White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

I went house hunting this weekend. With the roomies being hitched and all, it seems like it’s time to start thinking about moving out. I’ve got a new roommate all lined up, so we went out this weekend to find our future abode. I haven’t gone to look for a house since I first moved here after college. I forgot what a process it is. Scouring the internet for something that looks decent, setting up appointments, finally seeing them in person, and hoping that at least one, just one place, meets your very few, and extremely reasonable requirements. (Hmm…it sounds like we’re online dating a house.)

Our requirements were simple. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a deck, and one nice kitchen. I spend a ridiculous amount of my non-working, waking hours in the kitchen, whipping up lovely concoctions, so that room better not be a dump. I live in the ‘burbs; these expectations aren’t unreasonable.

We saw from one end of the spectrum to the other. From the cramped, slightly dirty house with the landlords you just wished were your friends, to the brand spankin’ new townhouse with an elevator from the entrance to the living room; (yes, elevator. IN YOUR HOUSE. Because walking up the stairs is just too pedestrian.) indeed, we were not lacking in variety.

But, after driving around for the better part of the weekend, from one end of Columbia to the other and back again, we found a place! We’ve dubbed it “Big Wheels”. Now we just have to cross our fingers and hope they like us as much as we like them. (We are dating a house…)

Before I moved into my first apartment in Maryland, I lived in a hotel for a month. I met some great people in that hotel, (it’s not as sketchy as it sounds) who I’m still friends with to this day. Every night, after the “social dinners”, the hotel would put out the most amazing white chocolate, cranberry, macadamia nut cookies. When I was being antisocial I would run down, take 3 or 4 or 5 (or 6) cookies and run back to my room to watch Jeopardy. When I wasn’t, I would still take 6 cookies, but eat them while chatting with my new friends.

I didn’t have any cranberries, but these are a pretty good alternative.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 salt
• 1 cup macadamia nuts
• 1 cup white chocolate chips (or coarsely chopped white chocolate chunks)

Cream the butter and the shortening together with the sugars until fluffy. Add the eggs one at time, making sure to mix well before adding the next one. Add the vanilla.

In a separate bowl, measure the flour, baking soda, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ones until combined.

Chop up the macadamia nuts into coarse pieces. Stir the nuts and the chocolate chips into the batter by hand.

Drop heaping teaspoonfulls of dough onto ungreased cookie sheets. The cookies spread a bit while baking, but I smoosh down by dough a bit before baking.

Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 10 minutes. Let cool and eat as you picture your dream house.

Makes about 48 cookies.