Low Sodium White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Recipe
These low sodium white chocolate macadamia nut cookies are a great chewy and crunchy dessert recipe, and easy to make with low sodium baking ingredients! These thick cookies are loaded with white chocolate chunks and hearty chopped macadamia nuts in each bite.
Make these cookies for the holidays, or just any time of the year! They are simple to make and also great to gift. You can also freeze these for a quick treat anytime.
Want more low sodium cookie recipes? Try our low sodium sugar cookies with buttercream icing, low sodium peanut butter cookies, or our favorite low sodium classic chocolate chip cookies.
I’ve made these cookies a few times, and they turn out wonderfully everytime. The combination of white chocolate and buttery soft macadamia nuts are a winning combo. And they are easy to make! You can whip these up in a mixing bowl or in a stand mixer if you have one – either works well.
Start by making a delicious cookie dough with unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and flour. Then fold in the white chocolate chips (or chocolate chunks) and chopped macadamia nuts. These cookies are great as a dessert, an accompaniment with coffee or tea, or to give to fiends or neighbors for the holidays. We actually made a batch of these for our new neighbors this year, and they were well enjoyed!
Notes from Our Kitchen
- These cookies are chewy, thick, and loaded with tasty crunchy nuts.
- A great low sodium baking recipe that has no salt and simple baking swaps.
- Wonderful as homemade gifts or to make for company.
- A great treat you can enjoy for dessert.
- Even beginner bakers can make these cookies successfully by following our step-by-step photos and directions below!
Ingredients You’ll Need
See the recipe card below for a full list of instructions and ingredient amounts!
This recipe starts with a basic cookie dough – made with all purpose flour, unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, and a reduced sodium baking powder (see our spotlight below to learn more). It’s a great cookie base for all the delicious chunks!
You can use either white chocolate chunks (which I happened to have!) or white chocolate chips. Both are delicious, so use what you can find easily.
And of course, use unsalted macadamia nuts in these cookies. I had no issues finding unsalted ones at my local grocery store, so great if you can to. Or if not, you could order some online as well.
Ingredient Spotlight!
Rumford Reduced Sodium Baking Powder
Regular baking powder & baking soda can be high in sodium, making it difficult to make homemade baked goods while on a low sodium diet.
This Rumford brand has 35mg sodium per 1/8th teaspoon serving, making it the lowest baking powder option I’ve seen. It’s the one I use in this recipe, and many others on this site. You can find it in grocery stores, and on Amazon here.
Additions and Substitutions
If you can’t find unsalted macadamia nuts, you could always make these with a different nut instead. You could use unsalted pistachios, pecans, or walnuts. All three of those have a great texture!
Instead of a vanilla extract, you could try adding almond extract or pistachio extract in these cookies for a fun flavor twist.
You could also make a low sodium buttercream frosting to top the cookies, if desired.
Sprinkle a little powdered sugar on the cookies for a fun and festive finish. Powdered sugar cookies always remind me of snow in the winter, so if I’m making these for a holiday cookie swap, I’ll add a sprinkle on.
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: Melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan or in a microwave.
Step 2: In a mixing bowl (or in your stand mixer), mix the melted butter, eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. You want to make sure there are no lumps or sugar.
Step 3: In another bowl, add the all purpose flour and reduced sodium baking powder.
Step 4: In 3 or 4 batches, add the flour and stir it into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well until a thick dough forms.
Step 5: Chop the macadamia nuts, and add the nuts and the white chocolate chunks into the bowl with the dough. Mix the dough well to combine.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll the dough into 1.5 tablespoon balls (roughly the size of golf balls) and add them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Step 7: Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to get lightly golden brown and the middles have just set.
Step 8: Remove from oven and fully cool the cookies before enjoying… or sneak a warm one if you can’t resist (this is allowed, as a special treat for the baker) 🙂
Recipe FAQs
No, you can use butter that’s been softened at room temperature too.
Yes, you could always use all of one type of sugar, instead of using both white and brown. You will get a subtle and different flavor.
Each cookie has 38mg sodium, if you use unsalted butter, unsalted nuts, and a reduced sodium baking powder.
Expert Tips
- Since macadamia nuts can be fairly large, I like to give mine a rough chop before adding them to the dough. A full macadamia nut is a big chunk in the cookie, and I like getting little bits throughout the dough.
- If you are chopping the nuts, you can use a knife, or place the nuts in a freezer bag and give them a few good whacks with a skillet to crush them a bit (my preferred method).
- These cookies make great gifts, especially as a nice homemade treat for the holidays. Great to share with neighbors, your mail carrier, teachers, or librarians… anyone you appreciate daily.
More Low Sodium Dessert Recipes
- Low Sodium Peach Cobbler
- Low Sodium Pie Crust
- The best Low Sodium Cheesecake
- Low Sodium Chocolate Peppermint Bark
- Low Sodium Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Let’s keep in touch – don’t forget to follow over on Instagram, Facebook, & my Youtube channel for more easy low sodium recipes.
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Low Sodium White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl, or Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- parchment paper
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon reduced sodium baking powder
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup macadamia nuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan or in a microwave.
- In a mixing bowl (or in your stand mixer), mix the melted butter, eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. You want to make sure there are no lumps or sugar.
- In another bowl, add the all purpose flour and reduced sodium baking powder.
- In 3 or 4 batches, add the flour and stir it into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix well until a thick dough forms.
- Chop the macadamia nuts, and add the nuts and the white chocolate chunks into the bowl with the dough. Mix the dough well to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Roll the dough into 1.5 tablespoon balls (roughly the size of golf balls) and add them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake the cookies for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to get lightly golden brown and the middles have just set.
- Remove from oven and fully cool the cookies before enjoying… or sneak a warm one if you can’t resist (this is allowed, as a special treat for the baker) 🙂
Notes
- Since macadamia nuts can be fairly large, I like to give mine a rough chop before adding them to the dough. A full macadamia nut is a big chunk in the cookie, and I like getting little bits throughout the dough.
- If you are chopping the nuts, you can use a knife, or place the nuts in a freezer bag and give them a few good whacks with a skillet to crush them a bit (my preferred method).
- These cookies make great gifts, especially as a nice homemade treat for the holidays. Great to share with neighbors, your mail carrier, teachers, or librarians… anyone you appreciate daily.
Nutrition estimate (for 1 serving)
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used in our kitchen. It will vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify your nutrition content and sodium amounts.
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