Rich chocolate meets summer sun in these chewy double chocolate cookies filled with chunks of macadamia nuts. The cookie form of the classic Aloha Mac candies from Hawaii, these are a must for summer!

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I’m going to be honest: I will always consider Nestle’s chocolate chip cookie recipe to be the “original” cookie recipe. While it’s been years since I’ve actually made it as-is, I always have two things in the back of my mind when making or inventing any cookie recipe: how does it stack up against Nestle’s and how would Phoebe pronounce it?

So when I decided I wanted to have a go-to double chocolate cookie that I could adjust as easily as I do my chocolate cake, I figured starting with Nestle was not only the wise thing to do, it’s what Phoebe would do.

And it resulted in a delicious journey of trial and error until I landed on an amazing, reliable double chocolate cookie dough to which I added some chopped macadamia nuts, rolled it in toasted coconut, then closed my eyes and really did believe for a second that I was back in Maui.

There’s something so perfectly summery about these cookies. The macadamia nuts are subtle yet perfectly balanced against the cocoa and chocolate chips. And the toasted coconut may be optional, but it’s what really tips the scales for these cookies. It’s like Hawaii in a bite.

How to make double chocolate macadamia nut cookies

Much like the classic Nestle recipe, you’ll start by whisking the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Cream the softened butter until it begins to get light and fluffy. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Scrape the bowl as necessary. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until well blended. Add the vanilla.

Beat in the flour mixture on low just until combined. Don’t stress if there are some streaks of flour, as you’ll stir those in next.

Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts.

Then chill. Seriously, you need to do this step. See note below about options to make this less agonizing, but you’ll be so glad you did it!

Once chilled, you can use a spoon or cookie scoop to make balls of about 1” to 1 1/2” in diameter. Roll these in toasted coconut, if desired. Flatten just a tad with two fingers. Then freeze the cookies for 10 minutes.

Bake just until no longer shiny (see note below—it’s really hard to tell when double chocolate cookies are done).

Let cool on the pan about least 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack (or just devour straight off the pan).

Enjoy!

Tips and notes for this recipe

Chilling is key

Chilling helps these cookies come together. The longer they chill, the better looking your cookie will be. It’ll also be thicker and have a great chew. If you just can’t wait, you could make a few right away—but they may be pretty flat. Something magical happens when you let the dough chill at least an hour or even overnight. It sounds silly, but this isn’t your run-of-the-mill cookie that can just be popped in the oven. The dough has a hard time holding all those mix-ins if it’s not sufficiently cold. Chilling then freezing for a few minutes right before baking makes a big difference!

Optional: make dough ahead of time and freeze

Another option is to make the dough ahead and freeze it. After you’ve made the dough, chill for an hour or until no longer sticky, form into individual balls, press down ever so slightly with two fingers to flatten the tops a bit, freeze for 10 minutes on a cookie tray, then transfer to a freezer safe, tightly sealed container or bag to freeze at least overnight or up to 2 months. This is great if you don’t actually need 4 dozen cookies. You can pop a few in the oven whenever you want!

Bake just until matte in appearance

Double chocolate cookies are a funny thing. It’s really hard to tell when they’re done, because you can’t see them change to a golden brown like chocolate chip cookies (or my specialty oatmeal chocolate chip cookies). Instead, you’ll know they’re done when the tops no longer look shiny. Watch carefully, as they go from perfectly done to over baked quickly. I found 10 to 11 minutes to be perfect.

Try the toasted coconut!

I’m a little obsessed with toasted coconut. In fact, I’m making a vegan coconut tart today (to share for Earth Day!) and I’m already excited about making more toasted coconut for it! It’s so simple to toast coconut—just bake at 350 for 10 minutes, stirring halfway. Be sure to remove early if your oven bakes fast. You could easily do this while the dough chills!

You might also like:

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Triple Chocolate Fudge Brownies

Caramel Cookie Oopsie Bars

Gooey S’mores Cookies

Easy Hula Pie (inspired by the famous pie at Kimo’s in Maui!)

Double Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Print

prep time: 10-15 minutes
chill time: 1 hour (or up to 2 days)
bake time: 10-12 minutes
total time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

yields: 3-4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups (238g) flour, spooned then leveled
¾ cup (75g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (5g) baking soda
½ teaspoon (3g) sea salt
1 cup (227g) unsalted European style butter, room temperature
1 cup (213g) brown sugar
⅔ cup (134g) granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon (13g) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (340g) chocolate chips (any kind)
1 to 1 ½ cups (150-200g) chopped macadamia nuts
optional: ½ cup (35g) toasted unsweetened coconut

Instructions:

First, whisk together your flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. I suggest sifting the cocoa powder if it tends to clump up, like mine does.
In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large bowl, using a hand whisk), beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
Add the sugars and beat on high for at least 3 minutes, until light and fluffy and most of the sugar is dissolved (some might still be grainy). Scrape the bowl as needed, at least once during this 3 minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium until well blended. Add the vanilla and beat on medium until blended.
Add the flour mixture and beat on low just until combined. Don’t worry if there are some streaks of flour, as the next step takes care of that.
Using a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. I used a full 1 ½ cups of the mac nuts, but I love a fully loaded cookie.
Now chill! Cover and chill the dough at least an hour or up to 2 days. I found that chilling overnight was perfect. If you’re in a rush, you could form them into balls and freeze them for at least 20 minutes, but they may still end up a little flat (but still delicious!).
Once the dough is chilled, preheat oven to 325 and line a cookie sheet (or sheets) with parchment (or use a silicone mat to help reduce your carbon footprint!). Use a spoon or cookie scoop to form the dough into balls about 1 to 1 ½ inches in diameter. The dough should be stiff to the point that you really do need a scoop or a little elbow grease to scoop them.
If desired, roll the cookies (all of it or just the top half) in toasted coconut. Place on your lined cookie sheet, gently press down ever so slightly with two fingers, just to flatten out the top a bit, then freeze for 10 minutes while the oven finishes preheating.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are no longer shiny (or there’s just a tiny bit of shine around the nuts and chocolate chips).
Let cool on the pan about 10 minutes, then either enjoy or remove to a wire rack to cool completely.