Aloha Cookies
The Best White Chocolate, Coconut & Macadamia Cookies
Makes about 20 large
The one that started it all: brown-butter dough, chewy and deep, loaded with chopped white chocolate, toasted coconut, and toasted salted macadamias, finished with flaky salt.
Ingredients
House rule: amounts always stay in kitchen fractions, even scaled. Round eggs to the nearest whole in practice.
Method
- 1
Toast coconut and macadamias
Toast 3/4 cup coconut and 1 cup macadamias on a dry sheet pan (separate areas) at 325°F, stirring once, until the coconut is golden and the nuts are fragrant, 6–8 minutes. Coconut burns fast — watch closely. Cool.
7:00 - 2
Brown the butter
Brown 3/4 of the butter over medium heat, swirling, until the milk solids are deep golden and nutty, about 3 minutes. Pour into a large bowl and stir in the remaining cold quarter to melt it and cool the mixture.
3:00 - 3
Whisk in the sugars
Whisk 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 2 Tbsp milk powder into the warm butter until smooth. Rest 5 minutes, then whisk again 30 seconds — this dissolves the sugar for shiny, crackly tops and extra chew.
5:00 - 4
Add eggs and vanilla
Whisk in the egg, yolk, and 2 tsp vanilla until glossy and slightly lightened, about 45 seconds.
- 5
Fold in the dry ingredients
Add 2 1/4 cups flour, the baking soda, baking powder, and salt; fold just until no dry streaks remain.
- 6
Add the mix-ins
Fold in 1 1/2 cups white chocolate and the cooled toasted coconut and macadamias. The dough will be stiff.
- 7
Chill the dough
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour — 24 to 48 hours is dramatically better.
60:00 - 8
Scoop
Scoop large 3-Tbsp balls, rolled tall rather than flat, at least 3 inches apart (about 8 per sheet).
- 9
Bake
Bake one sheet at a time at 350°F for 13–16 minutes, until the edges are golden and set but the centers still look soft and underdone.
15:00 - 10
Top and cool
Straight out of the oven, press a few extra pieces of white chocolate, macadamia, and coconut onto the tops, then sprinkle with 1/2 tsp flaky salt. Rest on the pan 5 minutes, then cool on a rack.
5:00
Notes
Chopped white chocolate bar beats chips for flavor and spreads less. Toasting both the coconut and the nuts is the single highest-impact step. The chill is what keeps the brown-butter dough thick. For a thinner, crispier cookie, use all softened (not browned) butter, drop the yolk, and skip the chill. Store airtight 3–5 days; freeze dough balls 2–3 months and bake from frozen with 1–2 extra minutes.