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Home » Recipes » Desserts

Published: Jun 25, 2018 · Modified: May 11, 2022 by Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Chocolate Chip-Coconut-Macadamia Nut Cookies

Jump to Recipe

Filled with tropical coconut and macadamia nuts, this twist on chocolate chip cookies will make you think you magically transported to a Hawaiian bakery. These chocolate chip-coconut-macadamia nut cookies are perfectly soft and chewy, simple to make and give you a taste of the tropics any time of year. What's not to love about that?

A chocolate chip-coconut-macadamia nut cookie with a straw and milk.

Baking cookies is one of my favorite kitchen pastimes. Maybe it’s because I have fond memories of baking cookies with my mom, especially around the holidays. Whatever it is, baking cookies makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, and these chocolate chip-coconut-macadamia nut cookies definitely give me that happy vibe with their island-inspired ingredients.

Coconut and macadamia nuts --- could there be a more perfect tropical cookie? Call me biased but I don't think so.

Expert Tips and FAQs

My mom and I usually baked the classic Tollhouse chocolate chip cookie. I love the prominent buttery flavor of Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies, so these cookies are based off that classic recipe with a few changes I've incorporated over the years for best results.

Now, I don’t mind somewhat flat cookies. I find most overly puffy cookies to be too dry, but I like a little lift. Nestle Tollhouse cookies can be on the flat side if you're not careful, so some of these changes help give this recipe the perfect height. I also included a few ingredient tweaks for a richer flavor.

Here’s a rundown of all the changes I now make to the Tollhouse recipe for the perfect cookie.

  • Replace light brown sugar with dark brown sugar for a richer flavor.
  • Add cornstarch to help prevent spreading.
  • Up the vanilla extract from 1 teaspoon to 2 teaspoons.
  • Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before baking and keep chilled as the cookies bake.
  • Form cookie dough into golf-size balls rather than 1-inch balls.
  • Top each dough ball with additional chocolate chips for a prettier presentation.
  • Bake the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet to prevent overspreading. This also allows you to easily move the cookies soon after baking to prevent them from continuing to bake on the sheet.

With these changes, you’ll get the perfect cookie base, which you can customize with your favorite mix-ins. White chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, crushed pretzels, orange zest, your favorite dried fruit or nut — seriously, you have so many possibilities.

A pile of chocolate chip cookies with coconut around it and a glass of milk.

Perfect Pairing

I love pairing cookies with beer. In fact, I love it so much that I did a week of holiday cookie and beer pairings leading up to Christmas last year on Instagram. I feel extra excited about today’s pairing.

These cookies are made for a big bourbon barrel-aged stout. Not only are bourbon barrel-aged stouts perfect with many desserts but the barrel also tends to lend a coconut flavor to the beer. You may have noticed by now that I love mimicking flavors. With that in mind, bourbon on its own isn’t a bad choice either.

For wine, a Madeira is perfect with these chocolate chip-coconut-macadamia nut cookies. Madeira has a caramel-like backbone to it, which is great with the dark brown sugar. You may also pick up some nutty notes for a delicious match with the coconut and macadamia nuts.

Baking a batch of fresh cookies is always a good idea, so please give these chocolate chip-coconut-macadamia nut cookies a try.

Cheers!

A stack of chocolate chip cookies with coconut and macadamia nuts on a green napkin with milk and straws next to it.

Need More Cookie Recipes?

  • Espresso and Kahlua cookies
  • Cranberry-orange cookies with white chocolate chips
  • Toasted coconut sugar cookies
  • Fudgy brownie cookies

If you love this recipe, please leave a comment with a five-star rating — or simply hit the five-star button in the recipe card. Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter, and you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

📖 Recipe

A coconut chocolate chip cookie on a green napkin with shredded coconut around it and yellow straws and milk in the background.

Chocolate Chip-Coconut-Macadamia Nut Cookies

Filled with tropical coconut and macadamia nuts, this twist on chocolate chip cookies will make you think you magically transported to a Hawaiian bakery. These chocolate chip-coconut-macadamia nut cookies are perfectly soft and chewy, simple to make and give you a taste of the tropics any time of year.
5 from 14 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 280kcal
Author: Amanda McGrory-Dixon

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup softened salted butter
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • ¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 cups chocolate chips plus 1 optional cup
  • 1 ⅓ cups sweetened shredded coconut
  • ¾ cup chopped macadamia nuts

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt.
  • In a mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugars and vanilla on medium speed until creamy. This should take about four minutes. Pause every so often to scrap the mixture from the side of the bowl.
  • Add one egg and then beat until incorporated. Add the other egg and beat until incorporated.
  • Scrap the mixture off the side of the bowl again and gradually beat in the flour mixture. Stir in 2 cups of chocolate chips, coconut and macadamia nuts.
  • Refrigerate until the dough stiffens, at least 30-60 minutes, and heat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • Form the dough into golf ball-size rounds and drop onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. If desired, drop a few chocolate chips from the remaining cup on top of each dough ball. Bake for 9 minutes. The cookies will look a little undercooked in the center, but they'll solidify as they cool.
  • Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two and move to wire racks to finish cooling. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 168mg | Sugar: 20g
Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @BurrataandBubbles or tag #burratandbubbles!

