These White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Bars are the ultimate indulgenceโchewy, buttery, and loaded with white chocolate, dry cranberries and macadamia nuts in every bite. This is another version of my Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars recipe.
Thereโs something about these white chocolate, cranberry and macadamia blondies that make them irresistible. Theyโre one of my favorite desserts because theyโre incredibly easy to whip up โ just mix everything by hand, pour it into the pan, and let the oven do the rest!
These bars come out perfectly soft, slightly chewy, and with just the right touch of sweetness. If you love dessert bars and how easy they are to make, be sure to try out Ricotta Cheesecake Bars With Peaches. They are so incredibly easy to make and so creamy and satisfying.
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What You'll Love About This Recipe
- Simple to Make: No mixer needed! Just whisk everything by hand for a quick and easy prep. Just like my Swiss Apple Pie recipe, that takes less than 5 minutes to mix up the batter.
- Irresistible Flavor: The creamy white chocolate pairs perfectly with the crunchy macadamia nuts, while the tart dried cranberries add a delightful burst of flavor.
- Customizable: This recipe is super adaptable. Swap in your favorite mix-ins like regular chocolate chips, raisins, or any nuts you prefer for a unique twist every time.
- Perfect Texture: These white chocolate macadamia bars are chewy and dense, giving you the perfect bite every time.
- Quick & Easy: With minimal ingredients and steps, you'll have a batch of these mouthwatering bars ready in no time.
Ingredients
- Melted Butter: No need to plan ahead! Just melt the butter, and you're good to go!
- Brown Sugar: The molasses in brown sugar adds a deeper, more complex flavor and extra moisture, ensuring the bars are soft and chewy. Itโs a key ingredient that gives these bars their irresistible texture. Did you know you can make homemade brown sugar? It is so fluffy and super fresh.
- White Chocolate Chips: Creamy and sweet, they melt beautifully and contrast perfectly with the crunchy macadamia nuts.
- Macadamia Nuts: These nuts bring a buttery richness and satisfying crunch.
- Dried Cranberries: Sweet and tart, they provide a burst of flavor that balances the sweetness of the white chocolate.
The complete list of ingredients and their exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Flavor Variations
- Brown the Butter: For a deeper, more complex flavor, try browning the butter. This adds a rich, nutty, caramelized taste that takes these bars to a whole new level.
- Swap the White Chocolate: Want a different chocolate experience? Use semi-sweet, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips. You can also chop up your favorite chocolate bars for a chunkier texture.
- Experiment with Mix-Ins: Get creative with your add-ins! Swap the dried cranberries for dried cherries or chopped dried apricots for a fruity twist. If you prefer raisins, theyโre a great alternative too.
- Change the Nuts: While macadamia nuts are a classic choice, you can switch things up with other nuts like hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans. Each will bring its own unique flavor and crunch.
If you're looking for something that tastes like the best chocolate chip cookie ever but is even easier to make, try my brown butter chocolate chip cookie bars. Theyโre loaded with all the classic cookie goodness in bar form!
How To Make White Chocolate Macadamia Blondies
Before you get started, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 13x9 inch rimmed baking dish with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Helpful Tip
Make a Parchment Paper Sling To make removing the cookie bars easier, line your baking pan with parchment paper. Cut the paper to fit the bottom of the pan, leaving overhang on the two wider sides. This โslingโ will allow you to lift the bars out of the pan easily once theyโre baked and cooled.
I buy my parchment paper pre-cut. The 12.5 x 16.5 inches size fits perfectly in the half sheet sized baking sheets and are perfect for this size as well.
If the parchment paper is a bit shorter (like when I use pre-cut sheets), it can fold back into the bars while baking. To prevent this, gently poke a toothpick through the overhanging edges on each side. The weight of the toothpicks will keep the parchment paper from folding back into the cookie batter due to the heat in the oven.
- Step 1: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
- Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk the melted and slightly cooled butter with the brown sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix to combine.
- Step 3: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk to combine until you have a smooth batter, just until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Be careful not to over mix.
- Step 4: Switch to a rubber spatula and add the white chocolate, macadamia nuts and dried cranberries, mix to combine.
- Step 5: Transfer the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 18-23 minutes.
- Step 6: Cool the bars to room temperature and then take them out of the pan along with the parchment paper. Cut into bars.
Expert Tips
- Batter Consistency: When you first mix the wet and dry ingredients, the batter will be thin and loose. This is completely normal! After a few minutes, the flour will absorb the liquid, and the batter will thicken up.
- Easier Spreading: As the batter thickens and you add your mix-ins, it can be tricky to spread in the pan. Instead of dumping all the batter in the center, scoop portions and place them around the pan. This will make it much easier to spread evenly.
