Chinese almond cookies are the crisp, sandy, pale gold rounds from the Chinese bakery counter and the takeaway bag, each one crowned with a whole almond and cracked across the top like a dry riverbed.
This is the cookie people bake by the tin for Lunar New Year, when the almond on top and the golden colour are read as a wish for good fortune, and it sits happily next to fortune cookies on any Chinese restaurant dessert plate. It is not a soft, chewy cookie. It snaps, then crumbles into something close to shortbread, and the flavour is unmistakably almond from the first bite.
The recipe below makes 24 cookies with gram measures, a short chill and one tray at a time in the oven. The whole thing takes about an hour, and most of that is waiting.
What makes Chinese almond cookies crisp and crackled
Three things give this cookie its look and its snap. Baking soda makes the dough rise quickly and then set, which is what splits the surface into fine cracks radiating out from the almond. Creamed butter and sugar give the crumb its short, sandy texture. And a glaze of egg yolk paints the tops a glossy gold that makes the crackle stand out.
The chill matters more than it looks. Twenty minutes in the fridge firms the butter so the cookies hold a thick disc shape instead of spreading into flat puddles, and a firm dough cracks more cleanly in the oven.
Ingredients and what each one does
- Plain (all purpose) flour: the structure. It is kept to a modest amount so the cookie stays short and crumbly rather than bready.
- Almond meal: adds richness and a slightly coarse, sandy crumb. It also carries some almond flavour, though not most of it.
- Baking soda: the source of the crackle. It lifts the dough fast and lets the surface tear as it sets.
- Fine salt: sharpens the butter and almond flavours so the cookie does not taste flat and sweet.
- Unsalted butter: softened, never melted. Creamed with the sugar, it traps air and gives the tender, short bite.
- Caster sugar: dissolves quickly while creaming and helps the cookie crisp as it cools.
- Egg yolk: binds the dough and adds richness without the extra water of a whole egg, which would make the cookie cakey.
- Almond extract: the real flavour of the restaurant cookie. Use the full amount.
- Vanilla extract: rounds out the almond so it tastes warm rather than sharp.
- Whole blanched almonds: one pressed into each cookie, mostly for the look and a little crunch.
- Egg yolk glaze: a yolk thinned with water, brushed on before baking for the glossy gold top.
Butter or lard
The traditional version of this cookie is made with lard, which gives an even lighter, shorter and more crumbly texture. Butter gives a richer flavour and a touch more spread. If you can get good lard, swap in up to half of the butter for it and keep everything else the same.
How to make Chinese almond cookies
- Prepare the trays. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, almond meal, baking soda and salt together in a bowl so the soda is evenly spread, then set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Beat them with an electric mixer on medium for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy, scraping the bowl down once.
- Add the yolk and extracts. Beat in the egg yolk, almond extract and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients. Mix on low just until no dry flour is left. The dough will look soft and a little sandy, and overworking it makes a tougher cookie.
- Roll the dough. Scoop level tablespoons of dough, about 20 g each, roll them into smooth balls and space them 5 cm apart, 12 to a tray.
- Press in the almonds. Push a whole almond firmly into the centre of each ball so it flattens into a thick disc about 4 cm across. Pinch any cracks at the edges closed.
- Glaze and chill. Brush the tops with the egg yolk glaze, then chill the trays for 20 minutes.
- Heat the oven. While the dough chills, heat the oven to 170 C (340 F), or 155 C (310 F) fan.
- Bake one tray at a time. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the edges are golden, the tops are glossy and fine cracks have opened around the almond.
- Cool. Leave the cookies on the tray for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack. They crisp as they cool, so judge the texture only once they are at room temperature.
Crisp or soft: controlling the bake
The oven time is the dial. At the full 16 minutes you get the fully crisp restaurant style cookie that snaps cleanly and shatters into crumbs. Pull them at 13 minutes and the centres stay slightly tender, closer to a soft almond shortbread. Either way the edges should be golden, not brown.
If the tops come out smooth with no crackle, the butter was probably too warm when you creamed it or the oven is running cool. Chill the next tray a little longer and check the oven with a thermometer. If the cookies spread flat, the butter was too soft or partly melted, or the chill was skipped.
Making them ahead, storing and gifting for Lunar New Year
For Lunar New Year baking, the dough freezes well. Roll the balls, press in the almonds and freeze them on a tray, then bag them once solid. Bake straight from frozen, adding about 2 minutes, and brush on the glaze just before they go in the oven.
