Chinese Almond Cookies are simple, crisp, buttery, and full of almond flavor.
It's a perfect treat to make for Chinese New Year!

Chinese Almond Cookies

INGREDIENTS

• 120 grams almond meal/flour (1 cup; See Notes)
• 180 grams all-purpose flour (1 ½ cup; See Notes)
• 120 grams sugar (⅔ cup minus 1 Tbsp)
• ¼ tsp kosher/sea salt (use half for table salt)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 120-150 ml neutral flavor oil (vegetable, canola, etc) (½-⅔ cup, more or less)
• 1 large egg yolk
• Roasted unsalted almonds (for decoration) (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Gather all the ingredients.  Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a stand mixer. With your mixer on low medium speed (with the beater attachment), mix all together.
3. Slowly add oil and mix until a cohesive dough forms.
4. The dough should be just enough to hold its shape when you try to roll into a ball. If they look more like crumbs, add 2-3 tsp. (10-15 ml) vegetable oil at a time.
5. Weigh the dough to make 0.4 oz/10 g (1 inch cookies) OR 0.7 oz/20 g (1 1/2 inch cookies) rounded portion and roll it into a ball with your palms. Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and repeat until all the dough is used up. You can make a 10 gram ball using a teaspoon measuring spoon.
6. (OPTIONAL) If you want to put a piece of almond on the cookie, hold the cookie ball on your palm and gently press the almond into the dough.
7. Beat the egg yolk in a small bowl.  Using a pastry brush, lightly glaze the top of the cookie balls with the egg yolk.
8. Bake at 350F (180C) for 15-20 minutes, or until the cookies become slightly golden. Let them cool on a wire rack and store in an air tight container.

RECIPE NOTES

Almond Meal: If you use almond meal (ground almond with skin), you may need to add more oil. Adjust the oil amount as you combine the dough. You should be able to make the dough into balls.

All-Purpose Flour: A properly measured cup of all-purpose flour weighs 4.25 oz (120 g). The weight for 1 cup of all-purpose flour varies depends on how you measure it. When you measure flour by volume, please follow the methods below. I’ve tested this method many times, and if you do it properly, 1 cup is VERY close to 120 g each time. Use the following method:

1. Fluff up the flour several times with a spoon.
2. Using the spoon, sprinkle the flour into your dry-cup measure.
3. Scrape off the excess with a knife.

https://www.justonecookbook.com/almond-cookies/