I made these cookies in honor of my sweet friend Sarah who shares my love for Mauna Loa Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Nuts (a Hawaiian treat - you can even buy them in a huge bag at the Maui Costco!). Sarah is a beautiful blonde Hawaiian girl... and I, well, I've been to Hawaii before. :o)
Sarah even used these goodies... macadamia nuts covered in coconut and chocolate... wrapped in little bundles, as favors at her beautiful outdoor wedding a few months ago!
I used my Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe as a base and added the flavors that make the candy so good... chocolate chips, sweetened flaked coconut and dry roasted, salted macadamia nuts.
These cookies really are amazing... even if you think you don't like nuts in cookies (I don't!), macadamia nuts are so soft and buttery, you won't mind them!
In order to show you why I like the 'egg-cracking' method for forming the dough, I made one cookie the normal way - rolled into a ball and placed on the cookie sheet (vs. the 'egg-cracked' method - rolled into a twice as big ball, broken in half and placed craggly-side up on the cookie sheet)...
Which one do you like better??
Chocolate Chip Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled (still warm)
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 cup coarsely chopped dry roasted macadamia nuts
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325ºF. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In your mixer bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (3-5 minutes!). Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth.
Mix in the flour mixture until just combined and then stir in the chocolate chips, coconut and nuts.
Take about 1/2 cup of the dough and form it into a ball in your hands. Hold the ball with both hands and break it apart in half - like you are cracking an egg. Place each half, craggly-side up, on a parchment-lined cookie sheet... making sure to leave plenty of room for the cookies to spread.
(These make big cookies! Big, chewy, gooey, yummy cookies!)
Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the cookies are just barely golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave on the cookie sheets to cool at least 10 minutes.
