White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies (Copycat Subway Recipe)

Jump to Recipe

There's something about the combination of white chocolate and crunchy macadamia nuts that makes white chocolate macadamia nut cookies an all-time favorite. If you've ever had these delectable treats from a sandwich shop like Subway and wondered how to recreate their irresistible flavor at home, you're in luck! In this blog post, I'll share a copycat recipe for white chocolate macadamia nut cookies that will give you the perfect balance of chewy centers, crisp edges, and mounds of creamy white chocolate chunks. Get ready to indulge in the softest and most delicious cookies that will rival the real thing.

If you like these white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies, I think you will also love my vegan chocolate chip cookies, which are also gooey, crunchy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. 

Making these cookies vegan

These cookies happen to be vegan, meaning they are both eggless and dairy-free. This is because I am personally vegan, and also because the fewer allergens a cookie has, the more people can enjoy them and the more shareable the recipe is!

I have made these for my friends and family many times, and they have absolutely loved them. Most of them are shocked when I tell them that the cookies are vegan because they are so delicious that you can't tell that they're not the "real thing". 

Which white chocolate to use

Because I made these cookies vegan, I used vegan white chocolate. Here are some brands of vegan white chocolate that work well for baking:

Pascha: I've never personally tried Pascha because I have not been able to find them in stores near me, but they are a really popular brand that I've seen other vegans use and love.

Enjoy Life: this is a well known brand that makes allergy friendly chocolate.

Nestle Toll House: these are the white chocolate chips I used in this recipe.

Great Value: Walmart's Great Value brand now offers allergy-friendly white chocolate chips.

The brands below don't offer white chocolate in chip form, but they have great vegan white chocolate bars, which you can chop up and use in this recipe instead:

Evolved: this brand is also keto in addition to being vegan.

Vego: as far as I know, this brand is only available in Europe- at least that's the only place where I've been able to find it. But if you are located there, it's a great option.

If you are not making this recipe vegan, you can also use regular white chocolate. Personally, I think that the Ghirardelli white chocolate chips are the best white chocolate chips, and they would be my recommendation if you want to use regular milk chocolate chips to make this recipe. 

Browning the butter

In this recipe, I decided to slightly brown the butter. Browning butter is very easy and gives the cookies an absolutely delicious slight nutty flavor that adds so much depth. This is optional and you can definitely skip the step, but I really think it elevates the cookies. 

Note: If you are also using vegan butter as I did and you want to brown the butter, I recommend using the brand Miyokos. To my knowledge, it's the only brand of vegan butter that can produce the browning effect. 

If you are using regular butter, any brand should work. 

What you will need to make the perfect white chocolate macadamia cookies

Wet Ingredients

• vegan unsalted butter: use melted or room-temperature butter. If you are not vegan, you can use regular butter here as well. 
• white sugar and brown sugar: to get the perfect cookie texture that is both soft on the inside and crunchy on the outside, you will need both types of sugar. 
• cornstarch: this will serve as our egg replacer in the recipe. 
• dairy-free milk: I used soy milk, but once again, you can use regular milk if you are not vegan. 
• vanilla extract
• vinegar: this might sound like a weird ingredient, but a tiny amount of apple cider vinegar helps to activate the baking powder. Don't worry, you absolutely cannot taste it.

Dry Ingredients  

• all-purpose flour: I highly recommend using finely ground all-purpose flour for this recipe. While whole wheat flour will also work, to get that perfect cookie texture, I recommend going with all purpose. I have not tried this recipe with oat flour or gluten-free flour, so I cannot say if it will work. This recipe will not work with almond flour or coconut flour. 
• baking soda and baking powder: to get the perfect texture, we will need both in this recipe. 
• sea salt: this helps bring out the sweetness of the cookies.
• vegan white chocolate chips: see my notes on what chocolate to use. If you are not vegan, regular white chocolate will work as well. 
• chopped macadamia nuts: I like using roasted macadamia nuts for the enhanced flavor. 

