These Keto White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are everything good in the world. Tender and a little chewy, with plenty of nuts and white chocolate. You’ll find it hard to believe they didn’t come from a bakery!
I started baking with low carb ingredients a long time ago, long before keto was a trendy way of eating. Back then, in those long ago days, we didn’t have very many options when it came to keto chocolate. And we had zero options for sugar-free white chocolate!
I tried a few times to make my own at home, but it just never really lived up to the promise. So I made up my mind to just go without, rather than settle for something sub-par. And then suddenly, in 2019, several different companies came out with good low carb white chocolate chips all at the same time. And of course, the very first thing I made were these keto cookies.
Since then, I’ve made any number of luscious creations, including keto peppermint cheesecakes and keto white chocolate fudge. But these cookies! Oh these gorgeous chewy cookies. You want these in your life, preferably as soon as possible.
Why we love this recipe
This recipe has long been one of my most popular. Here’s why:
- Chewy texture: Using a little collagen or gelatin helps give keto cookies a wonderful chewy texture.
- Classic flavor: These have all the flavor of conventional cookies.
- Easy to make: I tinkered with the recipe a bit and now they are even easier to make!
- Easy to store: You can make a big batch and freeze them for when you need a little treat.
- Low carb: Each serving of 2 cookies has less than 7 grams of carbs.
Reader’s Thoughts
“Just made these cookies. First time since going keto that I’ve ventured into something sweet. They are delicious and will definitely be part of my Christmas treats over the holidays.
Thank you Carolyn!” — Sharon
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: Always use a finely ground almond flour, as it gives keto cookies the best texture.. You can use sunflower seed flour as a nut-free alternative, but your cookies will be more gray in color.
- Collagen powder: This is optional, but it makes the cookies extra tender and chewy. You can replace this with 1 tablespoon of grass-fed gelatin or 1 envelope of Knox gelatin.
- Sweetener: I like to use a combination of brown sugar replacement and regular granular sweetener. I recommend erythritol in both cases, for the best texture (see Tips for Success for more information).
- Macadamia nuts: It’s best to chop these fairly finely so that the cookies hold together a little better. But you can have some bigger chunks in there too, for texture and visual interest.
- Sugar-free white chocolate chips: I recommend Lily’s or ChocZero for the best taste and texture.
- Pantry staples: Butter, egg, vanilla extract, baking soda and salt.
Step by Step Directions
- Chop the nuts: In a chopper or a food processor, process half a cup of the macadamia nuts until they resemble coarse crumbs. Use a sharp knife to coarsely chop the remaining nuts.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: Whisk together the almond flour, collagen, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together. Stir in the macadamia nuts and half of the white chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
- Form the cookies: Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place several inches apart on two large baking sheets lined with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Press down to about 1/2 inch thickness with the heel of your hand.
- Bake the cookies: Bake at 325ºF for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges (If your oven cooks unevenly, you can switch the pans halfway through baking). The cookies will still be very soft. Remove and gently press a few more white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie. Let cool completely on the pan.
Tips for Success
It’s important to note that keto white chocolate chips don’t bake exactly as the conventional kind do. They have a tendency to melt during baking. This is why I always recommend holding back half of the chips and pressing them into the tops of the cookies right after you take them out of the oven.
I find that the Bake Believe brand of white chocolate chips is really bad in this way. They pretty much melt and disappear during baking. If you can use Lily’s or ChocZero, I recommend those instead.
Give the cookies some space! They do spread quite a bit during baking so you don’t want them to run altogether.
Be careful when grinding the nuts in a food processor. Macadamias contain a lot of oil and can become nut butter very easily.
Sweetener Options: I really think that erythritol based sweeteners work best in keto cookie recipes. Allulose tends to make them softer but they also brown too quickly during baking. That said, you can certainly use it if you prefer. Just keep a close eye on them in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store your cookies in a covered container on the counter for up to 5 days, or in the fridge for up to 10. You can also freeze them, both before and after baking, for up to 2 months. Make sure they are tightly wrapped up to avoid freezer burn.
I have found that Lily’s white chocolate chips perform best during baking, but ChocZero is a good option as well. Bake Believe white chocolate chips tend to melt and disappear during baking. They also tend to seize more when melting them for glaze or drizzle.
This keto white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe has 6.7g of carbs and 3.4g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.3g net carbs for two cookies.
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup raw macadamia nuts, divided
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar replacement
- 1/3 cup granular sweetener
- 2 tbsp collagen protein powder, (optional)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup sugar-free white chocolate chips, divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line two large baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
- In a chopper or a food processor, process half a cup of the macadamia nuts until they resemble coarse crumbs. Use a sharp knife to coarsely chop the remaining nuts.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweeteners, collagen, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in the melted butter, egg, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together. Stir in all of the macadamia nuts and half of the white chocolate chips using a rubber spatula.
