This is our new and improved recipe for classic Chinese almond cookies! This traditional almond cookie recipe yields lightly sweet cookies with that signature crunchy, crumbly texture and almond flavor you’ve been looking for.
A Need for Recipe Re-Testing
Some of you may have tried our previous almond cookie recipe, which was published in December 2018 by my mom, Judy. The recipe yielded mixed reviews, with some readers enjoying the cookies, but still many others commenting on an overwhelming flavor of baking powder and baking soda.
(I’m including the old version of the recipe at the end of this post if you were one of the readers who liked it!)
Priding ourselves as we do on our track record of producing delicious no-fail recipes, one with an average rating of 3.85 stars is definitely an odd duck in our repertoire. We’re happy to finally be updating it!
If you’re interested in the juicy tidbits about how this recipe has evolved and the changes we made to it, keep reading. If not, skip down to the recipe itself.
How Our Old Recipe Held Up to Others Out There
While this recipe has fallen between the cracks over the years, we decided it was high time to fix it.
In our quest to start re-testing, we stumbled upon this recent article by bake-off blog The Pancake Princess, who did a comparison of nine almond cookie recipes. At first, we were a bit disappointed to not be represented. But then we noticed that Pancake Princess listed our recipe as “similar” to the one she made from The Nom Wah Cookbook.
I grabbed our copy to take a look, only to discover that the recipe in that book (published in 2020) was exactly my mom’s recipe from 2018, right down to each ingredient, measurement, and slightly odd yield of 18 cookies. Hmm.
Make of that what you will (it wasn’t the only recipe in the book that looked familiar), but regardless of all that, we knew we still had to improve it.
On the bright side, this meant our cookie had actually been in the bake-off, so we had some fresh feedback. It was interesting to see the comments from Pancake Princess’s testers on our old recipe. It ended up in the middle of the pack. Some testers liked it and used descriptors like “authentic,” “traditional” and “nostalgic,” while Erika from Pancake Princess thought they were “tragically” bland due to lack of salt (ouch, but fair).
Another comment was that they had a noticeably porky taste from the lard and an overly eggy flavor from the heavy egg yolk wash on top. (Also fair.) Funnily enough, there wasn’t much mention of too much leavening, and on the positive side, the review stated that the recipe had nailed the classic almond cookie texture.
Thinking back to when my mom was initially testing this recipe in 2018, I think they hit the nail on the head. We were so focused on getting the trademark texture of the cookie right that we overlooked the finer points of flavor.
So it was back to the drawing board, and my mom handed the baton to me.
What Are the Characteristics of a Chinese Almond Cookie?
So what IS a classic almond cookie supposed to look and taste like?
Almond cookies were actually invented by Chinese immigrants in the U.S., so they haven’t been around that long—perhaps only since the early 1900s. In that time, some key characteristics have emerged.
Chinese almond cookies should be lightly sweet, crunchy, and a bit crumbly—similar to a shortbread cookie, but lighter. They usually have a cracked surface, with a shiny golden brown top from a brushing of egg or egg yolk.
Like many Chinese bakery items, almond cookies have evolved, and it’s hard to find a specimen that tastes like the old days. (See also: Wife Cakes, which are almost unrecognizable from just a few decades ago. My aunt’s old-fashioned wife cake recipe is the result of months of trial, error, and excel spreadsheets.)
I think this new version gets pretty dang close, though.
What We Changed & Why
We took inspiration from the only other lard-only cookie in Pancake Princess’s line-up, from What to Cook Today. That cookie was runner-up in the bake-off, though we made quite a few changes to get to our ideal almond cookie.
Here’s a rundown of the differences between my mom’s old version and this new version:
- From just lard to a mix of lard and butter: We maintain that you can’t make a traditional Chinese almond cookie without lard (and stand in solidarity with What to Cook Today on that). Rendered pork fat is a traditional ingredient, and gives these cookies that signature texture. That said, we acknowledge there’s a decidedly porky aroma in the old recipe. I found that a mixture of both lard and butter worked better. 4 tablespoons of lard and 5 tablespoons of butter yielded the best balance of flavor and texture.
- Reducing leavening agents: The flavor of the baking soda and baking powder was a definite issue in the previous recipe. We took permission from What To Cook Today’s recipe to pull wayyy back, reducing from 1 teaspoon of each to ½ teaspoon baking soda and ⅛ teaspoon baking powder, which still allowed the cookies to rise and spread a bit, albeit not as much as the original recipe.
- Making the cookies slightly larger: This recipe now yields an even odder number—15 cookies. Since these cookies don’t spread as much as our old version, we made them slightly bigger.
- Amping up the almond flavor: This was a two-pronged approach: almond flour and almond extract. Like What to Cook Today and some of the other recipes in the bake-off, I decided to try adding almond flour. It contributed to the rich and sandy texture of the cookie, and my sister (coming off her Linzer Cookie marathon) suggested I toast it to bring out the flavor more. It worked. My mom’s old recipe had 1 teaspoon almond extract, but I added an extra ¼ teaspoon to really let that flavor punch through.
