Chinese Almond Cookies
These Chinese almond cookies are super buttery, crumbly, and melt in your mouth. They also have a lot of almond flavor and are easy to make.
This recipe yields Chinese almond cookies that are just like the ones you can get at a Chinese restaurant. They have a deliciously crispy and flaky texture, which is common for many traditional Chinese recipes. The almond cookies are also not too sweet so that the almond flavor is more pronounced. My recipe is an easy almond cookie recipe that takes less than 30 minutes of active time to prepare!
In Chinese culture, almond cookies are served at the end of meals. These cookies also resemble coins, so they are made during the Chinese new year (Lunar new year) to bring prosperity and wealth.
How to Make This Chinese Almond Cookie Recipe
Prepare the Cookie Dough
Begin by mixing all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter into the dry mixture using a fork, your fingers, or a mixer. The mixture should resemble wet sand or a coarse meal.
Then, mix in the egg yolk and almond extract. Use your hand to bring the dough together into one mass. The cookie dough may seem too crumbly at first, but it will come together when lightly kneaded. Shape the dough into a log, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Bake the Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Divide the dough into 16 portions and flatten into small rounds. Beat the egg white lightly and brush it on top of each cookie. Gently press one or two almond slices on top of the cookie. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes until lightly golden brown. Let cool before serving.
Tips
- Roll the dough into a log shape before chilling for an hour. This step will make the portioning and shaping of the dough easier.
- Use a fork or the bottom of a cup to press the cookies quickly into flat, round shapes. You can lightly flour the cookie and your work surface if the dough is getting a bit sticky. If the dough is too sticky to handle, refrigerate the dough for a while (5-10 minutes) before continuing.
- Let the Chinese almond cookies cool after baking so that they firm up a bit and are less crumbly.
Want more Chinese cookies recipes? Check more out here
Chinese Almond Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 120 g all purpose flour 1 cup
- 60 g almond flour 1/2 cup
- 50 g sugar 1/4 cup
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 112 g butter cold, cubed (8 tbsp)
Other Ingredients
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Topping
- 1 egg white
- almond slices
Instructions
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Cut the butter into the dry mixture using a fork, your fingers, or a mixer, until the mixture resembles wet sand.
- Mix in the egg yolk and almond extract. Use your hand to bring the dough together into one mass. Roll the dough into a log, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Divide the dough into 16 portions and flatten into small rounds. Note 1
- Beat the egg white lightly and brush it on top of each cookie. Gently press one or two almond slices on top of the cookie. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes until lightly golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on a cooling rack before serving. Note 2
Notes
- To flatten, you can use your fingers, a fork, or the bottom of a cup. If you use a fork, you can press down in a cross pattern to make the cookies more decorative. If you use a cup, lightly flour the bottom of the cup first to prevent sticking.
- The cookies will be quite crumbly when they come right out of the oven and will firm up as they cool. However, if you cannot wait for the cookies to cool, they will still taste great right out of the oven!
