Chinese Almond Cookies
There are all kinds of almond cookies, today I am teaching you how to make Chinese almond cookies, which are equally great, if not better!
Right before Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year), we would be baking up a storm in the kitchen. Other than peanut cookies and walnut cookies, Chinese-Malaysians also love almond cookies.
Almond cookies are white in color, and they look almost like melting moments cookies, but they have a tint of almond flavor because of the almond flakes and almond extract.
The cookies are very crumbly, and the almond flakes lend an amazing nutty flavor to the cookies.
My contributor CP Choong tried this almond cookies recipe from a cookbook in Malaysia. The recipe doesn’t call for butter but shortening is used instead, which means that the almond cookies will be super crumbly and melt in your mouth.
As a young child, I dislike the taste and unique aroma of almond but as I grow older, almond has become one of my favorite nuts. These almond cookies are sweet, powdery, and they are a great treat for Lunar New Year.
This Recipe Goes Well with:
Other Cookies Recipes:
White Almond Cookies Recipe
Super crumbly almond cookies with chopped almonds in the cookies. They're so good you won't stop eating!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 130 g shortening (4.5 oz or 1/2 cup)
- 70 g icing sugar (powdered sugar) (1/2 cup)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 80 g corn starch (1/2 cup)
- 120 g all-purpose flour or plain flour (1 cup)
- 60 g almond flakes (lightly roasted) (2 oz)
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, (optional)
Utensil needed: Round cookie cutter
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 160C / 325F, lined a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, beat shortening, icing sugar and salt, and almond extract if using, until smooth.
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Add sieved corn flour and all purpose flour, follow by almond flakes. Stir till well incorporated to become a soft dough.
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Roll dough between sheets of plastic until 1cm thick. Stain cookie cutter with some flour and cut into rounds. Arrange on baking sheets.
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Bake in preheated oven at 160C / 325F for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool completely. Store in airtight container.
Recipe Notes
I'm using www.convert-me.com for the conversion.
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Chrissie Baker
Just made these with my daughter. Easy, straightforward recipe. Simple prep and baking. Delicious cookies.
Est
Can I use Crisco brand shortening? If I substitute to butter will the cookie still melt?
Jessica
How many cookies does this recipe make? I don’t think it’s 8 as it says under servings based on the photos. Thank you!
Rasa Malaysia
Serve 8 people. Forgot how many pieces.
DebB
What size cookie cutter is everyone use? Personally, I don’t use them but would like to get the size correct.
STEPHEN LAMPHEAR
How ’bout posting the ingredients by volume rather than weight? I don’t need to know how much a half cup of an ingredient weighs when a half cup by volume is the same for everything. A half cup of flour and of sugar are the same volume – and baking chemistry is more about volume than weight.
Skevi
Dear Rasa, shall I put less sugar and pud on top icing sugar.?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes, you can do that.
Ling
Can i use lard instead of shortening?
Rasa Malaysia
I think you can but I haven’t tried.
Marcus Sebastian
Hi Bee
This was really great. I tried this recipe for almond cookies and everyone in family, friends and colleagues loved it.
Thanks for sharing!
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks for trying my almond cookies recipe.
Connie law
Hi Bee
Great recipe .. Delicious but how is it your end product looks white.. Did you sprinkle icing sugar on them?
Thanks
Connie
Rasa Malaysia
Yes. I did. :)
nooshin
Hi Dear friend
I want to make this cookie but can i substitute butter instead of shortening and how much butter is required for this cookie . Thanks a lot
Nooshin
Rasa Malaysia
Please follow the recipe exactly for the best results.
Inge Lies
Thanks for the recipe. I made it with the help of my 4yo daughter. It was my first time baking cookies using shortening in the recipe. I didn’t have almond flakes, and used diced almond instead. Still the cookies turned out very yummy..mmm.. It is now one of my favourite cookies.
Rasa Malaysia
Thanks Inge for trying my almond cookies recipe.
