RECIPE: Recipe: Chinese New Year Almond Cookies

[olga_d_ont]

Chinese New Year Almond Cookies

3/4 cup (175 mL) butter, softened

3/4 cup (175 mL) shortening

3/4 cup (175 mL) granulated sugar

1 egg

2 tsp (10 mL) almond extract

1/2 tsp (2 mL) vanilla

3 cups (750 mL) all-purpose flour

1/2 cup (125 mL) ground almonds

1-1/4 tsp (6 mL) baking powder

70 blanched whole almonds (about 2/3 cup/150 mL)

1 egg yolk

In large bowl, beat together butter, shortening and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg, almond extract and vanilla. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, ground almonds and baking powder; add to butter mixture and stir to form stiff dough.

Roll dough by tablespoonfuls (15 mL) into balls. Place, 2 inches (5 cm) apart, on greased or parchment paper?lined rimless baking sheet; top each with whole almond, pressing into dough. Mix egg yolk with 1 tsp (5 mL) water; brush over cookies.

Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until edges are light golden, about 15 minutes. Transfer to rack; let cool completely. (Make-ahead: Layer between waxed paper in airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

Source Canadian Living Magazine

 

[dawn_mo]

About how many cookies would this recipe make? Thanks for posting it!

 

[curious1]

I was looking at that, too. It calls for 70 almonds....70 cookies?

 

[dawn_mo]

Ummm, thanks Curious.

Sometimes the most obvious things get past me. I didn't look at the number, just the fact that it called for whole almonds. Thanks! smileys/smile.gif

 

[shaun-in-to]

Correct. The recipe on their site says 70 servings. It's not so obvious, because

sometimes you see almond cookies with 3 almonds on top.

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/chinese_new_year_almond_cookies.php

 

[curious1]

Lol, I didn't think of that. My recipe only uses one, so I made the assumption.

 

[angak]

thanks olga. will make these for thursday. must find blanched whole almonds first.

I'll make a starburst out of slivered if I can't find the whole blanched. Just don't want to do the blanching rubbing thing.

 

[angak]

I made a double batch and they were delish. Not too sweet and perfect for coffee break time. but

there's no way I would have gotten 70 from one batch of the dough. I did make mine a bit bigger, but still, with 1 T dough you would get maybe 60 or less, and 1T just didn't seem big enough or like the picture. Anyway, they were a nice treat for coffee break and very shortbread-like. I liked the combinatin of butter/shortening, and not all shortening like some almond cookie recipes, even though it's probably not "authentic" to Chinese cooking. Oh, and I had to blanch my own whole almonds---none to be found here.