Chinese almond cookies

Chinese New Year is just around the corner (starting on January 31st this year) and I actually have time to think about and anticipate it.  Growing up, Chinese New Year was a huge deal in Hong Kong, with a ton of preparations and many meals being cooked and eaten.  When we moved to New York (I was eight), Chinese New Year festivities scaled down a bit but it's still a big occasion to mark.  Truth be told, we enjoy Chinese New Year courtesy of our parents, who prepare the traditional foods and keep the customs alive for us.  Now that my son is getting older, I'm trying to be more mindful of those traditions.

Red is the traditional color of Chinese New Year (though I do have Valentine's Day on the brain, too)

With Chinese New Year on my mind, I made Chinese almond cookies.  I think the best way to describe them is they're slightly crisp almond-flavored butter cookies, with a sandy (almost cornmeal-like) texture to them.  And they're really more Chinese-American treats because while we certainly have Chinese desserts in the form of dessert soups, for instance, sweets as in cookies and such are not a huge part of Chinese culture.  The few cookies I did eat as a very young child were mainly those tins of Danish butter cookies and almond cookies. My favorite ones are actually the ones pictured below:

I have to mention them because they're really unusual cookies in that they're super crumbly and sandy - powdery on the surface, even - with full-on almond flavor and bites of almonds within. They're so fragile, the cookies - biscuits or "cake" as it's called on the tin - are individually wrapped and packed with bubble wrap inside the tin.  They're incredible, and while I love Italian-style soft and chewy almond paste cookies, these particular Chinese almond cookies above have a special place in my heart.

Chinese almond cookies are sandy in texture and essentially almond-flavored butter cookies

I know it's anti-climatic to say I'm not making those fragile cookies today.  I would love to know how they're made.  I've heard it involves shortening and clearly, there's some sort of mold involved.  In other words, not something easy to replicate at home so I think I'll have to settle for buying them. However, I'll still attempt to tip my hat to almond cookies and the crispy type typical of Asian cookies in the form of the Chinese-American ones I made.  They are likewise sandy and crisp in texture, with a buttery flavor accented with almonds from almond extract.

A little bit of egg wash on top gives the surface some splotchy touches of gold.  It's a familiar look for me when I think of cookies and buns from the Asian bakery - to me, that crusty golden top always signal a bit of crunch to come.  


The cookie dough takes minutes to make but you do need to remember to remove a stick of butter out of the fridge, cut it into pieces, and allow it to come to room temperature.  Then simply combine the dry ingredients while adding the butter pieces a little at a time into the stand mixer.  It will look like cornmeal but once you add an egg and the almond extract, you'll have a soft, slightly sticky dough that you can roll.

My cookies didn't bake up as round as I'd hope.  Looking back, I think popping the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator at this point to chill for a bit could have helped that.  

As the next step, flatten the cookies a little and then place an almond on top.  For some reason, I thought whole almonds might have been too much so I used whole as well as sliced almonds on some. I'd stick with all whole almonds next time because these cookies can definitely take it and it's nice to have a bigger bite of actual almond when you eat it.

You need a little bit of egg glaze, which is just a beaten egg in this case.  Brush it on top to give it a little golden hue after baking.  I hate to waste so I save the rest of the beaten egg to use elsewhere.  

These cookies are a little crunchy and sandy, reminding me of the texture of cornmeal.  I particularly like nibbling on the drier edges.  I wanted to give you an idea of what the texture is like but it's really hard to get a clear shot of the inside.  I hope the photo below gives you the idea.  It almost looks like a biscotti but not nearly as dry and hard since these almond cookies have a good amount of butter in them.  

I think these are best eaten just fully cooled from the oven, before they're covered up and stored away.  Naturally, they pair very well with a strong cup of tea!

  

Recipe:

Chinese Almond Cookies
From The Chinese Takeout Cookbook (just scaled down)

- Makes approximately 1 1/2 dozen cookies - 

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon almond extract
18 whole almonds
1 large egg, beaten, for glaze

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and place racks on upper and lower thirds of the oven.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. On low-speed, gradually add softened butter, a few pieces at a time, until mixture resembles cornmeal.  Beat in the egg and almond extract until a smooth dough forms.

Roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls using the palms of your hands.  Place the dough balls onto baking sheets, about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.  (If your kitchen is warm, try placing the baking sheets with the dough balls in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to help the cookies bake up rounder.) Gently flatten the top of each dough ball using the palm of your hand and place an almond in the middle of each.  Brush the top of each cookie with egg glaze.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are golden on top.  Let cool on baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely before eating.  I think these taste best freshly made (no surprise, I suppose) but you can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days.