand??
PS when I make your Irish soda bread I fool people into thinking I can bake, thanks for that! 😁
Hi Bek – you really need a beater to cream the butter here unfortunately! N x
Hi Nagi,
I often don’t comment on things like these, but I had to take the time to say thank you for sharing your recipes! The cookies turned out fantastic! I have made a countless number of your recipes and I have to say all of them have been met with nothing other than kind words. Keep up the great work! 🙂
Wahoo! That’s so great!!! N x
Hi Nagi. I followed your recipe and I failed! My biscuits were brown, (burnt) and crumbled, not hard like in the cafe shops. Help!
Hi Deli, sorry you had issues – that doesn’t sound right at all! And you followed the ingredients exactly? What type of oven were you using?
The same thing happened to me! Followed recipe to the letter. Using a bosch oven and tried with and without the fan. cookies were burnt after 6 mins
Hi Carla! I’m sorry to say it sounds like something really went wrong here, there is no way these cookies can burn after just 6 minutes in an oven. Is there any chance you misread the oven temp? – N x
I tried these again at 150degree c fan forced for 25 mins and they turned out good. quite short though.
Hi Nagi, definitely had the right temp as it’s a digital oven. I also measured via weight so got the recipe correct. The biscuits were a bit cakey/crumbly and deep brown …. nothing like byron bay cookies.
One of the best biscuit recipes I have ever made! EVERYONE loves them.
Thank you Nagi for the amazing biscuit recipe, They were a huge hit. I really should have doubled the mix because they didn’t last long.
YES! These cookies always require a double batch 😂
Do you think these would freeze? If yes, would it be better to freeze the dough raw, or cooked?
Hi Tamsin, I’d freeze the dough raw 🙂
Hi Nagi, I cooked these tonight and as always I’ve found your recipe perfect. One question though regarding my technique – I found that the cookes expanded on the baking tray in the oven, which I’d expect, but they kind of expanded more at the top than the bottom if you know what I mean. So rather than having straight sides they were sloping. To get perfectly straight sides is there any technique I should use? Maybe the issue is that I refrigerated the rolled up dough for closer to 4 hours than 2? Thank you in advance for any tips (because I guarantee I will be asked to make this recipe again and again and again!!) PS: it’s a running joke now in my household that everything I cook comes from your site!! xx Katherine
Hi Nagi I made these again today and they worked better and had straighter sides. I think the issue was that I had not cooked them long enough and the cookies expand a little at the base before expanding at the top. Hence if not cooked long enough the sides won’t be straight 😊😊
Hi Katherine, mine are always slightly sloped – I gobble them up too quickly to be too concerned 😂
Hi Nagi. Thank you so much for sharing your cookie recipe! My husband loves the Byron Bay cookies so we’re really looking forward to giving your recipe a try.
My young kids like to get involved as well so I’m wondering if we’d still get good results if we rolled the dough into balls and flatten them before baking rather than slicing them as I think this would be more fun for them.
Also, how difficult do you think it will be if we beat the dough by hand and would we be using a whisk?
Hi Elle, you need the dough to be cold here – hence slicing it. You could probably roll them into balls, flatten then refrigerate for a similar outcome. I’ve never attempted beating softened butter with a whisk, you really need an electric beater to get it light and fluffy.
Hi, can this recipe be doubled or tripled? They are flying out the door at my kids school tuckshop, 13 a batch isn’t enough lol..
Hi i live in New Zealand and cant wait to make these amazing cookies,what is the best eating white chocolate to use please
Hi Stephanie, I use Lindt or even Cadbury dream – N x
Hi i live in New Zealand and cant wait to make these amazing cookies,what is the best eating white chocolate to use please
Another kiwi here. Whittakers all the way!!
Hi Nagi, I picked up Brown Rice Flour thinking it might produce the same result, but now I’m thinking it will be more of a nutty taste and possibly more grainy texture. I’ve never baked with Rice Flour before: what do you think? I want to do your recipe justice, especially after all the detective work you put in! By the way, I love your site, it’s awesome!
Hi Karen, I honestly haven’t baked with brown rice flour but imagine it would be pretty similar – love to know if it works if you try it! – N x
Absolutely amazing cookies – it was hard not to eat the dough ! Got home late but was determined to make them after watching your great video at work (a sneaky 10 minute break) made then 10,00pm last night. Cant wait to make them again
I’m so glad you loved them, thats determination!!
Hello, when you make this recipe yourself, do you use cup or weight measurement? Reason I ask is that I used the weight measurement and found the dough much wetter than yours (I watched your video). Mine was a stickier dough, it did not fall in crumbles onto the table like yours did. I think maybe there was too much butter. Thanks in advance x
Hi Emma, I use both – as the weight matches the cup measured amount. Did you follow the recipe exactly? – N x
Hi, yes I followed exactly, no modifications, but in my experience weight never matches volume exactly, as it can vary a lot depending on how you pack a cup. Even if “tightly packed”, everyone has their own version of what they consider tight so it’s tricky. If I knew that you followed weight when making it yourself it would help me narrow down what could be going wrong. Thanks x
Hi Nagi, I made these beautiful biscuits. I made the dough and froze it for a month. I was waiting until it cooled down in Melbourne. They were perfect, hubby loved them as did co workers. I used my thermo and adapted recipe to suit. Will definitely make this again. Thank you again. I love your website and now its the only one I go too.
Perfect Marlene, I’m so glad they were a hit!
I made these cookies last night and baked them this morning. I made these before from a different recipe and this recipe is by far the best. My husband liked them so much that he took a couple to work, ate some for breakfast and only left me three. He loved them.
Hi Nagi,
I want to know if you have had the chance to make the triple choc version of these cookies? They are my absolute favourite. I’m just not sure of how to make the chocolate version. If you could help that would be amazing.
Hi Amy, I’m trying to develop a recipe, stay tuned!
Hi Nagi, Have you had any luck making the triple choc version yet?
Hi Nagi I have accidentally bought white cooking chocolate instead of cooking chocolate can I still use it to make the cookies
Yes sure! I hope you love them – N x
Hi Nagi,
I love your recipes!
How do I convert this to make chocolate cookies?