White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Bars

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Bars are soft-baked, chewy, loaded with buttery brown sugar flavor, chunks of white chocolate chips & macadamia nuts. Try this cookie bar recipe that bakes up in a 9×9 pan for a smaller serving size. 

Macadamia Nuts + white chocolate chips are one of the best combos! Try my White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Pudding Cookies for another dessert. 

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Bars Recipe

White chocolate and macadamia nuts make for the perfect cookie bar with salty crunch from the macadamia nuts and the sweet melty white chocolate chip spots.

These bars are so buttery, soft, chewy, and really good with the combination of the sweet white chocolate and salty macadamia nuts.

Ingredients Needed

• All-Purpose Flour : I prefer using unbleached all-purpose flour but regular all-purpose can be used as well. I have never made these with gluten-free flour so I can’t say for sure how it would work. I know sometimes that gluten-free flour can make the texture gummy. So experiment if you wish. 
• Baking Soda + Baking Powder
• Salt : I like to use sea salt or kosher salt in this recipe.
• Butter : Make sure this is well softened so it mixed in smoothly with the dough. Salted or unsalted butter can be used, it’s just whatever you prefer to use when baking. I use salted butter. 
• Granulated Sugar
• Light Brown Sugar
• Large Egg
• Vanilla Extract
• White Chocolate Chips
• Macadamia Nuts – Leave these whole for larger chunks or chop them small. 

How To Make Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Chips & Macadamia Nuts

Learn how to make this recipe with the easy steps below. Be sure and read to the bottom of the post where you will find a detailed recipe card with a printable option, and all the ingredients and instructions. 

• Preparation : Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×9 baking dish with parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray. 
• Dry Ingredients : Add all the dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine. 
• Wet Ingredients : Use a hand mixer to beat the softened butter and sugar until creamy and combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat until mixed together. 
• Cookie Dough Batter : Add the dry ingredients into the wet and beat on low speed just until combined. Once there are no flour streaks or pockets in the dough, stop mixing so you don’t over mix it. 
• White Chocolate + Macadamia Nuts : Stir these into the batter just until mixed. 
• Bake : Spread the dough into the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through. 
• Cool : Let the bars cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before cutting. 

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Bars FAQ’s

• How To Store Leftovers

  • Place leftovers in an airtight container, or Ziploc bag, at room temperature for up to 5 days. 

• Can I Freeze White Chocolate Macadamia Bars?

  • Yes you can. Prepare the bars and cool completely. Double wrap them in tin foil, either individually or all of them, and freeze for up to 2 months. I like to wrap the bars individually in tin foil and then place them inside a freezer safe Ziploc bag. It just provides extra protection and keeps the freezer cleaner. 
  • Let leftovers thaw in the fridge or at room temperature. You can also warm it up in the microwave too. 

• Do I Chop The Macadamia Nuts or Keep Them Whole?

  • You can keep the macadamia nuts whole for larger chunks inside the cookie bars, or chop them up so there are more bits all over. I prefer chopping up the macadamia nuts so there is more to go around. 

Recipe Tips

• Don’t Over Mix : Once you add the dry ingredients into the wet batter, be sure to only mix until just combined. Once there are no longer flour streaks or pockets in the dough, it’s time to stop. You will also be mixing in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts, which will finish combining and mixing everything. 
• Use Parchment Paper : I love using parchment paper because then you can grab it by the over hand on the sides, lift out the bars, and then cut them nicely into squares. I also am convinced that using parchment paper prevents the bottoms (of bars and cookies) from getting too browned. 
• Softened Butter : If the butter is not well softened, you will have trouble mixing it into the dough and there will end up being lumps in it. Remember to set out the butter the night before, or at least several hours before, and you can always do my microwave trick. Place the stick of butter into the microwave, and “cook” for 30 seconds, rotating the stick of butter to another side every 3-4 seconds. 

More Cookie Bar Recipes You’ll Love

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – Thick, chewy cookie bars with chocolate chips. A delicious cross between a chocolate chip cookie in a bar form. 
• Funfetti Cake Batter Cookie Bars – Easy to make with a white cake mix + sugar cookie mix. Topped with frosting and lots of Funfetti sprinkles included. 
• Smores Cookie Bars – Everything you love about s’mores in a cookie bar. Graham cracker cookie dough base, gooey marshmallow center, and entire bars of milk chocolate. 
• No Flour Monster Cookie Bars – One of my most popular recipes! No flour in these amazing bars. Bakes up in a sheet pan so there is plenty for a crowd. 
• Chewy Butterscotch Peanut Butter Cookie Bars – Delicious mix of butterscotch chips, peanut butter, oatmeal, and chocolate chips. 
• Triple Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Bars – Three kinds of peanut butter! Creamy peanut butter, peanut butter chips, and Reese’s Pieces peanut butter & chocolate candy.