These buttery Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies are rich with flavor notes of warm brown sugar and vanilla with a drizzle of white and dark chocolate on top.
These Hawaii-inspired melt-in-your-mouth shortbread cookies with macadamia nuts are so simple, yet incredibly delicious! The addition of a drizzle of melted white or dark chocolate (or both!) on top makes them extra tasty and beautiful.
They are my homemade take on the popular Honolulu Cookie Company macadamia shortbread cookies, though they are, unfortunately, not adorable pineapple shapes!
If you love buttery macadamia nuts, be sure to try these tasty Salted Caramel Macadamia Cups or my Hawaiian Banana Muffins that are topped with a macadamia nut streusel. Or try my Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies if you love homemade shortbread.
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⭐️ Why You Need to Make This Recipe
- Texture - These macadamia shortbread cookies melt in your mouth with pieces of nuts throughout.
- Flavor - Notes of salted butter, warm brown sugar, and sweet vanilla in the cookie pair extremely well with the buttery macadamia nuts and chocolate drizzle.
- Occasion - I think these would make for great Christmas cookies or they are also great when you are dreaming of Hawaiian macadamia shortbread.
🧈 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients needed to make these homemade macadamia nut shortbread cookies.
Ingredient Notes
- Salted Butter - Add ½ teaspoon of salt to the recipe if using unsalted butter.
- Macadamia Nuts - I use raw unsalted macadamia nuts in this recipe but I don't think the extra salty edge of salted macadamias would hurt! 😉
- Chocolate - Melted white, milk, or dark chocolate are all great options to drizzle over the finished cookies. Or include mini chocolate chips inside the cookie dough.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients with measurements.
📃 Instructions
Step 1: Cream together the softened butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy.
Step 2: Add the cornstarch and flour and mix on low speed until incorporated before increasing the mixer speed to high and whipping for 1 minute or until fluffy.
Step 3: Fold in the chopped macadamia nuts.
Step 4: Transfer the dough to a piece of wax paper and spread it into a log.
Step 5: Roll up in the wax paper and smooth the dough into as best of a cylinder shape as possible. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to firm up.
Step 6: Once chilled, unwrap the dough and slice into cookies around ¼ to ½ inch in thickness. Arrange on a prepared baking sheet, allowing room between each cookie for spreading.
Bake in a preheated oven for 12-16 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool for a bit before melting the chocolate to drizzle over the cookies.
💡 Top Tip
Bake the cookies until they are a nice light golden brown color to get a perfectly baked crispy shortbread. Store away from moisture in an airtight container to preserve the crispy texture better.
❓ Recipe FAQs
Yes. Add ½ teaspoon of salt to the recipe for proper flavor development if using unsalted butter.
You could make this cookie recipe with pecans, almonds, or pistachios instead of macadamia nuts.
Yes! I think mini chocolate chips would be the best option to add for texture.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for longer.
🍪 More Cookie Recipes
Looking for other homemade cookie recipes? Try these ones next:
If you tried these Macadamia Shortbread Cookies or any other recipe on my website, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and write a little note telling me how it went in the comments below. Thank you!!
📖 Recipe
Macadamia Nut Shortbread Cookies
Equipment
- baking sheet(s)
- parchment paper or silicone baking mat(s)
- mixing bowls
- electric handheld mixer
- measuring cups & spoons
- Wax paper
- sharp knife
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter, softened *
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped raw macadamia nuts (unsalted)
- 4 ounces melted chocolate *
Instructions
- In a large bowl using an electric handheld mixer on high speed, cream the softened butter, brown sugar, and vanilla together for 1 minute. The mixture should be smooth, creamy, and lightly golden in color.
- Add the flour and cornstarch and mix, starting on low speed and increasing to high speed. Beat on high speed for 1 minute or until whipped and fluffy. Fold in the chopped nuts.
- Cut an 18-inch long piece of wax paper and place it on the counter. Transfer the cookie dough to the wax paper and shape/roll into a log about 1 ½ inches in diameter. Place on a cookie sheet or flat surface and refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Take the chilled cookie dough log out of the refrigerator and unwrap the wax paper. Using a sharp knife, slice the log into ¼-1/2-inch slices. Place each slice on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1 inch between each cookie for spreading room.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 12-16 minutes or until lightly golden. Let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling before topping with the melted chocolate.
- Drizzle melted chocolate of your choice over the fully-cooled cookies. Place in the refrigerator or a cool place to allow the chocolate to firm up. Enjoy!
Notes
- Add ½ teaspoon of salt to the recipe if using unsalted butter.
- Melted white, milk, or dark chocolate are all great options to drizzle over the finished cookies. Or include mini chocolate chips inside the cookie dough.
Naomi Andres
I’m so sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t work out for you, Lora! Perhaps the dough wasn’t fully mixed?