This past weekend, I celebrated the birth of a very special person in my life... MY DAD. Martin is the one who gave me my chin (ugh), my long legs (yay) and a very nice life filled with 100% of his support in all things I do. I don't want to embarrass him by praising him too much, BUT he is literally the hardest working person I know, will go above and beyond to help others out before he would even think to do something for himself, and makes me laugh every time I talk to him on the phone (every day). Also, he's responsible for introducing me to films that I would have never watched if it weren't for him (The Cabin Boy, Kung Pow: Enter the Fist, Bio Dome... and many other great, GREAT movies).

On top of all of these amazing attributes, my dad really likes his sweets. Whenever I bring him something I baked, he'll usually give me a hard time about the dessert not being good or not wanting any of it, but before I know it he'll have eaten the whole thing and wants more. Typical dad stuff.

Since we celebrated my dad's birthday by going to a Dodgers game on Saturday and the Grand Prix on Sunday, I wanted to bake him something that was very travel-friendly and not going to sit in the car for hours. Enter these amazingly delicious white chocolate macadamia nut cookies.

White chocolate macadamia nut cookies (which I will refer to as WCMC from now on in order to keep my sanity) are often overlooked in the cookie world. Most people would probably name off at least five types of cookies on their list of favorites (chocolate chip, peanut butter, Oreos, etc.) before even thinking of WCMC. Maybe it's because white chocolate (which is technically not chocolate due to the lack of cocoa solids) isn't as popular among other types of chocolate, but in my eyes all chocolates are equal: I will eat and enjoy all of them equally. When combined with macadamia nuts, which also are delicious and very fragrant, you have a match made in cookie heaven. So with that said, these cookies are REALLY good and smell more amazing than any other cookies I've ever baked, I swear! WCMC need to be appreciated more, ok? Ok.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Recipe adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction

Yields about 30 cookies

Ingredients

2 cups plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed brown sugar, light or dark
1/2 cup white sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1 large egg yolk, room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped
Flaky sea salt to finish (optional)

Directions

Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugars on medium speed until it is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the bowl and mix again on medium speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
With the stand mixer/hand mixer off, add the flour mixture all at once to the bowl and mix on low speed for 10 seconds, and then turn to medium and mix until incorporated. Don't over mix!
Fold in the chocolate chips and nuts with a spatula.
Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight if wanted.
After chilling, turn on the oven to 325°F. Using a spoon or a cookie scoop (I use the medium size version) scoop out about a tablespoon and a half to two tablespoons of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Keep the dough cold in between batches.
Bake in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown. The centers of the cookies will still look soft and puffy. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt if desired. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Enjoy!