Macadamia Nut Christmas Drop Cookie Recipe

Macadamia Nut, Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies

Festive looking cookies perfect for the Christmas holiday season. Be careful not to over-bake.
If you do, cookies will be dry.

These pretty cookies are just the right touch for a festive holiday celebration in your home or a gift!

Before you start, cover your dried cranberries with water and allow them to plump up about an hour before putting them in the dough. I learned that lesson the hard way. :-)

LIQUID INGREDIENTS

1 cup / 2 sticks of room temperature butter (salted or unsalted)
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs (room temperature - IMPORTANT)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon Almond extract
1 tablespoon milk (can omit)

DRY INGREDIENTS

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1- 1/4 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
1  cup of white chocolate chips
1  cup of drained, plumped up dried cranberries

INSTRUCTIONS

Let the dried cranberries sit in water for 20-30 minutes to restore their moisture and plump them up again. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F / 175 degrees C.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Lower the speed and add the eggs one at a time then, add the milk, vanilla and almond extracts.

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat them into the creamed mixture- still on low speed and just until blended. DO NOT OVERBEAT!  Mix in the macadamia nuts, white chocolate chips and plumped up cranberries by hand until evenly distributed in the dough.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. If you use an ice cream scoop, the 1" or 1-1/2" scoops work nicely for this. Makes 36-48 cookies (3-4 dozen) depending upon the size of your scoop.

DO NOT OVERBAKE!! The original recipe calls for them to bake 10 minutes. I find if you do so, the cookies will be dry the next day. I bake them in 6-8 minutes. They should be lightly browned on the bottom, look underdone and not firm on the top.

NOTES/TIPS:

• Make extra dough, drop your cookies on a cookie sheet, freeze them, then remove and package in a 1 or 2 gallon freezer bag for baking later. This favorite family cookie tastes just fine after either the dough has been thawed and baked.
• You can use baking powder instead of baking soda. I did not experience any significant difference in the taste.
• Recipe fits in a 3 qt Kitchen Aid bowl but, it will be full. Double batch needs 5 qt bowl.
• Wait until they cool before eating. They taste great with French Vanilla or vanilla ice cream or a glass of cold milk.
• I tried substituting walnuts and almonds. But, the Macadamia nuts taste much better.
• Nuts, chips and cranberries are available from NutsOnLine.com.
• Photo of cookies with cherries courtesy of Daring Gourmet.com . Your cookies will look similar to this.

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