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These Chinese almond cookies are a traditional cookie said to bring good fortune in the New Year. They’re also fragrant and buttery, with the most irresistible almond flavor!
Chinese New Year is coming up, so I thought I’d share a traditional Chinese cookie with you. These little almond cookies symbolize coins, so they’re often enjoyed during the New Year to bring good fortune. But they’re eaten year-round too!
Growing up, we would have these almond cookies when they were gifted to us or whenever my parents just happened to buy them at the grocery store. They have a distinct almond flavor and a satisfying crunch, which made them one of my favorite Asian snacks as a child.
If you’ve never had these cookies before, they remind me of shortbread. They’re more crunchy and less crumbly than shortbread cookies, though, and of course, they have loads of almond flavor because they’re made with almond extract, flour, and sliced almonds. (All of these almond ingredients also make these cookies smell amazing!)
This Chinese New Year, I’m planning on making a batch of these cookies, along with some of my other traditional Chinese favorites like scallion pancakes [葱油饼] and mantou 饅頭 [Chinese steamed buns].
What You’ll Need
As you can see from the ingredient list below, almonds are the star of the show here, but butter is definitely a supporting player! It makes these almond cookies rich and, well, buttery!
- Almond flour – Be sure to buy almond flour, not almond meal. Almond meal is not as finely ground.
- Unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- Eggs
- Almond extract – Almond extract is magic. Don’t skip it and don’t substitute it with vanilla! It’s key to the flavor in these almond cookies.
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking soda
- Sliced almonds
How to Make Chinese Almond Cookies
This recipe doesn’t require all that much active time, but you will need to include 2 hours of inactive time for the dough to chill.
Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, and baking soda in a medium bowl.
Make the dough. Combine the almond flour, butter, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on low for 3 minutes, then beat in one of the eggs and the almond extract. Add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined.
Chill the dough. Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap and pat it into a disc. Wrap well and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Prepare. Preheat your oven to 325ºF and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Beat the reserved egg in a small bowl.
Form the cookies. Take pieces of dough and roll them into one-inch wide balls. Place these balls on the prepared baking sheet and gently press them down with your palm to flatten them into coin shapes. Brush the tops with egg wash, then press a sliced almond into the center.
Bake. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until the almond cookies are golden. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then finish cooling on wire racks before storing or serving.
Tips for Success
Here are some tips and tricks for making Chinese almond cookies.
- Getting a head start. You can keep the dough in the fridge for a day or two before you bake these cookies. The dough can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
- Don’t make a lot of tweaks. Normally, I encourage you to change things up to your tastes, but this is a recipe that depends on these specific ingredients. If you swap the almonds for pecans or the almond extract for vanilla, it’s not going to taste like almond cookies!
- About the almonds. You can use either blanched almonds, which have the skin removed before slicing, or natural sliced almonds, which still have the skin on. I don’t recommend using whole almonds because they kind of dominate and distract, rather than complementing the other ingredients.
How to Store Chinese Almond Cookies
Store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Can This Recipe Be Frozen?
Yes, you can place almond cookies in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze them for up to 3 months. Let them thaw at room temperature before you eat them.
Chinese Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup (149 g) almond flour, lightly packed
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 ¾ cup (219 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200 g) + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Sliced almonds
Instructions
- Place the almond flour, butter, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes. The mixture will be coarse and chunky looking.1 1/3 cup (149 g) almond flour, 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, Pinch of kosher salt
- Add one of the eggs, reserving one for later, and the almond extract. Beat together until just incorporated.2 eggs, 1 teaspoon almond extract
- Whisk together flour, sugar, and baking soda in a medium bowl and add to the stand mixer. Mix until just combined.1 3/4 cup (219 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Pour mixture out onto saran wrap and form into a disc. Wrap it up and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325 °F (163 °C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Beat the egg you saved in a small bowl and have a pastry brush ready.
- Take pieces of dough and roll them into balls, about 1 inch wide. Place on the prepared baking sheet and gently press them down with your palms to flatten into coin shapes.
- Take your pastry brush and 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.Sliced almonds
- 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.
So delicious! Best recipe. Thank you for sharing.
I had to bring something to an Asian themed potluck at work and came across this recipe. I decided to go for it because for one thing, it seemed straightforward and doable, and for another I really don’t care for almond anything so I figured I was safe from over sampling ;) Boy was I wrong! I fell in love with these! As did my husband and son. I had to hurry and pack up what I was going to bring in to work, they were going that quickly. At first bite they seemed almost bland, but then the flavor kind of sneaks up on you and it’s just insanely delicious! And then you want another, and another…Kudos to you Julie for your clear and complete instructions. I had no problem at all. I have worked with a dry-ish dough before so I knew what to expect. My only complaint was the price of the almond flour, which made me utter a few swear words in the grocery store aisle. But I guess I’ll just have to make sure I use it all up ;)
Try getting almond flour at Trader Joe’s or Aldi – so much cheaper than traditional stores. Like 50% cheaper!!
I will try that, thanks!
Delicious. I made a few batches and also gifted some. They were a hit! I premixed and stored a couple discs in the fridge over a couple days and it turned out just fine. Also, I was able to get at least 5 dozen cookies from the recipe. I did have some inconsistencies with baking time but I think it was my oven. Still, it’s easy to tell when the cookies are ready just by the browning. Wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you~
In step 2 where you add the egg and beat until incorporated, will the mixture become smootn? On what speed are you beating at on this step?
medium speed, and it should be smooth but with a little texture
I love this recipe! I spent my childhood helping my dad bake almond cookies for his small restaurant. I don’t remember his recipe, but I wouldn’t change a thing with yours! This brings back memories. I will definitely make more. Thanks!
aww this is such a sweet story. thank you for sharing!
Best cookie I’ve ever had
This was So yummy! I followed the recipe however I think my butter wasn’t chilled enough so the first mixture looked more creamed rather than course and chunky. I still saw bits of butter in the dough at the end though. The cookies are so crispy, which is just what I was looking for. Thanks!
Yay, happy new year!
These are so delicious! I made a batch and it was worth the carbs!
Did I miss a step? I followed the recipe and my mix came out very crumbly, unable to form any type of dough ball. I ended up adding a small amount of milk after refrigerating the dough since the recipe is somewhat similar to a biscuit recipe. I added about a quarter cup of milk then rolled it out like biscuit dough n used a biscuit cookie cutter, egg wash, almonds, baked for 20 min, and they came out just fine!
No, you didn’t miss a step. To me, it sounds like maybe you used a different type of almond flour or almond meal? Like it was coarser so you had to use more liquid?
Thanks for this recipe! I mixed up the dough yesterday and baked them this morning. Excellent cookie – I will definitely make this again. Light, crisp, almond delights. I refrigerated the dough overnight b/c I’m making a lot of cookies for Christmas. It was so easy to just cut the chilled disc into small pieces with a knife and then roll them a little before placing them on the parchment. I followed the recipe otherwise to the letter and they are just deluxe. Thank you again for sharing your wonderful cookie recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed these and would make them again!