Saturday, December 02, 2006

chinese restaurant almond cookies

who doesn't like these?

these cookies are great and keep well for a week or two. they can also be frozen for longer storage — but i'm sure they won't last that long!. i increase the amount of almond extract and use margarine instead of butter. i have read/heard that the original is made with lard. well, we won't be using that in my blog. obviously the butter ones are the best!

i am also giving you a second version which works well, too.

the following first recipe should be made by hand. it is one i have been using for many years and seems to have made its way around the internet. it is originally a moosewood recipe à la mollie katzen et cie.

chinese restaurant almond cookies

yields 25 to 30 cookies

ingredients:

2 3/4 c AP flour
1 c sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp almond extract (i add more)

1 c cold margarine or butter, cut up small

25 to 30 whole blanched almonds
egg yolk + 1 tbsp water, for eggwash

method:

preheat oven to 325 F.

mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

in a bowl mix together the eggs & extract. make your eggwash in a little bowl & set aside.

cut up the margarine or butter in small cubes. it needs to be cold.

add the butter or margarine to the flour and using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the fat into the flour until is similar to small peas as you would do for a pie dough.

add the egg mixture, and mix with a wooden spoon until well blended.

take pieces of dough and roll into 1 inch balls. place them on a cookie sheet well spaced. they will expand when baking. put an almond in the center of each ball and lightly press down to flatten them a bit. do not squash them.

take a pastry brush and coat them with the egg wash.

bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or til lightly golden and the bottoms of the cookies begin to brown.

cool.


photo: fold-pak

do you know what these containers were originally used for?
check the photo-link to find out.

these make a good container to give the cookies in as a gift.

chinese takeaway almond cookies (v.2)

yields 24 cookies

ingredients:

1 1/4 c AP flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

1 large egg, beaten
1 - 2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp yellow food colour

1/2 c margarine or butter, room temperature

24 whole blanched almonds, optional
egg yolk + 1 tbsp water, for eggwash

method:

preheat oven to 350 F.

mix dry ingredients in a bowl.

in a bowl, cream the butter or shortening and sugar together. add the egg, food colouring & extract. make your eggwash in a little bowl & set aside.

add the flour mixed with the other dry ingredients and slowly add. mix until it is smooth.

take pieces of dough and roll into 24 balls. either make an imprint with your thumb in the center of each cookie, if you are not using almonds or place the almond and press the cookie down only slightly. do not squash them. place them on a greased cookie sheet. they will expand when baking so leave some space between each.

take a pastry brush and coat them with the egg wash.

bake for about 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and puffy.

cool.

enjoy!

15 comments:

superstar said...

good picture

Cheryl said...

LOL! I can remember my Dad bringing home worms in those fold-packs the night before fishing trips. He'd put them in the refrigerator and I was always afraid to open the door for fear they'd all escaped and were partying in the butter dish.

burekaboy — said...

superstar - merci pour la visite et le compliment.

hey ostara - gross, gross and more gross! besides their original use, it now seems chinese food is not the only thing to find it's way into these containers! that's a novel way to transport and keep them. sounds very robert munsch-ish :-)

Jihan said...

this looks good.. my mom loves almond, am going to have to make this for her..

PS: I am going to have to stop come here late in the nights.. cause I keep getting hungry and end up going back upstairs for snacks..

aja said...

Hey BB,
We used to call the Moon Cookies (after the Kim Moon Bakery on Dundas Street in Toronto - the only place to get these wonderful cookies - Now I'll be able to make them at home - Thanks!!

burekaboy — said...

p.j. - at least you don't gain weight LOOKING at my blog! lol. i'm sure you mum will like these. they are very almondy.

aja! - lol, moon cookies have a different meaning for me for 2 reasons; first, my best friend giving me the real (asian) kind and second, you know what "moon" means in yiddish. (but) i like your name better. besides the restaurant name, they do look like little full moons.

you gotta make these! they really do taste great.

Beenzzz said...

These look absolutely delicious and simple to make. What does "moon" mean in yiddish? :)

burekaboy — said...

hey beenzzz - they are very simple to make. been making them for many years. hope you try them.

moon (or mohn or mun) means poppy seeds. we have a type of cookie called "moon cookies" which are very thin, crispy, sweet and speckled by the poppy seeds.

hey, e-me, i have two links for you. didn't see ur email addy.

Beenzzz said...

Hey BB, I just added my e-mail to my profile. I didn't realize that it wasn't displayed. Thanks for bringing that to my attention!!!!

burekaboy — said...

k, no prob. just found it by chance when i went to your blog. sent u something!

Anonymous said...

These cookies look awesome! If only my husband liked almonds, as it is now I'd have to eat them all by myself....

wait a minute. Who says thats a bad thing?

Ari (Baking and Books)

burekaboy — said...

hey ari - NOT such a bad thing if you get to eat them all to yourself!! LOL.

funny you say that, cause i was just thinking earlier that people have allergies to almonds/nuts and/or just don't like the taste. i imagine these would be great replaced with vanilla extract instead of the almond or orange extract. now to think what to replace that big honkin' almond with!?

ML said...

Those sound and look wonderful!

aja said...

Hey BB,
Replace the almond with crystallized ginger... or a cherry, or a cranberry, or...
8^)

burekaboy — said...

ml - thanks!

aja - BRILLIANT! where would i be without your brain?!? lol. i tell you!