I must confess that I got hooked on baking cookies recently. After making sesame crisps and cornflake cookies , I can’t stop thinking of what to bake next. On the other hand, time is running short as we will be heading back to our hometown early to celebrate this coming Lunar New Year festival.
Luckily, when I was browsing through my favourite “100 homemade cookies”cookbook (孟老師的100道手工餅干), I came across this almond butter cookies recipe which looked promising and could be done without much hassle. It is different than the “authentic” Chinese almond cookies as it uses neither almond extract, almond flour, nor chopped almonds. To be more precise, it is just another version of butter cookies with nuts.
If you have tried my coconut butter cookies recipe and loved it, then it is very likely that it will suit your palate too. This recipe shares many similarities with coconut butter cookies in respect of the steps used. It can be regarded as a quick, easy and tasty cookie recipe to make for this Chinese New Year (CNY). With very little efforts, your kids will get to enjoy your own homemade cookies. It can even save you from burning a hole in your pocket if you were to buy from off the shelf. I just came to realise that the ready-made festive treats in Singapore are very expensive. One small tin with 50 premium cookies can cost you up to S$20-24 (approx. USD15-18)!!
These cookies are full of buttery smell and flavourful taste of crunchy almonds. I had baked them twice. But one problem I faced with the past two attempts was that I had difficulty to strike the perfect balance of having a melt-in-the mouth texture and crunchy almonds. The cookies turned out to be a bit dry if the almonds were crunchy. On the other hand, when the cookies turned out to be melt-in-the-mouth (that is I under-baked them slightly), the almonds weren’t crunchy. My guess is that the almonds I used may be too big relative to the size of the cookies. Maybe in my next attempt I will try to get smaller almonds or roast the almonds in advance. What do you think? Well, despite this problem, my family still adores these cookies very much. At the time of typing this post, more than 90% of my 2nd batch cookies have already disappeared. Hahaha!
My kitchen will be temporary “closed” from the time being. Before I begin my holiday break, let me wish all my readers A JOYFUL, HEALTHY and PROSPEROUS Year Of The Rabbit!
祝大家兔年身体健康,兔飞猛进!
I’m submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #3: My Favorite CNY Cookie (Jan 2011) hosted by Jess of j3sskitch3n.
>>>> Click on PAGE 2 BELOW for Almond Butter Cookies Recipe………………….
If you’re going to get hooked on anything in life, it might as well be cookie baking! Especially if said cookies involve almond butter. Delicious.
Joanne: Thanks! Yes, you said it all! 😉
So round and pretty! Happy CNY to you and family!!
Ching (LCOM): Thanks! Same to you and your family! 😉
Mmm…perfect for the coming Chinese New Year. In fact, it’s perfect for any time 😀 Love the almond on top. Makes it look so pretty.
I love the melty kind of such cookies 🙂 but I guess with the whole almond on top of each cookie, makes the texture too contrasting as a whole.
Tigerfish: Yeah, that’s the whole idea of this recipe. 😉
Mary Moh: Thanks! 😉
Gong xi Gong xi soon!! Very pretty looking cookies.. and the almond make it looks elegant 😉
Lee Mei (MCH): Gong Xi Fatt Choy to you and your family too! Thanks for your compliment! 😉
Very beautiful almond cookies, good for CNY. I can’t stop eating once I have the first one. They are very delicious and addictive.
Christine: Thanks!! Yeah, they are very addictive!! 😉
Wow, those are so pretty and cute! I never saw such almond cookies — I’ll have to make them next time I’m making cookies… although, just by looking at the picture, I can already tell I’ll be sorry because I’ll probably eat way too many at once 😀
Claudie: Thanks for your wonderful compliments! 😉
those cookies are cute!