- Roll the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls and place several inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (they will spread). Press down to about 1/2 inch thickness with the heel of your hand.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown around the edges (If your oven cooks unevenly, you can switch the pans halfway through baking). The cookies will still be very soft. Remove and gently press a few more white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie. Let cool completely on the pan.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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These sound amazing! Im so excited to try them! Thank you!!
I can’t wait to try these cookies!
I’ve been wanting to try these, but I can’t drive all over the place to look for them. I don’t drive anymore due to vision issues. I looked at the local walmarts online, but only found the dark chocolate. I live in Vancouver. I’d love to know which store had all of them.
I’m a recipe creator, but I don’t have a blog or anything. I just like to play in my kitchen. I’ll probably use them to test chaffle recipes. I’ve been really enjoying the chaffle craze lately. 🙂
Oh I am happy to help! The store I found a bunch at was on SE 192nd ave, way out in East Vancouver. The one that I cleared out of chips was at Mill Plain Plaza.
Carolyn….Thank you for the heads up on the white chocolate morsels. I bought 3 bags at my local Walmart. I made a batch of these, today. Once baked, the white chocolate morsels did not look like yours. Even though I went by your guidelines of putting the morsel on top, they still melted into the cookie. The cookie itself tasted great. Don’t know if I should add the morsels half way through baking or place on the cookie once removed from the oven while still hot.
Any suggestions?
Okay good to know. I added mine at the beginning to the top but maybe halfway through would work for you. I think it can depend on your oven. I recently baked some scones with them inside and because they baked longer, they totally melted away. I think the shorter baking time allows at least some of the morsels to survive when they are on top but if your oven bakes a little on the hot side, that could be an issue.
Thanks, for your reply, Carolyn…….Since I still have plenty of cookie dough leftover, I’ll experiment and let you know.
I can’t wait to make these once I find those white chocolate chips. This is my favorite cookie ever.
Ohhh YUM these look amazing !!! Can’t wait to try these!!! Fingers crossed!! 🙂
I just bought a few “regukar” white chocolate macadamia nut cookies for my boys and was aoooo tempted to eat one. NIW I dint have to be! I cant wait to find these so I can make some. All if your recipes are so tempting!????
I can’t wait to try this recipe!!!
Can’t wait to try your recipes
I miss cookies so much. Reducing my carb intake led me to believe I would have to give up the treats I love. You have completely proven me wrong time and time again. This recipe is no different. Looks delicious.
I entered your give away for a chance to make these cookies specifically. My husband loves white chocolate and I have not been able to find a white chocolate substitute in my journey this far.
Thank you for all that you do 🙂
I have tried these and agree about the taste – not quite there. They taste a little ‘icy” and not quite creamy enough. I suppose that is due to the sweetener. They do have classic clean ingredients and the price ($3.99 for 9 oz) is more than fair. On another note, Walmart is now carrying Lily’s chips as well as Swerve. I find the Lily’s milk chocolate chips to be very good. I like to melt them down and refreeze them with whole almonds for a Hershey’s bar with almonds experience.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! I’ve had difficulty getting these chips locally.
Can’t wait to try these!!
These were always my favorite type of cookie from Costco. Thank you for ketofying it!
I don’t know how, but all I did was think about a keto white chocolate macadamia nut cookie yesterday and sure enough the next morning Google read my thoughts or something because this was suggested in my feed. Very weird. But since I’m here, I think I will try this, but I would replace the white chocolate for cocoa butter chunks and take it a step further by dividing those chunks into smaller “chips”. Cocoa add saturated fats into the mix and turn this from low-carb into a proper keto cookie. Tastes relatively the same to me as white chocolate without the carbs. If necessary, I’m sure on could melt the cocoa butter down and then add in a swerve or stevia sugar substitute to “sweeten” the chips a bit.
Hi Cam. I understand what you’re saying but it won’t work. For one… the cocoa butter will melt entirely away in your cookies. For another, it’s a tricky substance to work with and I have tried multiple times to make keto white chocolate. It just doesn’t come out the same. Without a commercial conching machine to work the sweetener into the cocoa butter, it becomes gritty, it often separates, and it doesn’t have real white chocolate flavour.
I have tried and tried, and there are a number of other bloggers who have “white chocolate” recipes and to be frank, none of them are very good. But you are welcome to try!
I would like to make this recipe with the white chocolate chips. They look yummy. Thanks for the recipe and the giveaway.
These look so yummy!