Everyone claims to have a recipe for the best cookie, which really is a silly declaration to make considering the texture of a cookie is completely individual and sometimes irrelevant to taste.  Gooey, crunchy, soft, flaky: What’s your fancy?  So, I make this claim knowing a few of the people reading this will think these cookies are gross and the other few will hunt me down for posting this recipe during swim suit season.  (Sorry friends, that’s what one pieces are for!)  If you’re like me and prefer a soft inside with a crunchy outside and the perfect juxtaposition of sweet and salty, then this recipe is surely for you.  The toasted macadamia nuts create more flavor and the hint of lemon is unexpected.  All together this recipe makes a sublime summer time cookie.

{Ingredients}

One cup softened unsalted butter
One cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
Two teaspoons vanilla extract
One teaspoon lemon extract
Zest of one lemon
Two eggs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
One teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
One cup macadamia nuts

First, heat oven to 350° and toast macadamia nuts on a rimmed baking sheet for ten minutes.  Let cool and then chop coarsely.  In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and set aside.

Next, combine the butter and sugars and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy.  Mix in the extracts.

Beat in one egg at a time.  Then mix in the lemon zest.  Slowly add the flour mixture and stir until it is all combined.

Stir in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.  The dough will be thick, use your muscles!

Scoop tablespoons of dough on a baking sheet.  Bake at 375° for ten minutes.  Let cool on the sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Miraculously I was able to salvage some of the dough from my greedy little giant hands to create actual cookies.  Enjoy these with a giant glass of milk (or, as I discovered was exquisitely delicious, a glass of Sauvignon Blanc).  These little treats are addictive and oh-so-tasty.   Dig in.