Mon, 21 August 2023
The almond cookie is a Chinese New Year treat, it is crumbly in texture and just a very moreish cookie and it is meant to bring you good fortune and dates back to 16th century. I thought of adding some extra crunch to these so I decided to add in some roasted chopped up peanuts (which I always have in the house) and it was a triumph, and my taste tester children approved.
Ingredients
· 125g plain flour
· 125g ground almonds
· ¼ tsp baking soda
· 100g cold grated butter
· 100g granulated sugar
· 1 small egg beaten
· 1 ½ tsp almond extract
· 50g toasted unsalted peanuts roughly chopped
· Approx. 18 Whole almonds for topping
· 1 egg beaten for glazing
Equipment
· Measuring spoons
· Scales
· Baking parchment
· Knives
· Chopping board
· Baking tray x2
· Pastry brush
· Wooden spoon
· Mixing bowl
Method
1. Preheat oven 180C. Line 2 baking tins.
2. Mix in a bowl – Grated fridge cold butter into a bowl of plain flour and baking soda and rub with your fingertips to make breadcrumbs, stir in the ground almonds and sugar.
3. Then add in the egg and almond extract and peanuts and mix well with a knife or wooden spoon until it forms a stiff dough.
4. Divide out into even sized balls, about tablespoon size. Roll into a ball and place evenly spaced on a baking tin (note they will spread a little bit so do not put too close together). Then using the palm of your hand flatten down slightly.
5. Place 1 almond on top of each cookie and glaze with the beaten egg all over the top.
6. Bake for about 12 minutes until golden. Leave on the tin for about 10 minutes to harden otherwise they will fall apart; they are a very crumbly cookie.
Top Tip – Do not over work the butter with your hands as it will melt the butter, so if this happens put the cookies in the fridge for at least 15 minutes to harden up so they don’t ‘spread’ while baking in the oven.
