Butter Cookie Dragons are piped cookies with a crunchy, melt in your mouth texture. The festive shape and sprinkles are ready for a celebration.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Dragon Cookies are a multinational Chinese New Year tradition.
- This recipe adds orange zest to the traditional Asian recipe. Oranges and tangerines are considered auspicious symbols for wealth and luck in the New Year.
- The perfect treat with a cup of tea for your own Lunar New Year celebration.
These delicious Chinese New Year cookies with the wiggly dragon shape are traditional Dragon Cookies popular in many countries where the Lunar New Year is celebrated.
Dragon Cookies are a crunchy butter cookie that melt in your mouth. A balance of flour and corn starch (plus using confectioners’ sugar rather than granulated sugar) provides wonderful texture.
Asian cookies are less sweet than American cookies. Traditional Dragon Cookie recipes produce cookies that vary from barely sweetened to not sweet at all.
Though this version isn't overly sweet, it contains double the usual amount of confectioners’ sugar and a light confectioners’ sugar glaze for a sweetness that' is's appealing and familiar to most North American tastes.
Traditional Dragon Cookies are usually undecorated. Though eyes are sometimes added using a toothpick dipped in food coloring, the cookies are left otherwise plain.
Adding sprinkles and a confectioners' sugar glaze to the cookies is a deviation from tradition that adds some fun, festive color. The red and gold colors are symbols of prosperity and good luck.
Add eyes with marker enhanced sprinkles, plain black or red confetti sprinkles, purchased candy eyes, or in the traditional manner by dotting on a bit of food coloring.
Ingredients
Cookies
- Powdered milk is used in this recipe, not as a flavor that stands out on its own, but to add fullness to the other flavors in the cookie. The powdered milk can be left out, but the Butter Cookie Dragons won’t have the same rich flavor.
Decorating
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
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- Combine the ingredients to form a stiff cookie dough.
- Place ¼ of the cookie dough in a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip.
- Pipe the cookies onto a lined cookie sheet. Form the cookies in a "w" shape with a small extension at the end for the dragon head.
- Bake until the edges of the cookies turn golden brown.
- Use a black food coloring marker to draw a dot on each red confetti sprinkle.
- In a small bowl, mix the icing ingredients.
- Brush the icing onto the top of each cookie and sprinkle with gold and red nonpareils.
- Use a dot of icing to attach each confetti sprinkle eye.
Storage
Store Chinese New Year Dragon Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
- This is a stiff dough. The stiffness is necessary for the piped ridges to remain intact while baking. If the dough is too stiff to press, add an additonal 1-2 teaspoons of milk, but use the minimal amount possible.
- Don't worry if the cookies don't pipe perfectly. Sprinkles can cover imprefections.
- If desired, use less detailed eyes with plain red or black confetti sprinkles or use a toothpick to add dots of black or red food coloring for eyes.
- For 2025 Year of the Snake, turn dragon cookies into snake cookies. Attach solid black sequin sprinkle eyes and a forked tongue cut out of fruit leather after baking.
Frequently asked questions
Use any large open star tip to create the ridged dough for Dragon Cookies. Possible tips include Wilton tips 1M, 4B, 6B, 8B or Ateco tips 864 or 865.
There are a variety of traditional Lunar New Year cookies and each has a symbolic meaning. These butter cookies symbolize prosperity, wealth, and good fortune.
More Chinese New Year snacks
Milk Candy is the favorite candy in China! This treat, made with three simple ingredients, symbolizes a sweet start to the new year.
Chinese Peanut Cookies are a favorite treat often found in Chinese bakeries. These golden cookies made with ground peanuts have lots of delicious flavor.
Pineapple Cookies are balls of melt-in-your-mouth shortbread filled with easy to make pineapple jam! These treats are a traditional cookie to share for a Happy Lunar New Year.
Traditional Chinese New Year Almond Cookies are crunchy butter cookies with wonderful almond flavor. These easy Chinese almond cookies are the classic cookies found in many Chinese food restaurants.
Find more delicious Chinese New Year cookie recipes in this roundup of 10 Chinese New Year Treats.
For all who celebrate the Lunar New Year (and for those who enjoy tasty butter cookies), I wish you Good Luck in this new year!
Ready to bake? Join the free membership group to get new recipes and a newsletter delivered to your inbox! You can also stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’d love to stay in touch!
Dragon Cookies ( 龙饼 ) for Chinese New Year
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 tablespoons powdered milk
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- zest of 1 medium orange microplaned
- 4 teaspoons milk
Glaze
- ¼ cup confectioners’sugar
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Decorating
- Red confetti sprinkles
- Black edible marker
- Red and gold (or yellow) nonpareil sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, corn starch, and milk powder. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolk, vanilla, and orange zest, then beat to combine.
- Mix in the flour mixture just until dough forms. Add up to 4 teaspoons of milk, one at a time to create a dough soft enough for piping, but firm enough to hold it’s shape in the oven. If you are unsure of how much milk to add, try piping some of the dough and add additonal teaspoons of milk until the dough is the desired consistency.
- The dough is easiest to pipe using a quarter of the dough at a time. Place about ¼ of the dough into a piping bag fitted with a large open star tip ( Wilton 1M/Ateco 864) . Pipe the dough onto the prepared baking sheet in a rounded “W” shape with a small extention of dough at the end for the dragon’s head.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the bottom edges just begin to brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make dragon eyes, draw a dot on each red confetti sprinkle with a black food coloring marker. For less detailed eyes, skip this step and use plain red or black confetti sprinkles instead.
- In a small bowl combine the icing ingredients and stir until smooth.
- Working with one cookie at a time, use a small food safe brush to paint the icing onto the dragon's body. Sprinkle with red and gold nonpareil sprinkles. Paint an icing dot where you want to attach the dragon's eyes, and add the prepared red confetti sprinkle eyes.