Peachkins: Thanks!! 😉
prefect almond morsels =D
J3ss kitch3n: Thanks for your compliment!! Looking forward to the roundup! 😉
Happy CNY in advance LK! I love butter cookies so I am sure your buttery almond cookies will be perfect! I love your cute presentation too! Have a good trip back to Malaysia 😀
Jen (ToH): Thanks! Happy CNY to you and your family! 🙂
Oh, those are beautiful!! I’m going to make pineapple tarts for CNY this weekend, but I might have to make a batch of these too 😀
Tofugirl: Thanks!! Hope you will like it! 😉
These are too cute with the almonds on top :). Happy early CNY!
Xiaolu: Thanks! Happy CNY to you and your family too! 😉
The whole almonds on top make the cookies look so pretty! Having said that, I’d prefer to have smaller chopped up pieces – easier to eat =)
Pigpigscorner: Thanks for your compliment and kind suggestion. 😉
Cute and delicious! Wishing you a Cute & Healthy “Rabbit” year! 🙂
Alice: Thanks, my friend! Same to you and your family! 😉
for me , i wld prefer the almond nibs, i just like crunching on all the bits in the cookies, This sounds like a very buttery cookies, looks adorable too! I just came across a jar of butter cookies yesterday in one of the stores, selling for CNY, quike alike to the danish cookies in the blue tin, it was very nice, melty and looked pretty cos the designs were piped thru.
Lena: Thanks! I love those crunchy almond nibs too. Sounds yummy! 😉
They look adorable with the almond topping. Happy Chinese New Year to you and your family!
Noobcook: Thanks!! Same to you and your family! 😉
I’m just like that too. Once you start baking you want to start baking one recipe after another. Cookies look great. Here’s wishing you a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!
The Sudden Cook: Thanks!! Yes, it’s real fun to bake them. Same to you and your family! 🙂
Very nice almond butter cookies! I like the big whole almond place on the top, nice! Happy Lunar New Year to you!
Kitchen Corner: Thanks!! Gong Xi Fatt Choy to you and your family! 😉
Hey! Your almond butter cookies look good to me nonetheless, in spite of all your words of discontent! LOL!
Seriously, they charge you so much in SG? OMG!
I enjoyed chatting with you the other night. Sorry that I didn’t let you go off earlier, which had you stayed up till like … LOL! Sorry! But then, I learned a lot from you! Thank you for sharing your experience!
Stay in touch, K? I’ll let you know when I pop by SG in the future. Dunno when …
Again, gong hey fatt choy! Enjoy the festivities in KL! Happy time does flee!
Pei Lin: Thanks for your compliment! It’s nice chatting with you too. Hope we have a chance to meet up in future. Gong Xi Fatt Choy to you and your family!
This looks so tasty! I love the butter and almond combination.I will make some of this tomorrow. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Rose Silver: Thanks!! Hope it will suit your palate. Looking forward to your kind feedback! 😉
Looks pretty and perfect! Happy Rabbit Year to you! 🙂
Small Small Baker: Thanks!! Same to you and your family! 😉
Wish you and your family a Happy Lunar New Year, Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Jess: Same to you and your family! 😉
Gong Xi Fa Cai, LK! 🙂 Here’s to the best in the Year of the Rabbit for you and your family. 🙂
xoxo,
David, Celine, Erica and Arianna
Celine: Same to you and your family!!! Gong Xi Gong Xi! 😉
Can I use normal plain flour?
Mavis_Ssmama: Yes, you can do it. This is the substitution: 1 cup cake flour use 7/8 cup all-purpose flour + 2 tablespoons cornstarch (please refer to this link http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Dictionary/C/Cake-flour-5142.aspx). Hope it helps!
cornstarch is corn flour?
Mavis: Yes, you’re right. 😉
Hi,are there any ingredients that I can use to substitute milk powder in this recipe?
Xiu: Sorry, I’m not sure. 😉
[…] cakes are very popular for the new year. They are typically made with almond flour. I used a variation on a theme and made almond butter cookies. These cookies used regular flour and placed an almond on top instead […]