Celebrating Chinese New Year in Singapore is never complete without an excess bounty of snacks on display. We recently featured our recipe for fragrant melt-in-your-mouth peanut cookies, so we figured it’s time to share the equally enticing cashew nut version. Cashew nut cookies (腰果饼 yāo guǒ bǐng) are known for their golden glossiness and crisp, buttery texture. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to follow this recipe.
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Like most cookies that use nut flours, these crunch delightfully and melt on your tongue almost immediately after. The secret ingredient is the full cream milk powder. Surprising, perhaps, but it is an ingredient that many knowledgeable bakers use to give their Chinese New Year cookies that sinfully smooth, ultra-melty texture when you bite into them. Incorporating some cornflour into the flour mixture also gives the end product a lighter, airier crumb. You won’t have to worry about dense cookies that end up dry and hard.
Buttery cashew nut cookies (腰果饼)
Cuisine: ChineseDifficulty: MediumThese buttery cashew nut cookies are a true staple at Chinese New Year gatherings. Don’t settle for store-bought cookies when you can try your hand at making your own homemade version!
Ingredients
270 grams roasted cashew nuts
3/4 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cornflour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup full cream milk powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
225 grams butter, room temperature
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Egg wash
1 egg
Preparation
- Measure about 70 grams of the nicest cashew nuts to be used as toppings. Carefully split these down the middle lengthwise to get perfect halves. This can be tricky, but with a small knife and some practice, it gets easier. Set these aside for later.
- Grind the remaining 200 grams of cashews in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle until they reach a sandy texture. If using a food processor, be careful not to over-process the nuts and turn them into cashew butter!
- Sift the flour, cornflour, milk powder and baking powder into the bowl with the ground cashews. Mix to combine.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then stir in the egg yolk and vanilla. Mix well.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Combine well. Eventually, you’ll want to use your hands here to do a bit of kneading to get the mixture to clump together.
- Form the dough into a large ball, cover the bowl with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for about 40 minutes.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 175°C and line two baking trays with non-stick baking paper. Shape tablespoonfuls of the chilled dough into balls, flattening them slightly with the palms of your hands. Arrange on baking trays about 3/4″ apart. Gently press a cashew half into the tops of each cookie.
- Beat the remaining whole egg in a small bowl and lightly brush the egg wash over the unbaked cookies.
- Bake each tray separately for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.
- Place cookies on a wire rack to cool completely before storing in an air tight container.
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