- Allow the icing to dry completely (about 1 hour) before storing in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
- If the dough is too stiff to press, use the minimal amount of additional milk possible (1-2 teaspoons).
- For 2025 Year of the Snake, turn dragon cookies into snake cookies. Attach solid black sequin sprinkle eyes and a forked tongue cut out of fruit leather after baking.
- Though long lasting, Butter Cookie Dragons require careful packaging due to their shape. Keeping the cookies from moving in a protective container is key.
- Wrap pairs of cookies, bottoms together, in plastic wrap. Place the bundles snugly in an airtight container padded on the top, bottom, and sides with wrinkled wax paper.
- Gently shake the container before packing to be sure there is no movement. Pack the container toward the middle of the shipping box.
Nutrition
First Published: January 27, 2017. Last Updated: January 19, 2025. Updated for additional information, improved photographs, and better reader experience.
April J Harris
It is amazing that so many cultures share the same cookie shape! Your Butter Cookie Dragons are lovely Wendy, and . a fun (and delicious) way to celebrate Chinese New Year. Thank you for sharing, and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party. Sharing this post on the H&S Facebook page later today. Hope you have a lovely week!
Candice
Hi. I just found your site and it is fantastic! I love it because it has something for everyone. I am obsessed with the sprinkle used on the Butter Cookie Dragons for Chinese New Year and was hoping you would share where you purchased them. Thank you so much. I want to use these cookies for kids. I have never seen gold nonpareil sprinkles or this shade of red. It makes these cookies so festive. Thanks again and congrats on such a wonderful site.
The Monday Box
Thank you so much, Candice! I am delighted that you found Monday Box recipes that intrigue you. 🙂 I am obsessed with sprinkles in general (!) and would be glad to help you with these.The gold nonpareils come from World Market. They have only a few decorating supplies in their baking section but they are all a deal! The 2.6 oz bottle of "Mini Metallic Beads- Gold" by the brand Twinkle were $1.99 I used less than half of the bottle when making the dragons. I am not positive about the red nonpareils, but I probably made them myself. Did you know that you can color white nonpareils yourself?! Game changer. Pour white nonpareils into a small ziplock bag, add a drop or two of GEL food coloring (I prefer the brand Americolor), close the bag and smoosh together the coloring and sprinkles until they are evenly colored. Open the bag and allow the sprinkles to dry for about an hour. They may clump a bit, but when they are dry you can smoosh the bag to get rid of clumps. I probably used the color, "Super Red " Have fun!
Candice
Thank you so much for getting back with me and for giving me very useful information on coloring the white nonpareils. We live in a rural area but I can find white nonpareils at Walmart and great to know I am not limited to just a few colors. Once again thank you and I will be visiting your site often.
The Monday Box
Glad I could help, Candice! I hope you and the kids enjoy the cookies!
Bryn
Would these cookies work in a cookie press like a spritz?
The Monday Box
Hi, Bryn. Yes, though this dough is a bit stiff, I do think it would work in a cookie press. I used a piping method just because not everyone has a cookie press. 🙂 Also, I have a quick and easy cookie press recipe on The Monday Box that starts with a cake mix. It would also make dragons. If you are interested, the link is https://themondaybox.com/2016/05/cookie-press-butter-cookies/
Bryn
Thank you for your reply. I love the cookies in the blue tin...(shortbread type butter cookies) and want to get as close to that texture/taste as possible and haven't been able to get it right. I had pinned the cake mix press cookies as well but wasn't sure of the texture of those. Insight or input? Thanks!
The Monday Box
If I remember correctly, the butter cookies in the blue tin are crunchy with a distinct butter taste. The cake mix recipe, has a slightly less crunchy bite, a little more "melt in your mouth" than crunchy. I think the butter cookie dragon recipe is closer to what you are looking for. Be sure to use a high quality European-style butter (Kerrygold, Plugra, etc.). In a cookie where the butter flavor is the main flavor, it really worth spending a little more for a butter with great flavor. Good luck! Let me know how your experiment works out!
Kriska Marie
Oh they look gorgeous and yummy! 😀
Thanks for sharing it over at Food Friday. Hope to see you again! 🙂
Liz Weidhorn
Wendy, these are awesome. I, too, love a good butter cookie. Couple of thoughts... first, I didn't know that powdered milk makes for a ricer cookie. That totally excites me! Second, couldn't you consider piping out these cookies your workout for the day? That's what I'm going to do 😉
Heidi
Love this idea for Chinese New Year! Pinning for the next year of the Dragon! Thanks for linking up with Funtastic Friday!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Heidi! Though this is a Rooster year, the dragon represents authority and good fortune and is a familiar Chinese New Year symbol every year! 🙂
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
You are the most creative and talented baker ever! These are fantastic and just the ticket for Chinese New Year! Good luck to you too!
The Monday Box
Thank, you for your incredibly kind enthusiasm, Tricia! I don't know about talented, but I definitely enjoy playing in frosting and sprinkles!
Amy
These are really cute for the Chinese New Year. Thank you for sharing at Funtastic Friday Blog Hop.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Amy!
Shannon
These cookies are so adorable and sound delicious. I love the addition of orange zest.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Shannon! I have a bit of a sprinkle addiction 😉 But I thought the occasion called for some bling!
The Monday Box
Thanks, Shannon! I find that orange zest is an especially welcome, bright flavor in the winter.
Chris Scheuer
These are adorable Wendy. Such a great idea and I like your adaptations. I'm certain I'd like yours (with the double sugar) more than the original recipe.
The Monday Box
Thanks, Chris! The original Asian recipes did not taste at all sweet to my American palate, hence the double sugar! It's a traditional recipe tweaked for American tastes. 🙂