- Granulated instead of powdered sugar: My mom’s old recipe involves powdered sugar and a lot of sifting. I HATE SIFTING POWDERED SUGAR, so I went granulated in this recipe. I also increased the sugar over my mom’s old recipe. These cookies are sweeter than the old ones (don’t worry, they’re still not TOO sweet), which had an almost savory flavor owing to the 100% lard and less sugar.
- Egg yolk for moisture & richness: I kept the egg yolk in the dough from my mom’s old version. It adds a nice richness to the cookies, and I found the dough to be too dry without it.
- Adding salt: Didn’t think we’d forget the salt again, did you? We added ¼ teaspoon here, and salted butter for more of a salty-sweet contrast.
- Egg wash instead of egg yolk on top: To combat the eggy aroma in the finished cookies, I used a whole beaten egg to brush the tops of the cookies rather than egg yolk. We also found that brushing the egg over the top of the almond yielded a nice shine on the almond that we liked. While Pancake Princess mentioned liking recipes that used slivered almonds, we prefer biting into a whole toasty almond while enjoying this cookie. My mom’s recipe suggested toasting the almonds beforehand. I didn’t find this to be necessary—they toast up fine during baking.
Phew. We think this recipe is back up to The Woks of Life’s high standards. With a cup of hot tea, it’s not hard to eat a few of these crunchy cookies in one sitting.
We hope you enjoy them too. Leave us a comment or review to let us know what you think!
If you’re looking for the old version, you’ll find it below the recipe card. Note that we are updating an old recipe post, so the reviews for the old version are still visible in the comments and recipe card. Help us get that rating back up if you try the new recipe and like it!
Chinese Almond Cookies Recipe Instructions
Arrange a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350°F/175°C.
Lightly toast the almond flour in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it turns one shade darker.
Whisk together the toasted almond flour, sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. (This is a crumbly dough, so proper measuring is very important. If you pack the flour too tightly into the measuring cup, the dough may end up too dry. If this happens, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help the dough come together.)
Whisk 1 egg yolk with the melted lard and almond extract. Add to the dry ingredients, along with the softened butter. Mix with your hands or a stiff rubber spatula to form a soft dough.
Make ping pong sized balls of dough, flatten them into little discs. Place 1-2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. You should have about 15 cookies, which can fit on a single baking sheet.
Press an almond into the center of each cookie.
If the cookies crack slightly when you press the almond in, that’s okay, but push any larger cracks back together.
Brush the cookies with beaten egg.
Bake for 13-15 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool completely before enjoying.
Looking for more authentic recipes? Subscribe to our email list and be sure to follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!
Recipe
Chinese Almond Cookies (RE-TESTED!)
Ingredients
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg yolk
- ¼ cup melted lard
- 1¼ teaspoon almond extract
- 5 tablespoons salted butter (at room temperature)
- 15 almonds
- 1 egg (beaten)
Instructions
- Arrange a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 350°F/175°C.
- Lightly toast the almond flour in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it turns one shade darker.
- Whisk together the toasted almond flour, sugar, all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. (This is a crumbly dough, so proper measuring is very important. If you pack the flour too tightly into the measuring cup, the dough may end up too dry. If this happens, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of water to help the dough come together.)
- Whisk 1 egg yolk with the melted lard and almond extract, and add it to the dry ingredients, along with the softened butter. Mix with your hands or a stiff rubber spatula to form a soft dough.
- Make ping pong sized balls of dough, flatten them into little discs, and place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. You should have about 15 cookies, which can fit on a single baking sheet. Press an almond into the center of each cookie. If the cookies crack slightly when you press the almond in, that’s okay, but push any larger cracks back together.
- Brush the cookies with beaten egg, and bake for 13-15 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool completely before enjoying.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Facts
The old almond cookie recipe, originally published december 16, 2018:
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (160 g)
¾ cup powdered sugar (95 g)
3 tablespoons cornstarch (20 g)
1 teaspoon baking soda (4 g)
1 teaspoon baking powder (4 g)
2 egg yolks (plus 1 additional egg yolk for brushing)
½ cup melted lard (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon almond extract
18 toasted almonds
Instructions:
Sift together the flour, powdered sugar, cornstarch, baking soda, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Sift the mixture together again to make sure that all the ingredients are light and well-incorporated.
Next, beat 2 egg yolks into the lard. Beat in 1 teaspoon almond extract. Fold this mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. Then knead the dough with your hand to create a dough ball. Try not to overwork the dough—it will be similar to a crumbly pie crust in texture. Cover with an overturned plate, and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F, and toast the almonds for 5 minutes. Cool completely before using. Beat the last egg yolk, and set it aside.
Take the dough and divide it into 18 equal pieces. Press and squeeze each into a small disc. Transfer to a baking sheet so the cookies are placed at least 2 inches apart (they will spread out).
Brush all sides with the beaten egg yolk. Press one toasted almond onto the center of each dough ball. They may crack a little bit—that’s ok. Just gently squeeze them back together if there are particularly large cracks. Bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.
