Hawaiian shortbread cookies

These delicate Hawaiian shortbread cookies are filled with the sweet flavor of macadamia nuts and finished with a thick dip in dark chocolate. They're buttery, tender, and so fragrant-- good luck only having one!

I love to dip these diagonally in dark chocolate, but you could also drizzle in chocolate, dip the bottoms in chocolate, cut them out into small cookies and fully coat in chocolate. Or mix it up with milk or white chocolate! Keep reading for fun ways to make these your own.

macadamia shortbread cookie ingredients:

how to make Hawaiian shortbread cookies:

1. Roughly chop macadamia nuts and cornstarch in a food processor.
2. Add both sugars and salt, and process until mixture resembles coarse sand.
3. Pulse in flour.
4. Add butter and pulse until dough comes together.
5. Transfer dough to parchment paper, roll out, and chill until firm.
6. Cut into squares or circles and bake until firm and golden on the edges, about 22 minutes.
7. Dip in chocolate, let set and enjoy.

flavor variations to make these Hawaiian shortbread cookies your own!

• Mix in ½ cup shredded coconut (lightly toast it for extra flavor!)
• Mix in ½ cup candied pineapple or dried mango (chopped finely)
• Mix in ⅓ cup chopped dark chocolate or white chocolate
• ½ cup crushed, freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries
• ½ cup chopped dried tart cherries
• Mix in lime zest and dip in white chocolate
• ½ cup crushed, freeze-dried bananas

tips for this macadamia nut shortbread cookie recipe:

• Use roasted, salted macadamia nuts for the best flavor.
• The dough will look very dry and crumbly at first. Keep pulsing and stirring the dough in the food processor until it starts to clump and come together.
• Keep it cold! This dough specifically needs a lot of chilling to stay cold and workable. I return it to the fridge several times between rolling it out and baking-- basically, whenever it starts to feel soft and sticky. Just pause and chill!
• Read up on how to temper chocolate so you get a beautiful and lasting dip in snappy, shiny chocolate that won’t melt in your hands.

freezer tips:

Shortbread dough:

The shortbread dough can be frozen for up to 3 months.

I prefer to roll out the dough and freeze the slabs in a resealable plastic bag. You could also roll the dough into a log to freeze, or shape it into 2 disks.

Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before cutting and shaping. 

Baked cookies:

To freeze the shortbread cookies after baking, cool the cookies completely then layer in an airtight container. Separate the layers with parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.

You could also freeze them on a sheet pan overnight, then store them in a resealable plastic bag.

Thaw at room temperature before serving.

more shortbread cookie recipes to try:

classic shortbread cookie recipe

chocolate shortbread cookies

lemon shortbread cookies

pecan shortbread cookies

walnut shortbread cookies

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