In my humble opinion, white chocolate should be eaten in two ways: paired with dried fruit and paired with macadamia nuts. In the first case, the sweetness of the white chocolate both highlights and tempers the tartness of dried fruit. In the second, the white chocolate mimics the flavor of the macadamia nuts. In this recipe the white chocolate is paired with both! The result is a simple but spectacular cookie. It’s familiar as a drop cookie, slightly crunch on the outside, chewy on the inside, yet the combo of white chocolate, dried cherries and macadamia nuts make it exotic in the best possible way.
That said, if you don’t have any white chocolate chips, semisweet chips make for a completely different but equally delicious cookie. Make them whichever way you or your valentine(s) prefer.
These one bowl cookies are a snap to make. You don’t have to soften the butter, just melt it and go. You do, however, need to chill it before you bake it.
Notes
A note about cookie shape
These cookies work well as drop cookies using a spoon or scoop; however, because they are chilled before cooking and don’t use a ton of butter, they can also be (imperfectly) shaped. I wanted something cute for Valentine’s day. I achieved the heart shape by using a small heart cookie cutter (2″) to cut the dough before chilling it. After cooking I used a larger heart shaped cookie cutter (3″) to trim any parts that looked misshapen. Lastly, I used melted white chocolate to make the decorative lines.
A note about cherries
Michiganders have (rightful) cherry pride. I used dried tart Montmorency cherries here. Use whatever kind you like, but I like the way these tart cherries to balance out the sweetness of the white chocolate.
Key Ingredients
10 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs
2 cups flour
2/3 cup dried cherries
2/3 cup white chocolate chips
2/3 cup chopped roasted (unsalted) macadamia nuts
Cherry-Mac Cookies – Recipe
Roughly 30 cookies depending on size. Prep time 10 minutes. Rest time 2 hours. Cook time about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (if you have it)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups flour
- 2/3 cup dried cherries (chopped if their big ones)
- 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup chopped roasted (unsalted) macadamia nuts
Step One
Melt butter in a medium sized mixing bowl and allow to cool for a few minutes. Once the butter is cooled to warm stir in sugar, eggs, vanilla and almond extracts and mix to combine. Next, sprinkle baking powder, baking soda, and salt over top of wet ingredients, then mix again. Fold the flour into the dough then add nuts, cherries, and chips and fold in (try to avoid over mixing).
Step Two
Using a 2″ cookie scoop (or a spoon) portion out cookies. Put them all on a parchment lined baking sheet (just make sure that they’re not touching) and put in the freezer for 1 hour or fridge for 2 hours. Cookies can also be left to freeze completely and then stored in a container for future cookie needs. After cookies are chilled through, place on parchment lined cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 14-17 minutes, until cookies take on color around the edges. The middles will still appear soft but will firm up as the cookies cool. (If shaping with a cookie cutter, recut cookies while warm but not hot). Allow to cool and enjoy!