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Comments

    5 from 14 votes (4 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Cheryl says

    December 21, 2024 at 4:18 pm

    I made these before and they are delicious! Ready to make a batch for Christmas but I bought unsweetened coconut by mistake. Will that cause a problem with the flavor?

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 22, 2024 at 10:39 am

      Hi, Cheryl! I’ve haven’t made them either unsweetened coconut, but I bet it’ll be fine. You’ll still get the sweetness from the cookies and chocolate chips. Happy holidays!

      Reply
  2. Karen Wilber says

    December 17, 2021 at 2:27 pm

    5 stars
    Made these for a cookie swap party. They are delicious and a very hearty cookie. I love Almond Joys, so I may try it with chopped or sliced almonds too. Happy Holidays!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      December 17, 2021 at 4:04 pm

      Almonds sound like a wonderful addition! That’s one of my favorite candies too. I’m so glad you loved these cookies and happy holidays to you!

      Reply
  3. Heather says

    April 02, 2020 at 9:16 pm

    This is a wonderful recipe. The cookies were perfectly sized, fluffy, yet had a nice texture. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      April 04, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      Thanks so much, Heather! Glad you liked them.

      Reply
  4. Daniela says

    June 03, 2019 at 6:23 am

    These look and sound like absolutely delicious cookies!!! And your photography rocks! Thanks so much for sharing :).

    Reply
  5. Julie says

    June 03, 2019 at 3:19 am

    I still remember the first time I had a macadamia nut cookie, on a trip to Hawaii when I was 11 or 12. It was delicious -- and I still haven't made my own version at home. I can't wait to try this and bring back memories from two decades ago!

    Reply
  6. Stacey says

    June 03, 2019 at 2:27 am

    5 stars
    I'm a sucker for anything chocolate chip, and these sound perfectly decadent! I'm going to have to make these soon!

    Reply
  7. Des says

    June 03, 2019 at 2:04 am

    5 stars
    What is not to love about these cookies? It has everything that makes a cookie great.

    Reply
  8. Markus Mueller says

    June 03, 2019 at 12:45 am

    Yum! I love a good cookie recipe. I've been promising my daughter we'd make a batch together this week. I think I just decided what kind to make!

    Reply
  9. lauren says

    June 02, 2019 at 11:32 am

    5 stars
    Ooooo these cookies are right up my alley! They look like the perfect amount of chewy soft without falling apart. The combination of the macadamia nut and coconut sounds so delicious...and of course, the chocolate chip is a must!

    Reply
  10. Jacqueline Debono says

    June 02, 2019 at 10:09 am

    5 stars
    These cookies look and sound fabulous. Love that you've used macadamia nuts! Cookies with beer! Now that is great idea!

    Reply
  11. Kate says

    June 01, 2019 at 8:56 pm

    5 stars
    These cookies look amazing, and I absolutely love having drink recommendations to pair with cookies, what a genius idea 🙂

    Reply
  12. Debbie says

    June 01, 2019 at 1:10 am

    5 stars
    My mouth started watering juice reading the title of this recipe. These chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies are a great twist on a classic cookie that I would take anytime. My oldest son loves anything with coconut and chocolate chip cookies are his kryptonite so this are going on my to bake list.

    Reply
  13. Mama Maggie's Kitchen says

    May 31, 2019 at 8:52 pm

    5 stars
    Hmm yum! This Chocolate Chip-Coconut-Macadamia Nut Cookies looks sooo tasty! Can't wait to try making this at home. My son will surely love this.

    Reply
  14. Amy says

    May 31, 2019 at 6:19 pm

    5 stars
    I've always been a sucker for plain old chocolate chip cookies -- but let me tell ya, I'm so glad you gave them a face-lift! Those tropical flavors look so delicious, and so perfect for summer!

    Reply
  15. Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen says

    May 31, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    5 stars
    I love macadamia nuts in cookies, they have the perfect texture to them, and I will never say no to coconut anything! Bookmarking to bake soon!

    Reply
    • Amanda McGrory-Dixon says

      May 31, 2019 at 3:27 pm

      Right there with you! Hope you love them.

      Reply

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A headshot of Amanda, the owner of Burrata and Bubbles, holding a beer.

Hi, I'm Amanda, a Denver-based lady who believes life is best spent with comforting meals, tasty beverages and good company. When I'm not playing in the kitchen, I'm probably exploring new breweries with my husband, Matt, or obsessing over my adorable dog, Baylor.

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