Sourdough Peanut Butter Hawaiian Cookies

Soft, chewy, and packed with white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts; made with sourdough discard

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Hawaiian rolls have always been a family favorite in our house. So when I found a sourdough peanut butter chocolate chip cookie recipe on TikTok, I knew I had to try it. They were good... really good actually. But I also knew I could make them better.

My husband and I have always been white chocolate chip and macadamia nut cookie people. So I swapped the semi-sweet chocolate chips for white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts and honestly? We haven't looked back since.

These cookies are soft and chewy in the center, have just a little crisp on the outer edges, and are packed with flavor from the peanut butter, sourdough discard, and those creamy white chocolate chips and buttery macadamia nuts. They are the kind of cookie that disappears fast, and I have the story to prove it. If you're wondering whether you can swap in active starter, I covered exactly that here.

If you just want the recipe, jump straight to it below. But if you want all the tips that make these cookies come out perfectly every single time, keep reading.

Jump to Recipe

The Cookie Story That Started It All

Our son drives up from Georgia to visit us here in West Virginia a few times a year. And I'll be honest, as soon as he mentions a visit, I start thinking about how many batches of these cookies I need to make. He loves them that much.

A little over a year ago I sent him home with a bag of these cookies. He's a diesel mechanic and brought them into work, set them on his tool box, and within no time his coworkers had found them. He shared of course, because that's just who he is, and those guys have never forgotten it.

Now, every single time our son is coming to visit, his coworkers ask him the same thing: "Can you get your stepmom to send more of those cookies?"

That's the kind of recipe this is. The kind that gets requested by people who have only had them once.

If you are a fan of peanut butter, these cookies are about to become one of your favorites.

Why These Cookies Work

The combination of peanut butter, sourdough discard (I store my discard in a WECK jar), white chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts sounds like a lot going on... and it is. But every single ingredient is pulling its weight here.

The peanut butter adds richness and depth. The sourdough discard adds a subtle tang that balances the sweetness beautifully. The white chocolate chips bring that creamy sweetness and the macadamia nuts add a buttery crunch that makes every single bite interesting.

And because ingredients matter, especially in baking, I am intentional about what I use. I use Members Mark all natural creamy peanut butter from Sam's Club. If you don't have a Sam's Club membership, look for any good quality all natural creamy peanut butter with minimal ingredients. I also use Ghirardelli white chocolate chips, and Yupik raw unsalted chopped macadamia nuts from Amazon. I live about an hour from a main grocery store here in West Virginia, so I've learned to source quality ingredients online, and these three are non-negotiables for me.

The Freezer Secret (This Changes Everything)

Here is the tip that took these cookies from good to consistently perfect every single time; freeze your dough balls before baking.

I know it sounds like an extra step but hear me out because it does two things:

First, it gives the cookies time to start baking before they have a chance to spread flat on the pan.

The result is a thicker cookie that stays soft and moist in the center while developing just a little crisp on the outer edges. That texture combination is exactly what you want.

Second, it fits into real life. I like to bake in the morning but the smell of fresh cookies at 7am is dangerous for my willpower. So I mix the dough in the morning, scoop the dough balls onto my parchment lined baking sheets, and pop the whole pan straight into the freezer uncovered. Then I bake them in the afternoon or evening. You can also freeze the dough balls in a bag or container and bake them another day entirely; which is perfect when you have family coming in or an event coming up and want to get ahead.

When baking from frozen, add about 2 extra minutes to your bake time. I bake fresh dough balls for 11 minutes and frozen dough balls for 13 minutes at 350°F.

The Butter Rule: Don't Skip This

This is the most important tip I can give you for this recipe and honestly for any cookie recipe.

Do NOT melt your butter.

I know it's tempting and I know it's faster but melted butter is too warm and it starts to break down your sugars before they even have a chance to cream properly. It will make your cookies spread flat on the pan. And if your butter is hot enough, it can actually start to cook your egg when you add it, and nobody wants scrambled egg cookies.

