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Chinese Almond Cookies are crisp, buttery, and so delicious! Make these cookies for Chinese New Year, or enjoy them year-round.
These almond cookies are very popular in Hawai’i during Chinese New Year, but you can find them all year long. They’re found in China town, dim sum restaurants, manapua shops, and mom and pop shops. If you ask someone from Hawai’i about these cookies, they’ll probably reminisce about fond childhood memories of eating these.
The Chinese almond cookies in Hawai’i typically have a red dot in the center. This represents good luck. Some other recipes use almonds in place of the red dot, which you can use as well, if you prefer.
I’ve tried many Chinese almond cookie recipes, but this recipe from food. is the best I’ve found, so I’m sharing it here with you. It says the original recipe is from a bakery in Hawai’i, which sounds about right, because they’re so ‘ono (delicious)!
Chinese New Year Crafts
If you’re celebrating Chinese New Year with your family, try these fun kids crafts!
- Chinese New Year Lion Puppet with Free Printable
- Chinese New Year Firecrackers Craft with Free Printables
- DIY Chinese Red Envelope (Lai See/Hรณngbฤo)
- Chinese New Year Lantern Craft
How do you make Chinese Almond Cookies?
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of cold butter
- 2 1/2 cups of flour
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 2 teaspoons of almond extract
- red food coloring
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350ยบF.
Step 2: Cut the butter in to small cubes. Place the butter, along with the dry ingredients, in a food processor and pulse until it is fully incorporated. If you don’t have a food processor, use a pastry cutter or your hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients.
Step 2: Add the mixture to a bowl. In another small bowl, beat the egg with the almond extract. Add it to the dry ingredients and mix it until it forms a dough. At first, it will seem as though there is not enough liquid. Keep mixing, and it will eventually come together.
Step 3: Form the dough into 1″ balls and place them onto an ungreased baking sheet. Push the dough down with your thumb to indent/flatten it, as shown in the picture below.
Step 4: Add some red food coloring to a small ramekin. I like to add a few drops of water to lighten the red color a little, but this is optional. Dip the large end of a chopstick into the the food coloring and put a dot in the middle of each cookie. Make sure to press it into the dough a little, so the food coloring doesn’t spread while baking.
Step 5: Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. The tops should not be brown at all. I like to use the bottom rack so they don’t overcook. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Try these other recipes from Hawai’i!
- Easy Hawaiian Style Macaroni Salad with Vegan Option
- Hawaiian Style โPokeโ Edamame
- Easy Hawaiian Style Vegan Fried Rice
- Hawaiian Style Vegetable Chow Mein
- Chichi Dango (Mochi)
- Pumpkin Butter Mochi + Video
- Spiced Apple Andagi (Okinawan Donuts)
Chinese Almond Cookies (Hawaiian Style)
Equipment
- Food Processor optional
Ingredients
- 1 cup cold butter
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 teaspoons almond extract
- red food coloring
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ยบF.
- Cut the butter in to small cubes. Place the butter, along with the dry ingredients, in a food processor and pulse until it is fully incorporated. If you donโt have a food processor, use a pastry cutter or your hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients.1 cup cold butter, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar
- Add the mixture to a bowl. In another small bowl, beat the egg with the almond extract. Add it to the dry ingredients and mix it until it forms a dough. At first, it will seem as though there is not enough liquid. Keep mixing, and it will eventually come together.1 egg beaten, 2 teaspoons almond extract
- Form the dough into 1โณ balls and place them onto an ungreased baking sheet. Push the dough down with your thumb to indent/flatten it, as shown in the picture below.
- Add some red food coloring to a small ramekin. I like to add a few drops of water to lighten the red color a little, but this is optional. Dip the large end of a chopstick into the the food coloring and put a dot in the middle of each cookie. Make sure to press it into the dough a little, so the food coloring doesnโt spread while baking.red food coloring
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown. The tops should not be brown at all. I like to use the bottom rack so they donโt overcook. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.
Notes
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I tried making this recipe. Followed it step-by-step. When the cookies came out, they spread and did not keep its shape.
What do you think happened?
Hi Laverne,
Sorry it didn’t turn out well for you! Did you use cold butter or room temperature butter? I can see that I didn’t specify that in my recipe, so I will change that! Using cold butter will help the cookies to keep their shape. If it’s a hot day, you can even try refrigerating the cookies for an hour before baking them. If it’s humid where you are, you may need to add a little more flour to your dough. The dough shouldn’t be sticky at all. I hope this helps!
Turned out good a little thin would have liked them thicker and more like shortbread cookies. Not the most almond flavor. But overall a great recipe and delicious cookies. I live on Kauai am 12 and love to bake, my dad loves almond cookies so I figured I would try to make him some. Thank you.
Thanks for trying this recipe! ๐ Sorry it didn’t turn out exactly how you wanted them. Maybe try adding a little more almond extract next time.
Use Butter Crisco in the blocks, cookies comes out mo’betta.
Thanks for the suggestion, will definitely have to try that! ๐
Cookies were yummy, crispy on the outside and chewy in the middleโฆI read in the previous comments that the cookie spreads while it bakes and incorporated your tips. I froze the dough for a few minutes before shaping my balls of dough and made my balls of dough on the smaller side, which both made my cookies good shapes and sizes????
Awesome, thanks so much for the feedback! ๐