Strawberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

The boyfriend loves the white chocolate macadamia nut cookies from Diddy Riese so I thought I would try to recreate them. But as I was making them, I realized that I didn’t have enough macadamia nuts and I wasn’t really in the mood to go to the store so I decided to add in some strawberries. It was such a wonderful addition since it didn’t take away from the original ingredients and it was still bold enough to give it that sweet, fruity kick. The boyfriend absolutely loved it and vowed to eat them all!

Strawberry White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies (adapted from For the Love of Cooking):

Yields about 3 dozen

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup strawberries, diced
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped, if needed
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, egg, egg yolk and vanilla until thick and creamy.

Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar mixture, beating just until incorporated.

Gently stir in strawberries, macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips.

Drop tablespoons of batter onto prepared baking sheet. (I use the medium Oxo Good Grips Cookie Scoop, which holds 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter.)

Place into oven and bake until golden brown, about 15-17 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool on baking sheet, about 4-5 minutes. (Let the cookies set in the baking sheet. They will fall apart if you move them too quickly.) Once they cool, transfer cookies to rack to cool slightly.