Equipment needed

• large mixing bowl, whisk, and rubber spatula OR a stand mixer with a paddle attachment OR an electric hand mixer: you can make the recipe either by hand in a mixing bowl, or you can use a stand mixer to cream everything together. Either method will work, so use whatever is easier for you. I personally made these by hand. 
• wire rack: to allow the cookies to chill at room temperature.
• a sheet pan: to bake the cookies on 
• a large cookie scoop: this is optional, but a cookie scoop ensures that you will get equal-sized cookies. 

How to make the cookies

To brown the butter, place it in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until it starts to darken in color and develop small brown chunks. 

Note: Browning the butter is optional, and you can skip this step and simply add the melted regular butter to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. 

To a large bowl, add the melted butter, brown sugar, white sugar, plant-based milk, vanilla, and vinegar, and whisk until combined. 

Next, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and combine until you form a dough. 

Chop the macadamia nuts and add them to the dough, along with the white chocolate chips.

Use a cookie scoop to scoop out the cookie dough onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. You should get about 16 cookie dough balls, but this will vary depending on the size that you make them. 

Add extra white chocolate chips and chopped macadamia nuts on top of the cookies if you wish. 

Refrigerate the cookie dough for 30 minutes. Also, preheat the oven to 350*F. 

After 30 minutes, place the cookies in the oven and bake them for 12 minutes.

Then take them out and leave them at room temperature for at least five minutes. This is really important as they are going to continue baking while on the hot cookie sheet. I know it's tempting, but don't eat them just yet! 

Once the cookies have set at room temperature, top them with flakey salt and dig in! 

Important Notes to ensure perfect copycat Subway cookies

The perfect cookie is one of those things that you can still get a pretty good result if you follow the basic instructions, but to get it JUST right, you have to follow all of the steps as is. 

I know it can be kind of annoying to chill the dough and wait for the cookies to set after baking them, but each step is there for a reason, so I highly recommend following every step. 

Measure the flour properly 

One of the most important things you need to make sure to do is to measure the flour correctly. You don't want to pack in the flour into the measuring cup because that tends to give you way too much flour and completely throws off the consistency. 

This video on how to properly measure flour is my favorite to include in all of my posts to help show how to measure flour. My favorite way is to use a kitchen scale because that gives perfect results each time, but you can also achieve the correct measurement with a measuring cup. 

To do this, make sure to start by fluffing up the flour with a fork. Then use a spoon to add flour to the measuring cup until it is overflowing. DO NOT PACK IN THE FLOUR. This will result in way too much flour and the cookies will be dry. Use a butter knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. 

Chill the dough

Chilling the cookies allows for the flavors to absorb into each other, giving the cookie a richer flavor. It also allows the cookie to spread perfectly in the oven so you get the perfect crispy edges and golden brown bottoms, but also a soft and chewy center. 

Allow the cookies to chill at room temperature after baking

These cookies bake for exactly 12 minutes at 350*F, but you want to allow them to finish baking in the hot pan for at least five minutes after removing them from the oven. 

They need this time to finish setting, and if you don't give them this time, they will crumble.  

How to store the cookies

If you don't finish these cookies, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. 

To ensure that the cookies don't dry out, place half of a slice of bread in the container with the cookies. This will ensure that the moisture from the bread keeps the cookies moist and keeps them from drying out. 

Storing the cookies in the fridge will tend to dry them out, but you can also store them that way as well. I personally actually sometimes like doing this, because this will make the cookies last longer. These cookies will last about 2-3 days when stored at room temperature. 

With this copycat Subway white chocolate macadamia nut cookie recipe, you can now enjoy these delicious treats anytime you want. The combination of creamy white chocolate, crunchy macadamia nuts, and the perfect chewy texture will have you reaching for seconds.

Whether you're reminiscing about the original Subway cookies or introducing your taste buds to this delightful creation for the first time, these homemade cookies are sure to satisfy your sweet tooth. So, grab your apron, preheat your oven, and get ready to bake the best white chocolate macadamia nut cookies right in your kitchen!

Video

For more delicious vegan cookie recipes, try these delicious dairy-free sugar cookie recipe with the most delicious and creamy frosting.

If you live alone or don't want to make a large batch of cookies and are just craving a single cookie, this single-serve chocolate chip cookie recipe might be for you.