Salted brown butter macadamia nut cookies. Do I even need to say more? These are sweet, salty, nutty, decadent, and packed with the flavors of summer. Simply close your eyes and transport yourself to the islands of Hawaii with the salt in your hair and the sand in your toes.
Salted Brown Butter Macadamia Nut Cookies:
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup white cane sugar
- ¾ cup coconut sugar (sub brown sugar if you can’t find it, but my Trader Joes always carries it)
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted brown butter
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (if you don’t have vb paste, sub with 2 tsp vanilla extract)
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup of chopped dry roasted unsalted macadamia nuts
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Start by making the brown butter.
Using a large pot, melt the butter until it starts to brown.
NOTE** It is very important that you use a large pot for this. The butter will bubble up a lot, and if you use a pot that is too small, it will bubble over. Trust me, I made this mistake the first time I made brown butter.
The browning process should take about 5- 8 minutes over medium heat. Make sure to stir constantly so the butter turns a chestnut brown color, but does not burn. You will smell the nuttiness as the butter browns. Once it is a deep golden brown, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool for a moment.
Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, and vanilla bean paste in a large bowl on medium speed for about 5 minutes. This will help cool the butter down and melt it together with the sugar. Next add in the egg and mix to combine. The mixture will look like a caramel sauce.
Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend. Add all of the flour mixture in 2-3 batches, and beat just until blended. Next add in the chopped macadamia nuts and mix until they are evenly distributed throughout batter.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat, and use a 1 ½ – 2 inch diameter cookie scoop to scoop cookie dough onto baking sheet.
NOTE*** You want to make sure and pack the cookie dough into the scoop before scooping it out. This is a fairly dry dough, so you need to pack it together to get the cookie right. You can also add a teaspoon or two of water if the dough is too dry and not coming together well.
Bake at 350 degrees for 6-7 minutes. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
These salted brown butter macadamia nut cookies will be the hit of your next summer get together.
Happy baking!
