It may be winter but that doesn't mean that we're not all dreaming of the island life. Allow these islander cookies to transport you there. These cookies are a chocolate espresso base with white chocolate, dark chocolate, macadamia nut, and coconut all mixed in! I'll be honest, I've been excited to make these cookies for a while. They were inspired by my favorite Dutch Bros coffee drink, the islander breve. Living in Idaho, Dutch Bros is a big deal and is a go to for many people in the area. There is always a line! One day while I was sipping my coffee, I got the idea to make it into a cookie! Fast forward a few months and here we are!
These cookies are very easy to make and the best part is that the dough doesn't need to be refrigerated! The cookies are thick and soft but have a little bit of crunch added to them from the macadamia nuts and toasted coconut! Give these cookies a try and make sure to tag @andees_apron on Instagram when you do!
INGREDIENT HIGHLIGHTS:
Below is a summary of some of the key ingredients in these islander cookies!
- Espresso Powder. If you don't have espresso powder as one of your pantry staples, I highly suggest changing that ASAP. I typically use espresso powder in chocolate baked goods to enhance the chocolate flavor but it can also be useful to give your baked goods a coffee flavor. I chose to add the espresso powder to these cookies for two reasons. First, like I mentioned, it enhances the chocolate flavor of these cookies. Second, I mentioned that these cookies were inspired by my favorite coffee drink from Dutch Bros, the Islander Breve. (Note: I have not tried this brand of espresso powder. I bought mine at Williams Sonoma but this is a suggestion if you would like to order on Amazon.)
- Chocolate Chips. You will use two different kinds of chocolate chips in this recipe. I chose to add more white chocolate chips than dark chocolate chips because the cookies are already very chocolatey. White chocolate also just goes really well with macadamia nuts so it made sense to me. I also chose to use dark chocolate simply because I prefer dark chocolate over semi-sweet or milk chocolate. Oftentimes, cookies seem a little too sweet to me if I use milk chocolate so I opt for semi-sweet or dark chocolate. You can try it with other types of chocolate as well.
- Coconut. I always use sweetened coconut flakes when adding coconut to cookies. Make sure that the coconut that you buy is sweetened coconut and not unsweetened!
- Macadamia Nuts. Very common in cookies, macadamia nuts are actually one of the less healthy nut options but they are absolutely delicious and known to have more of a tropical flavor which plays nicely to the theme of these cookies.
- Cocoa Powder. I use Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder for these cookies. I would highly recommend using this cocoa powder. It's my go too whenever I need unsweetened cocoa powder for a recipe.
TOOLS TO MAKE THIS RECIPE:
Below is a summary of the key tools that you will need to make these islander cookies!
- Stand Mixer. You will need this to mix the cookie dough. Stand mixers are great! I love Kitchenaid stand mixers. I have owned both tilt head mixers and bowl lift mixers from Kitchenaid and I prefer the bowl lift option. It seems more stable to me when mixing thicker doughs.
- Sheet Pan. This will be needed to bake the cookies (Note: I have not tested this linked product. The one that I have is not found online anymore but this is the same brand as the one I have.)
📖 Recipe
Islander Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 c butter softened
- 1 ½ c granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ c flour
- ½ c unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoon espresso powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 c white chocolate chips
- ½ c dark chocolate chips
- 1 c macadamia nuts chopped
- 1 c sweetened flaked coconut
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and continue mixing until just incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture. Mix until combined.
- Fold in the chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and coconut.
- Scoop out a rounded tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, making sure to leave enough space for the cookies to spread out.*
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
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