White Chocolate Coconut Chili Macadamia Nut Cookies

White chocolate macadamia nut cookies have always been a favorite. I first discovered these cookies at Subway and they were ridiculously buttery and chewy. Although I do not eat there often, I want one every time I walk into the place. However, like many things in my food-life, the thought of making them myself didn’t grow until recently. I finally decided to make them when I saw a bag of coconut chili macadamia nuts in my monthly Foodzie tasting box (if you are not signed up, you really should). Adding coconut to these cookies was a no brainer, however the chili flakes mixed in there were definitely a different twist. But I was excited to see how it would turn out.

I was actually a little disappointed that you cannot tell there is a single flake of chili in these cookies. I really was curious how the flavors would all blend together. But alas, all I was left with was a supremely yummy cookie. Oh wait that’s not a bad thing is it? Definitely not, especially since these cookies dissappeared faster than almost anything I’ve ever brought into work before. I’m an expert ruin-er of diets around these parts ;-).

And if you will notice, the title for today’s post was very close to following the unplanned ABCs for the week. There are enough C’s in there to make up for it not starting with one, right?

WHITE CHOCOLATE COCONUT CHILI MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES

Makes approximately 2.5 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted & cooled

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, plus one egg yolk

2 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/2 cups white chocolate chips

1-1/2 cups coconut chili macadamias (or 1/2 cup toasted coconut, 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts and a pinch of red pepper flakes)

Directions:

1. Adjust an oven rack to lower-middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.
2. In a large bowl, beat the melted butter and sugars together with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until combined.
3. Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly add the flour mixture until combined. Mix in the white chocolate chips and coconut chili macadamias until incorporated.
4. Working with 2 tablespoons of dough at a time, roll the dough into even balls* and lay them on the baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake the cookies until the edges are set and beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 12-15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then serve warm or transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

* I used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop

Source: Adapted slightly from Handle the Heat