Baked cookies keep for a week in a properly sealed container at room temperature. Keep them out of the fridge, which softens them. If a batch does lose its snap, a few minutes in a low oven and a full cool on a rack brings it back.
A dozen cookies fit in a standard cookie box in two rows, and red or gold tissue paper is all the styling they need for a New Year gift. They make a good box alongside pineapple cookies and snowflake crisp, and on the day they sit comfortably with nian gao, sesame balls and a bowl of tang yuan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did my Chinese almond cookies not crack on top?
The crackle comes from the baking soda and sugar reacting as the dough sets, so a smooth top usually means the butter was too warm when it was creamed or the oven ran cool. Chill the shaped dough for the full 20 minutes and check your oven with a thermometer. A firm, cold dough going into a properly hot oven cracks the most cleanly.
Are Chinese almond cookies supposed to be crisp or soft?
The classic bakery and restaurant version is crisp and sandy, snapping cleanly and crumbling like shortbread. You can choose either: bake for the full 16 minutes for fully crisp cookies, or pull them at 13 minutes for slightly tender centres. They firm up as they cool, so judge them at room temperature.
Can I use lard instead of butter?
Yes, and it is the traditional choice. Lard gives a lighter, shorter and more crumbly cookie, while butter gives a richer flavour and a little more spread. Swap up to half of the butter for lard and keep the rest of the recipe the same.
Can I leave out the almond extract?
You can, but the cookie will taste mostly of butter. The almond meal and the whole almond on top add texture and a gentle nuttiness, while the extract is what gives the familiar almond flavour of the restaurant cookie. For the classic taste, use the full 1 1/2 teaspoons.
How long do Chinese almond cookies keep?
They keep for about a week in a well sealed container at room temperature. Avoid the fridge, which makes them soft. For longer storage, freeze the shaped, unglazed dough balls and bake them from frozen, adding about 2 minutes.
Can I make Chinese almond cookies gluten free?
Yes. Replace the plain flour with a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend and follow the recipe as written. The cookies come out a little more delicate, so let them cool fully on the tray before moving them.
Let’s Get Cooking
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Chinese Almond Cookies
Crisp, sandy Chinese almond cookies with a whole almond on top and a glossy, crackled egg yolk glaze. The classic Lunar New Year and Chinese bakery cookie, made with gram measures.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Chill Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 32 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients
Dough:
- 150 g plain (all purpose) flour
- 60 g almond meal (almond flour)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened
- 110 g caster sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
To finish:
- 24 whole blanched almonds
- 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water, for the glaze
Instructions
- Line two baking trays with baking paper.
- Whisk the flour, almond meal, baking soda and salt together in a bowl and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Scrape the bowl down once.
- Beat in the egg yolk, almond extract and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low just until no dry flour remains. The dough will be soft and a little sandy. Do not overwork it.
- Scoop level tablespoons of dough (about 20 g each) and roll into smooth balls. Space them 5 cm apart on the trays, 12 per tray.
- Press a whole almond firmly into the centre of each ball so it flattens to a thick disc about 4 cm across. Pinch any cracks at the edges closed.
- Brush the tops with the egg yolk glaze and chill the trays for 20 minutes, so the cookies do not spread and the crackle is cleaner.
- Meanwhile heat the oven to 170 C (340 F), or 155 C (310 F) fan.
- Bake one tray at a time for 14 to 16 minutes, until the edges are golden, the tops are glossy and fine cracks have opened around the almond. Pull them at 13 minutes for a softer cookie, or go the full 16 for the fully crisp restaurant style.
- Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a rack. They crisp as they cool, so do not judge the texture while warm.
Notes
- The crackle comes from the baking soda and sugar. If the tops bake smooth, the butter was too warm when creamed or the oven ran cool.
- Spreading: use softened, not melted, butter and do not skip the chill.
- Butter or lard: swap up to half the butter for lard for a lighter, more crumbly, traditional texture.
- Almond extract is the flavour, so do not reduce it.
- Gluten free: use a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend. The texture is slightly more delicate.
- Make ahead: freeze the shaped dough balls with almonds pressed in. Glaze and bake from frozen, adding 2 minutes.
- Storage: airtight at room temperature for 1 week. Do not refrigerate.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
