Chinese New Year Almond Cookies are a crunchy butter cookie full of delicious almond flavor. This is a celebration cookie you will want to enjoy all year.
Why you'll love this recipe
Almond cookies are traditional cookies for Chinese New Year. The cookie's round shape resembles the shape of a coin and symbolizes the hope for good fortune and a prosperous new year.
This crunchy, light cookie has wonderful almond flavor and is both quick and easy to make, with just a handful of ingredients. In under 30 minutes these delicious cookies are ready to share.
Ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the ingredients to form a soft, pliable dough.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoons) to portion dough balls. Roll each scoop of dough into a round ball and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 ½ inches apart.
- Using the palm of your hand, gently press down on each cookie dough ball to flatten into a disc shape about 2 inches in diameter.
- Brush the egg wash on the disc shaped cookies. Press a blanched whole almond onto the top of each cookie. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
Storage
Store almond cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.
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Tips and variations
- The purpose of the egg wash is for color only and is completely optional.
- Vegetable shortening (Crisco) can be substituted for the butter in this recipe.
- If blanched almonds aren't available, see the recipe card for quick and easy instructions for blanching almonds in 5 minutes.
- Sliced almonds can be substituted for the whole almonds.
Frequently asked questions
Almond cookies are shared during the Chinese New Year as a symbol of wealth and good fortune.
A blanched almondis a raw almond with the thin, brown skin removed.
When raw almonds are placed in boiling water for just one minute, the skin can easily be removed. See the instructions at the bottom of the recipe card.
Related Recipes
Chinese Milk Candy is chewy marshmallow nougat with crunchy peanuts.
Pineapple Cookies , also called pineapple tarts,are beautiful shortbread cookies with pineapple jam tucked inside.
Chinese New Year Peanut Cookies are bite sized treats that will melt in your mouth. The perfect treat with a cup of tea.
Butter Cookie Dragons are not traditional for Chinese New Year, but children love them.
If you want great Chinese New Year recipe ideas, take a look at this roundup of 10 Chinese New Year Treats!
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Chinese Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk for optional egg wash
- 1 ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- 30 blanched almonds see Notes section at bottom of card
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Then add the sugar and mix to combine.
- Beat in the almond extract and the whole egg. (Reserve the separate egg yolk for the optional egg wash).
- Mix in the dry ingredients until a dough forms. Stop the mixer several times and scrape the bottom and sides of the mixer bowl to ensure that all of the flour mixture is completely incorporated.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoons) to portion dough balls. Roll each scoop of dough into a ball and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 2 ½ inches apart.
- Using the palm of your hand, gently press down on each dough ball to flatten into a disc shape about 2 inches in diameter.
- To prepare the egg wash (if using), in a small bowl mix the egg with a tablespoon of water.
- Brush the egg wash on the disc shaped cookies. Press an almond onto the top of each cookie.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges of the cookies are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.
Notes
- The purpose of the egg wash is for color only and is completely optional
- Vegetable shortening (Crisco) can be substituted for the butter in this recipe.
- Sliced almonds can be substituted for the whole almonds.
- Wrap pairs of cookies, bottoms together, in plastic wrap.
- Stack the wrapped bundles in a freezer weight ziplock bag or airtight storage container.
- If vacuum sealing for shipping, freeze the cookies so that they are hard before attempting to vacuum seal. These cookies can crumble if vacuum sealed at room temperature.
Deborah
Looking forward to trying these cookies. I'm always searching for desserts to serve when I make a Chinese/Asian dinner. Thanks for sharing!
Wendy Sondov
I hope you enjoy the cookies. If you do a search in the index under Chinese New Year you'll find some additional recipes you might enjoy. 🙂
Bev
Love these cookies
Wendy Sondov
Thanks, Bev. I get lots of requests for these cookies from anyone who loves almonds. 🙂