Cashews might not be your first thought when it comes to a nutty cookie, but I loveee cashews so I’m keen to try it in most things. Whenever I think of cashew cookies, straight away I think of the Nakd bars. But I can tell you right now. There is nothing raw or ‘healthy’ about these cookies. They are pure sugary buttery goodness. And I am so okay with that.
The trend at the moment in the baking world seems to be to create these HUGE chunky ‘NYC style’ cookies. I’m sure they are delicious but they’re not really for me – or at least not at the moment, never say never eh! My favourite style of cookie is more chewy than cakey and packed full of chocolate and nuts.
So what goes into these cashew cookies?
First up these cookies are made with 50:50 caster sugar and light brown sugar. The addition of brown sugar gives a delicious caramel flavour and keeps the cookie moist. Then we have a half a teaspoon of vanilla – this adds some depth to the cookie that otherwise might end up being far too sweet with the white chocolate.
The final elements, white chocolate and cashew nuts, are added in abundance. Cashews are quite a soft nut so you’re not getting a crunchy texture to the cookie but you are getting a savoury slightly salty element that works really well with the sweet creamy white chocolate.
Want some tips on using white chocolate?
- Buy the best quality you can. White chocolate gets a bad rep for being overly sweet. But I think there are some delicious bars out there – my favourites are Menier and Dr Oetker which can be found in most supermarkets.
- Also, pleaseeee avoid packs of chocolate chips or chunks. I know they’re easier, but honestly the quality just isn’t the same. And its SO much nicer to bite into a cookie with big chunks of melty chocolate. Chips just don’t cut in my book (unless we’re talking about the potato kind and then they DEFINITELY do!)
Now, these cookies are delicious for 2-3 days after baking but in my opinion they taste the mostttt delicious still warm from the oven. As this recipe makes 12 cookies that’s obviously a little tricky, unless you have a big family…or a big appetite! But! The cookie dough freezes really well and you can bake direct from frozen. So its the perfect recipe to create, freeze and then bake a few cookies at a time when you want.
I really hope you love these as much as I do, please let me know if you make them!
Now, on with the recipe!
White Chocolate Cashew Cookies
Ingredients
- 115 g unsalted butter
- 110 g caster sugar
- 110 g soft light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 250 g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 250 g white chocolate
- 100 g cashew nuts
Instructions
- Firstly, melt the butter either in a microwave or in a small saucepan. Then pour into a large bowl with both sugars and whisk together using an electric hand whisk until combined and with no lumps. Add the egg and vanilla, then whisk for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is paler in colour. Then add the dry ingredients and mix again to combine.
- Chop the chocolate and nuts roughly, then add them to the dough and mix in by hand. Then place a sheet of clingfilm directly onto the dough and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas Mark 4 and line a large baking tray with baking paper. Roll the cookie dough into balls roughly 70g in size and place 4 balls on the baking tray with space to spread. Place the remaining balls back in the fridge to chill. Bake for 16-18 minutes, then leave the cookies on the tray for 10 minutes before placing on a cooling rack. Repeat the process until all the balls are baked.
