Chinese Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 48 whole almonds blanched
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tbs water
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Combine butter and sugar in bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add egg and almond flavoring; beat until well mixed. Add flour, baking powder and salt; beat at low speed until well mixed.
- Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly; press almond into center of each cookie.
- Beat egg yolk with water in bowl; brush cookies evenly with egg mixture. Bake for 11-15 minutes or until just set.
Notes
Chinese Almond Cookies
These light, tender cookies are great served with ice cream as an easy holiday dessert or with simply with a cup of coffee or tea after dinner.
Tip #1 - These cookies were traditionally made with lard in China because pork is plentiful. We've changed to butter instead for a richer flavor and slightly crisper texture. Far more flavorful than the fortune cookie, keep them on hand, baked and ready, in your freezer.
Tip #2 - To blanch almonds for easy skin removal, place almonds in a bowl; cover with boiling water. Let stand 1-2 minutes; drain. Cool; remove skins by rubbing.