Chocolate Chip Shortbread with Macadamia Nut

Rich, buttery, crispy and crumbly, these macadamia chocolate chip shortbread cookies are the perfect replacement for those Honolulu Cookie Company chocolate chip macadamia mini bites! They are made with pure butter, mini chocolate chips, bits of crunchy macadamia nuts, and malted milk powder – which gives them a more nutty and complex flavor profile.

My love for shortbread is never ending. If I had all the time in the world, I would be making every flavor under the sun into shortbread cookies. You gotta check out my current shortbread collection on the blog, but for now let’s talk about this Chocolate Chip Shortbread recipe!

If you love a classic chocolate chip cookie but you crave the crunchiness of a shortbread cookie, this recipe is the perfect compromise. Dunk them into a cup of cappuccino, trust me, it’s phenomenal!

Step-by-step instructions

Follow my step-by-step instructions with process photos below to help you along the way. Or skip straight to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients, quantities and recipe instructions.

Prepare the macadamia nuts

To prepare the macadamia nuts, roast them for a few minutes to bring out their sweet flavor, then pulverize the roasted macadamia nuts in a food processor or chop them with a knife until pieces are smaller than ¼”.

If you don’t have or don’t want to use macadamia nuts, just omit them. You can also substitute them with your favorite nuts: almonds, walnuts, pecans, even pistachio.

Make the chocolate chip shortbread cookie dough

1. Add softened butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl.
2. Beat until the butter mixture is thoroughly combined and fluffy.
3. In another mixing bowl, sift together flour and malted milk powder. Stir in the salt, mini chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts until evenly distributed. Add to butter mixture.
4. Mix just until the dough forms.

5. Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap.
6. Roll dough into a log and wrap tightly. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Slice the log into ½” slices. Freeze for 15 minutes before baking at 350°F until the bottom edges turn golden brown.

These chocolate chip shortbread cookies have a lot of mix-ins, from the macadamia nuts to the mini chocolate chips. It is best to handle them like a slice and bake cookie recipe. It is much easier this way as opposed to rolling it out into a sheet and cut with cookie cutters.

Baker’s tips

• Use room temperature softened butter for this recipe, it will take 30 minutes to an hour to soften. Make sure you don’t let the butter melt, especially in warmer weather.
• If the butter softens too much, the shortbread dough will be very soft and sticky. The dough will need longer refrigeration time, even freezing the log is recommended before slicing.
• On the other hand, if the butter is not soft enough, the dough will appear a little sandy, crumbly, like pie dough. Continue to beat with the mixer, the friction from the beater will warm the dough up and help it incorporate.
• Refrigerating or freezing the dough log on a folded up kitchen towel can help prevent it from going flat on one side or have weird indentations if you have slatted shelvings in the freezer.
• If you want the dough log perfectly round, you will need to keep shaping it and smoothing it during the refrigeration process.
• Freezing the sliced cookies briefly before baking will help them to keep their shape better in the oven.

FAQs

Which type of chocolate chip to use in this recipe?

I like to use mini chocolate chips in these cookies for better and more even distribution. You can add more chocolate chips to your preference or if you’re omitting the macadamia nuts. But I recommend sticking with chocolate chips because they don’t melt during baking which will help your shortbread cookies not to spread into funky shapes.

Also, take your chocolate chip shortbread cookies to the next level by dipping them in melted chocolate as a final touch. I like to use chocolate melting wafers for this step.

How long will these cookies last?

These chocolate chip shortbread cookies will last up to a week in an airtight container on the countertop at room temperature.

Can I freeze them?

Similar to all my other shortbread recipes, this chocolate chip shortbread recipe is great for freezing and making ahead. To freeze them, I recommend cutting the dough into slices, then place them in an airtight container with parchment paper between each layer so they don’t stick together.

When you are ready to bake, go ahead and bake them straight from frozen. Frozen cookies will need to bake about 2 minutes longer than recipe time.

More island inspired cookies

• The Big Island Kitchen Sink Cookies was inspired from a cookie I had during a trip to Maui.
• If you love macadamias in shortbread, I have a couple other versions: Chocolate Shortbread with Macadamia Nuts and Honey Macadamia Shortbread Cookies.
• For the coconut lover, I have Coconut Shortbread Cookies.
• For the guava lover, try these Guava Jam Thumbprint Cookies.
• And if you want all the tropical flavors mixed together, these Tropical Rugelach have guava jam, shredded coconut and chopped macadamias!

5 from 6 votes

Chocolate Chip Shortbread with macadamia nuts

By Trang Doan

Melt-in-your-mouth buttery shortbread combined with creamy chocolate chips and bits of crunchy macadamia nuts take these Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies to the next level. Dip them in melted chocolate for even more chocolate goodness.

Servings: 24 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

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Equipment

• Food Processor
• Stand Mixer
• Baking Sheet

Ingredients 

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• ▢ 8 oz unsalted butter, room temperature, 226 g
• ▢ ⅔ cup granulated sugar, 134 g
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 294 g
• ▢ 2 tablespoon malted milk powder, 18 g
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, scant
• ▢ 1 cup macadamia nuts, 141 g
• ▢ ½ cup mini chocolate chips, 82 g
• ▢ Extra sugar for sprinkling

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Instructions 

• Toast the macadamia nuts in a skillet over medium heat for 3 – 5 minutes until toasty and fragrant. Set aside to cool for 15 – 30 minutes.
• Transfer cooled macadamia nuts to a food processor and pulverize into small pieces no larger than ¼”. You can also chop the nuts on a cutting board with a knife if you don’t have a food processor. Set aside.
• Beat together softened butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until combined and fluffy.
• Sift flour and malted milk powder into a small mixing bowl. Stir in salt, chocolate chips and the chopped macadamia nuts. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix until a dough forms.
• Scrape the dough out of the bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap, roll into a log about 12” long or divide in half and roll into 2 logs about 6” each. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. If the dough is too soft at this point, you may want to refrigerate for 30 minutes, reshape the logs to make sure they are round, and freeze for another 30 minutes to speed up the process.
• When the dough is ready, take it out of the refrigerator or freezer and cut it into ½” slices. Place the cookies in a container and freeze for about 15 minutes while the oven is preheating.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• When the oven is ready, place cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet 1” – 2” apart. Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of cookies generously and bake for 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 – 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely
• Optional: dip cooled cookies in melted chocolate to add another layer of chocolate flavor.

Notes

• Allow butter to soften at room temperature before making the dough, but make sure you don’t let the butter melt, especially in warmer weather.
• If you accidentally let the butter soften too much, the cookie dough could become slightly a sticky mess. You will need to refrigerate it longer or freeze the dough log before slicing.
• If your butter is not soft enough, the dough might not incorporate well and will be a little sandy, crumbly, like pie dough. Keep beating, the friction from the beater will warm the dough up and help it incorporate.
• Before refrigerating or freezing the dough log, shape it as best as you can and place it on a folded up kitchen towel to try and prevent it from going flat on one side.
• If you want it perfectly round, you will need to keep shaping it and smoothing it during the refrigeration process.
• Freezing the sliced cookies before baking is highly recommended as it will allow them to keep their shape better in the oven.
• If your freezer is not large enough for a baking sheet, freeze the sliced cookies in a smaller container with parchment paper between each layer. Place them on a baking sheet right when you are ready to pop them into the oven.
• This cookie dough freezes well, and is perfect for making ahead. You can bake from frozen for about 2 minutes longer.

Nutrition

Serving: 36g, Calories: 193kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!

This post was originally published on 2/15/2018. The post has been updated and republished on 5/21/2020 with the latest improvements, extra tips, and process photos to help you in the kitchen.