Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Trust me, parchment is worth it here – these cookies can stick otherwise.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Don’t skip this step – it ensures your leavener is evenly distributed and you won’t bite into any salty patches later.

In a large bowl (or your stand mixer if you have one), beat the softened butter until it’s smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Add both sugars and cream them together until the mixture gets lighter in color and a bit fluffy – this usually takes about 2-3 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. You’ll want to scrape down the sides of the bowl between additions. Mix in the vanilla until everything’s well combined.

Gradually stir the flour mixture into your wet ingredients. I usually do this in three additions, mixing just until you stop seeing dry flour – overworking the dough will make tough cookies.

Fold in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts by hand. If your nuts are whole, give them a rough chop – pieces about the size of a pea work best.

Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto your prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. They’ll spread as they bake.

Bake for 11-13 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Here’s what to look for: the edges should be lightly golden brown, but the centers will still look slightly underbaked and puffy. They’ll finish setting up as they cool.

Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes – they’re too soft to move right away. Then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They should have a slightly crispy edge and a soft, chewy center when they’re done.