For my recent supper club in London with 40 guests, I made Chinese almond cookies (杏仁餅) as a little take-home gift, and everyone loved them! Crumbly on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth in every bite, and with the perfect amount of nutty sweetness.
Table of Contents
- Watch How to Make It
- What is Chinese Almond Cookies?
- Ingredients List
- How to Make Chinese Almond Cookies
- Tips for Making the Best Chinese Almond Cookies
- Frequently Asked Questions
Watch How to Make It
What is Chinese Almond Cookies?
Chinese almond cookies are a classic snack often found in Chinese bakeries. They have a light golden colour, cracked surface and sometimes a whole almond pressed into the centre.
These cookies actually don’t have a strong almond flavour. Their flavour mainly comes from ground almonds, which gives it a subtle nuttiness. The texture of these cookies are also pretty unique; they’re crumbly, delicate, slightly sandy and melts in your mouth rather than having a crunchy cookie texture.
Chinese almond cookies are traditionally made with oil instead of butter, which gives them their distinctive crumbly texture. You can still use butter to make these cookies, but the result will be crunchier, and the butter flavour will be more prominent than the almond flavour.
I actually made these cookies for my 40-person supper club in London! Making multiple batches of cookies was exhausting, but felt super rewarding because my guests loved them. The picture below shows just how many I made and how I packed them into tiny little boxes for everyone to take home after dinner.
Ingredients List
Check out the recipe card below for the full ingredient list.
Here are the list of ingredients you need to make Chinese Almond Cookies:
- Plain flour
- Almond flour
- White sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Neutral cooking oil
- Vanilla extract
- Roasted unsalted almonds
- Egg yolk
Almond flour
Almond flour is basically finely ground skinless almonds. I found that skinless almond flour was harder to find in UK supermarkets, so I actually brought some back from the States.
Good & Gather Almond Flour is the exact brand I bought from Target when I was visiting, but you can also buy almond flour on Amazon if you want the same finer texture.
You can still use almond meal or ground almonds, which are much more common in UK supermarkets. Just keep in mind that they contain the almond skins and have a coarser texture. Because of this, you may need to add a little more oil to the dough. Add the oil gradually until the dough no longer crumbles and can be pressed together into a ball easily.
Neutral cooking oil
Using a neutral cooking oil is key for this recipe, because it creates a tender, melt in your mouth texture. Oil based doughs are important for achieving that classic crumbly Chinese bakery style cookie.
You can use vegetable oil, refined avocado oil, canola oil, sunflower oil or light olive oil for this recipe. I used light olive oil simply because it’s what I had in my kitchen.
If you prefer not to use oil, you can substitute with unsalted butter. Just keep in mind that the cookies will be more crunchy rather than crumbly, and the butter flavour may overpower the almond flavour.
How to Make Chinese Almond Cookies
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the plain flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to make sure everything is evenly combined.
Pour in the oil and vanilla extract. Mix with a spatula or your hands until the dough starts to come together.
The dough should feel slightly crumbly but still hold together when pressed. If it falls apart too easily and won’t form a ball, add a little more oil (about 1/2 teaspoon at a time) until it just holds.
Use a kitchen scale to weigh out 15g portions of dough (you’ll get around 35 cookies). Roll each one into a ball, then gently flatten it into a small disc. Gently press one almond in the centre of each cookie. Then lightly brush a thin layer of egg yolk over each cookie to give them that lovely golden shine once baked.
Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 20 minutes.
Let the cookies cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack before serving. They’ll crisp up even more as they cool.
Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Tips for Making the Best Chinese Almond Cookies
Tip #1: Adjust oil based on your almond flour
Each brand of almond flour can have slightly different moisture levels. For this recipe, I used 125g of oil, but you may need a little more or less.
Make sure to pour the oil gradually while mixing. If your dough feels too dry and crumbles when you try to shape it, add a little more oil (about ½ teaspoon at a time) until the dough holds together.
Tip #2: Gently press the almond on top
If you want to add a whole almond to each cookie, make sure to press it in gently! I’ve made this mistake many times by pressing too hard and too quickly, which made the cookie dough crack excessively and break.
A little cracking is normal as it’s part of the charm of classic almond cookies. But pressing gently ensures the cookie stays intact.
Tip #3: Brush egg wash for a golden shiny finish
Brushing a thin layer of egg yolk on each cookie before baking gives them a beautiful golden colour and shine.
You don’t have to add it of you don’t want to, the cookies will still taste great, but they will look a little pale and plain. This step is optional, but it really does elevate the presentation.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes you can. Almond meal is coarser and usually contains the almond skins, so you may need to add a little extra oil to help the dough hold together. Add gradually, ½ teaspoon at a time, until the dough can form a ball.
You can, but the cookies will be crunchier and the butter flavour will be more prominent. Using oil gives the cookie its classic crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
No, it’s optional. Brushing with egg yolk gives the cookies a golden shiny finish. Without it, they’ll still taste great but will look paler and plain.
A little cracking is totally normal! It’s part of the charm of Chinese almond cookies. To reduce excessive cracks, press the almond gently on top instead of pressing hard or fast.
Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay fresh for up to a week and will continue to crisp up slightly as they cool.
Chinese Almond Cookies
35
servings30
minutes40
minutesFor my recent supper club in London with 40 guests, I made Chinese almond cookies (杏仁餅) as a little take-home gift, and everyone loved them! Crumbly on the outside, melt-in-your-mouth in every bite, and with the perfect amount of nutty sweetness.
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Ingredients
260 g plain flour
120 g almond flour
55 g white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
125 g neutral cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
35 pieces roasted unsalted almonds
1 egg yolk (for brushing)
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the plain flour, almond flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well to make sure everything is evenly combined.
- Pour in the oil and vanilla extract. Mix with a spatula or your hands until the dough starts to come together.
- The dough should feel slightly crumbly but still hold together when pressed. If it falls apart too easily and won’t form a ball, add a little more oil (about 1/2 teaspoon at a time) until it just holds.
- Use a kitchen scale to weigh out 15g portions of dough (you’ll get around 35 cookies). Roll each one into a ball, then gently flatten it into a small disc. Gently press one almond in the centre of each cookie. Then lightly brush a thin layer of egg yolk over each cookie to give them that lovely golden shine once baked.
- Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 20 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for 30 minutes on a wire rack before serving. They’ll crisp up even more as they cool.
- Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
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