Day Six of the 12 Days of Global Cookies –
Chinese Almond Cookies Recipe
This Chinese Almond Cookie Recipe is loaded with almond flavor! These cookies often take second string to fortune cookies but should take center stage! You can make them for Chinese New Year, as a new and different addition to your Holiday Cookie tray or just to fill your cookie jar!
Chinese Almond Cookies symbolize coins in the Chinese culture and they bring good luck in the New Year.
Butter or Lard?
I have seen recipes for Chinese Almond Cookies that use butter but I have also seen many that use lard. Some have said that the most traditional recipes use lard.
Using lard in this cookie recipe with give you a more crumbly texture, which is definitely a good thing with this cookie!
I have used butter because I think that it is on-hand for most home bakers and because some people may not like the thought of lard in a cookie.
If you have lard, I recommend that you give it a try! It is absolutely delicious in this Chinese Almond Cookie recipe. Just replace the butter with the same amount of lard.
Make this Chinese Almond Cookie Recipe in advance!
One thing I love about these cookies is how long they last! If you store them air tight at room temperature, they will stay fresh for up to two weeks.
You can also make the dough and store in the freezer for up to two months. This makes it so fast and easy to always have cookies on hand!
To freeze this cookie dough, you can either bring all of the dough together into a ball. Wrap it well in cling film, place in a freezer bag and label. Thaw at room temperature and then continue with the recipe.
Or to make it even easier, roll the cookie dough into balls, flatten slightly and freeze. Once they are frozen, you can place them in a freezer bag. Prior to baking, brush with egg wash and add an almond on top.
I am very much in a use-what-you-have phase. Traditional you would use a sliced almond on top of each cookie but I happened to have a bag of slivered almonds in my freezer. Instead of running to the store, I just used what I had on hand!
12 Days of Cookies, Global Edition!
Check out the other cookie recipes that will be on my cookie tray this year:
Day One – Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Day Two – Mint Brigadeiro
Day Three – Spumoni Cookies
Day Four – Classic Linzer Cookies
Day Five – Gingerbread Cookies
Day Six – Chinese Almond Cookies
Day Seven – Orange Cardamom Shortbread Cookies
Day Eight – Russian Pryaniki, still perfecting this recipe!
Day Nine – Ginger Cookies
Day Ten – Japanese Pocky modified for The NYT Cooking Recipe
Day Eleven – Plum Ginger Rugelach
Day Twelve – Alfajores
Extra! – Buckeyes aka Peanut Butter Balls
Chinese Almond Cookies
4
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
128 grams almond flour
226 grams (1 cup) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
¼ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs (one in batter and one for egg wash)
1 teaspoon almond extract
225 grams (1 ¾ cups) all-purpose flour
200 grams (1 cup) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon baking soda
Slivered or sliced almonds
Directions
- Add the almond flour, butter, and salt to the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add one of the eggs and mix on low until incorporated, reserve one egg for the egg wash later. Add the almond extract. Beat together until just incorporated.
- Whisk together the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add to the stand mixer and mix until just combined. Make sure that the butter is completely incorporated into the flour. The cookies will spread and be thin in spots if the butter is left in spots that are not incorporated with the flour.
- Pour mixture out onto saran wrap and form into a disc with your hands. Wrap it up and chill in the fridge for 2 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Beat the egg you saved in a small bowl and have a pastry brush ready.
- Scoop the dough with a spoon or a small cookie scoop and roll it into balls, about 1 inch wide. Place on the prepared baking sheets and gently press them down with your palms to flatten into coin shapes. Chill for 15 minutes or until they firm up. This will help to prevent them from spreading too much.
- Brush the tops of the cookies generously with the egg wash then place a sliced almond on top, pressing gently to keep it in place. You can also use several slivered almonds on each cookie.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the cookies start to turn a dark golden color on top.
- Remove and let cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- Slightly adapted from tablefortwoblog.com
Maria Beebe says
These are excellent! Thanks for the recipe. It was my mother in law's birthday. For her birthday treat, I served homemade lemon ice cream with whipped cream. one of these cookies were tucked on top. Loved them!