Chinese Almond Cookies Recipe

Good Day Homemakers! Today I am going to share a recipe for Chinese Almond Cookies.

Made in the traditional manner, with lard….mmm….yummy…lard. Haha…No really the cookies are delicious! I do not do a lot of cooking with lard but to get the right texture with this traditional Asian dessert only the real thing would do! (trust me, I tried making tortillas with crisco once, and I ended up with some very pie like tortillas for dinner). Sometimes you just need the right ingredient!

This cookie is deliciously almond-y with a nice crumbly texture. The recipe calls for an almond on top but I unfortunately only had pecans 😦 Hey! a nuts a nut!

Enough of my chatter….here’s the recipe 🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups flour sifted
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (salt)
• 1 cup lard
• 1 cup raw sugar (sugar)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tbsp water
• blanched almonds

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Sift Flour, Baking Powder, and Salt. Set aside.

Sift Dry Ingredients

 3. Cream together Lard and Sugar. Beat in Egg and Almond Extract.

Cream Lard and Sugar

4. Add flour a little at a time beating on low until all ingredients are combined.

Cookie Dough

5. Scrape dough out onto a flour surface and knead slightly. Add more flour if dough is too wet or add a little water if dough is too dry.

6. Form dough into a log. Either cut or rip dough off in 1inch pieces.

Knead Dough

7. Roll pieces into balls and place on greased cookie sheet. Place an almond in the center and press down.

8.Beat together egg yolk and water. Brush the top of cookies with egg yolk mixture and bake.

Push Nut into Top

9. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for about five minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

10. Eat and Enjoy!

These Chinese Almond Cookies taste amazing first thing out of the oven but the texture really comes out when they are entirely cooled.

Yummy!

Happy Baking

♥♥♥

Samantha