- Use a Metal Pan: For the best results, always use a metal baking pan. Metal heats up faster than glass, ensuring your bars cook evenly without overbaking. Glass pans take longer to heat, leading to puffier bars and less chewiness. Metal is the way to go for soft, rich cookie bars.
- Donโt Overbake: To keep your bars chewy and rich, make sure not to overbake them. Start checking at least 5 minutes before the timer goes off. The center should look slightly underdone โ it will continue cooking in the pan. If you over bake, the bars will be puffier and lack that chewy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store your cookie bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. If you'd like them to last longer, refrigerate them for up to 7 days.
While a glass baking dish will work, a metal pan will give you the best results. Metal heats more evenly and ensures your bars stay chewy and soft, whereas glass can lead to puffier, sandier bars.
Yes! Freeze the cookie bars in freezer bags, vacuum-sealed bags, or airtight containers When you're ready to enjoy, simply thaw them at room temperature.
This is likely because the bars were overbaked. To keep them chewy, donโt bake them too long! The center should look slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven, and they will continue cooking as they cool.
More Delicious Dessert Bar Recipes
If you tried thisย White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie Bars recipeย or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a ๐ย star ratingย or aย commentย below. I love hearing from you!
White Chocolate and Macadamia Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 1 ยฝ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ยผ teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons butter (1 ยฝ sticks), melted and cooled
- ยพ-1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ยพ - 1 cup white chocolate chips or semi sweet chocolate chips, or a chopped chocolate bar
- ยฝ cup macadamia nuts or walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, etc.
- ยฝ - ยพ cup cry cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ยฐF (175ยฐC). Line a 13x9-inch rimmed metal baking dish with parchment paper, allowing it to overhang on the wider sides for easy removal later.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the brown sugar until smooth and combined. Add the eggs and vanilla extract, then whisk until fully incorporated.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.
- Add the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and dried cranberries. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold everything together.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread it evenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 18-23 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the center looks slightly underdone. Start checking at 18 minutes to avoid overbaking.
- Let the bars cool to room temperature in the pan. Once cooled, lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper and cut them into bars.
Notes
- Baking Time: Start checking the bars at the 18-minute mark. The center should be slightly underdone when you remove them from the oven, as they will continue cooking as they cool.
- Other Mix-ins: Feel free to swap the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and dried cranberries for other mix-ins you prefer, like semi-sweet chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, raisins, or dried cherries. You can also adjust the amounts based on how much of each you want to includeโmore or less, depending on your taste.
- Spreading the Batter: The batter can be a bit thick and tricky to spread. To make it easier, scoop portions of the batter and place them around the pan, then gently spread it out using a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon.
- Storage: Store your bars in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or refrigerate for up to 7 days. You can also freeze them for up to 3 monthsโwrap individual bars in plastic wrap or store them in freezer bags and thaw at room temperature when ready to enjoy!
Hi, I really want to try this recipe but have one question, if I lie the perchment paper only on the bottom of baking sheet, can I grease the sides or should I just cover everything? Thank you for your time ๐
It will be much harder to take the Blondies out of the pan. I guess it doesn't matter. You don't even have to put parchment paper on the bottom, if you don't want to. As long as you grease the bottom and sides it will be ok, but you may end up with some jagged pieces.
my sister and I made these at my house and my hubby and kiddos devoured them like no tomorrow. I love baked cranberries in any desert and this one is #1 for now. thank you. I will be making these over and over. it's so easy too! it's like a biscotti and a scone put together, especially if you cut them into bars.
I love how easy these are to make, Cassie. I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed them as well.
Hi, my Batter turned out to thick and it didn't rise as much as yours ๐ ( I flowed your recipe exactly ) Maybe you know what happen? ๐ thank you!
I'm sorry to hear that, Anastasia.
It's hard to say what went wrong if I'm not there to see the process. Sorry.
I added in the flour until a slightly thick consistency was obtained. Did not use all the flour this time around and they came out rather yummy and might lighter than the first time.
I'm glad you were able to adjust it to your preference, Barbara:).
That's funny you say you hate baking. Every recipe I tried of yours I ended up LOVING! Seriously you're my favorite baker by far. I hope you don't stop posting more baking recipes, because they're just amazing. Thank you for doing what you're doing.
Thanks for such a sweet comment, Tania! I'm so happy to hear that you are enjoying the recipes.
I will definitely keep baking, never fear:). We hardly ever buy sweets from the store, and it's always a treat to enjoy homemade goodies. I've learned that with a good attitude and some good podcasts, movies or company, even baking can be fun!