What you want is room temperature butter. Soft enough that you can press your finger into it and leave an indent easily, but not melted. Pull your butter out ahead of time and let it sit on the counter until it gets there. It makes a real difference.

A Note on Dairy Free

I am allergic to dairy so I make these cookies with dairy free butter almost every single time, and I mean almost every single time. I have been baking this way for years and I can tell you that nobody has ever noticed the difference. Not once.

One thing worth noting if you go the dairy free route; I have never been able to find unsalted dairy free butter no matter how hard I've looked. So I use dairy free butter that contains salt and simply reduce the salt in the recipe from ½ teaspoon down to ¼ teaspoon to compensate. It balances out perfectly and the cookies come out just right every time.

So if you are dairy free or baking for someone who is, this recipe works beautifully with a good dairy free butter substitute. Use what you trust and don't worry about it affecting the texture or flavor. It won't.

Sourdough Peanut Butter Hawaiian Cookies Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (or dairy free butter)

• ½ cup creamy peanut butter

• 1 cup sugar

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• ½ cup sourdough discard (115g) weigh your discard for accuracy — I use this kitchen scale

• 1 egg

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1½ cups all purpose flour (180g)

• ½ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ½ tsp salt (or ¼ tsp if using salted dairy free butter)

• ½ cup white chocolate chips

• ½ cup raw unsalted chopped macadamia nuts

Instructions

Step 1: In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars together on low speed for at least 5 minutes. You want the mixture to be light and fluffy, don't rush this step.

https://vimeo.com/1177451110

Step 2: Add the peanut butter, sourdough discard, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix until fully combined.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Step 4: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixing bowl and mix on low speed until thoroughly combined and remove the bowl from your mixer.

Step 5: Using a silicone spatula, fold in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts by hand until evenly distributed.

Step 6: Using a medium 2 tablespoon cookie/ice cream scoop, portion the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets, or a silicone baking mat works great too.

Step 7: Freeze the dough balls on the pan for at least a few hours before baking. You can also freeze them in a bag or container to bake another day.

Step 8: When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F. Bake fresh dough balls for 11 minutes and frozen dough balls for 13 minutes, or until the edges are just set and the centers look slightly underdone; they will firm up as they cool.

Step 9: Allow to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Makes approximately 40 cookies using a medium 2 tablespoon scoop, depending on how quickly your family finds them.

Storing Your Cookies

I keep these in a glass jar on the counter for up to a week. After about a week they start to get a little more crumbly but honestly in our house they never last that long.

You can also refrigerate them in a ziplock bag for up to a week, I've done this when sending cookies home with our son for the drive back to Georgia and they arrive just as good as the day I made them.

Sourdough Tools I Actually Use:

The ingredients and tools I use make a real difference in how these cookies turn out. I have put together a few Amazon lists with everything I reach for regularly in my kitchen:

Everything You Need to Start Baking Sourdough

Quality Ingredients I Swear By

Sourdough Peanut Butter Hawaiian Cookies FAQ

Why did my cookies spread flat? This almost always comes down to the butter. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature and not melted. Melted butter causes cookies to spread flat on the pan. The freezer method also helps significantly with this, frozen dough balls hold their shape better going into the oven.

Can I use regular chocolate chips instead? Absolutely! The original version of this recipe uses semi-sweet chocolate chips and they are delicious. The white chocolate and macadamia combination is our family's twist but use whatever mix-ins you love. If you love a classic cookie, check out my Sourdough Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe.

Can I make these dairy free? Yes! I make these with dairy free butter almost every time and nobody has ever been able to tell the difference. Use your favorite dairy free butter substitute in the same amount.

Do I have to use a cookie scoop? You don't have to but I highly recommend it. A medium 2 tablespoon cookie scoop gives you consistent dough balls which means consistent baking. No guessing, no uneven cookies, everything comes out the same size and bakes evenly.

How long can I keep the dough in the freezer? The frozen dough balls keep well in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen and add 2 extra minutes to your bake time.

Can I skip the freezer step? You can! Bake fresh dough balls at 350°F for 11 minutes. Just know that freezing does give you a thicker, chewier cookie so it's worth trying at least once.