Chinese Almond Cookies (Hawai'i Style)
These Hawaiʻi-style Chinese almond cookies are crisp, buttery and full of almond flavor. The traditional red dot makes them especially festive for Lunar New Year.
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Servings: 2 dozen
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 350ºF.
- 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.1 cup cold butter, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 cup sugar
- Transfer the flour and butter mixture to a large mixing 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 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.
- 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.red food coloring
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden.The tops of the cookies should remain pale, so be careful not to overbake them. I like baking them on a lower oven rack to help prevent the tops from browning too quickly.Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
Notes
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