If you've ever felt like white chocolate chip cookies are missing the complete flavor profile that makes white chocolate what it is, well you might be onto something. Unfortunately, a lot of white chocolate is missing the key ingredient that makes it worthy of having chocolate in its name: cocoa butter. Even so-called premier chips can be made with palm kernel oil — a poor substitute that results in the morsels having a disappointing, cocoa-less flavor. Which is why you need this tip for white chocolate chip cookies that taste like actual white chocolate.
So what is it? Skip the fake cocoa chips in favor of a white chocolate bar made with real cocoa butter.
Using a bar does mean incorporating the ingredient in a different way, of course. Instead of just dumping it in like you would with the chips, you'll actually want to melt the white chocolate bar and add it to the batter that way. While it might be a little bit more work (and more expensive) it will be well worth it to get the flavor just right. Just be sure to check the label for real cocoa butter — it should be one of the first ingredients and not last on the list.
As delightful as the idea of whole morsels is, this technique will spread that delicious real white chocolate flavor throughout your cookies. Once you've melted the chocolate bar into a sauce, use it as a substitute for half of the butter. Doing so will ensure that its delicious cocoa and vanilla flavors can fully permeate the cookies while also enhancing the texture. Additionally, since butter has such a strong flavor, cutting the total amount in your recipe by half will give the more delicate white chocolate back its place in the spotlight.
There's no need to worry that less buttery flavor will hurt the cookies either, especially if you're paring the white chocolate with the traditional macadamia nuts.
Those nuts have their own creamy, buttery goodness that will also stand out a whole lot better without so much butter to detract from them.
White chocolate doesn't just go with macadamia nuts either. There are all sorts of other ingredients that will complement the creamy, velvety chocolate and lead to delicious cookies. This can be especially nice if you don't want to pay a premium for the tropical nuts after you've already spent a pretty penny on white chocolate bars.
Consider using hazelnuts, walnuts, or even peanuts instead. Almonds and pistachios can also work — with pistachios adding a fun touch of color.
If you're not in a nutty mood, you can skip the nuts altogether and make . Or focus on the spices and make . Another option is a play on inside-out cookies. Using melted white chocolate will change how they look, so you won't get dark fudge-colored cookies with white morsels, but the combination of regular chocolate and white chocolate will still be absolutely delectable.