June
Hi Bee,
I tried this recipe today but it didnt turn out right. Is it 130g of shortening or 113g (per one of your responses)? It is taking more than 20 mins to bake..Please help!!
thanks
June
Rasa Malaysia
It’s 130 g. The recipe is exactly what you see on the pictures, but I am in the US. Maybe the shortening is different in different country…you bake until the cookies are slightly browned, and inside is cooked through.
Lynn
Hi Bee,
Do you use room temperature shortening?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes.
pearl
Hi is this cookie supposed to be melt-in-the-mouth texture? How do you make sure it has that texture?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes they melt in the mouth.
Hui
Hi,
I had to add another tablespoon of shortening before the dough comes together as it was too crumbly. I shaped them into balls instead of cutting them out.
at the end after cooling down, taste was good but the cookies were tough to bite.
any reason why ?
Rasa Malaysia
I am not sure…these almond cookies are very crumbly and you do not need any extra shortening. Are you sure you have got all the ingredients right?
shine
Hi,izzit okie if i brush some eggyolk on the top of the cookies before put in the oven?
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you can!
Susan
Hi, i tried yr recipe! It’s tasty but I hv a question. My cookie spread and couldn’t maintain the shape like yours. Your cookie has a good thickness. Did yours spread at all? Did you keep the dough in fridge first? Thx!
Rasa Malaysia
No the cookies keep a good shape but I am in the US. Maybe you can chill in the fridge for 1 hour before shaping.
Sue
Hi, I’ve been looking for ‘spicy dried shrimps ‘ Cookies recipes, do you have one.
Rasa Malaysia
Hmm sorry I am not sure about them.
Cindy
Hi, can I use margarine instead shortening ? If not, how about olive oil ? How much?
Rasa Malaysia
You can try but I am not sure about the result.
Patricia
Do you think coconut oil could be used as a substitute for shortening?
Mimi
hi there,
Thank you for the recipe. I have a question regarding the conflicting quantity of shortening? Is it 130 grams or 1/2 cup of shortening??
From observation with the other ingredients, 70/80g seems to be 1/2 cup?
Thank you!
Rasa Malaysia
It should be correct. We used All Recipes conversion: 1/2 cup of butter = 113 g, and shortening is similar to butter. http://allrecipes.com/howto/cup-to-gram-conversions/. To be precise, please use a scale to measure.
The other conversions are for dry ingredients which are lighter. :)
diane
Researched this and discovered butter and shortening do not weigh the same. 130 grams of shortening equals 2/3 cup shortening. I followed the recipe but increased the shortening to 2/3 cup. The cookies were so good!
Rasa Malaysia
Yes these almond cookies are sooooo good!
Mavis
Hi Bee! I love your site and recipes :) I made these almond cookies tonight and although the dough was a bit of a pain to work with, the cookies turned out absolutely delicious!
Just wanted to check with you, is the dough supposed to be extremely crumbly? It was pretty dry and very tricky to work with… should I add a little more melted butter to make the dough more manageable? I used butter because I can’t find shortening here in Sweden…
Also, when I used up almost all the dough, I added a little water to the remaining crumbs and made a few experimental cookies with the much more manageable dough… the resulting cookies were a little chewy, not as crisp like the rest, but still tasty.
Rasa Malaysia
Hi Mavis, you need a little more butter if the dough is too crumbly. Do not add water.
Muna Kenny
I love melt in the mouth cookies, I can’t wait to make them!
Cheryl
What are almond flakes?
Rasa Malaysia
Almond pieces.
Choy Fong
This is the recipe I am dying for. Cannot believe my eyes when I see you post the recipe. Love this cookies & ordered tons of it for CNY. May I ask if I can replace the shortening with something else?
Malena Bosque Verde
How about butter, I’m sure it will do the job, and taste great! That is waht I did, cause I din’t have the shortening! Good kuck.