CHINESE ALMOND COOKIE

CHINA

16TH CENTURY

 

OTHER NAMES: almond biscuit, almond cake, almond crisp, 杏仁餅

 

Chinese almond cookie is a plain cookie with an almond in the center, which was thought to bring good luck. Its appearance looks very similar to the Turkish cookie, Acibadem Kurabiyesi. Almond cookie is dry, crispy, and sweet. It can be found in bakeries in Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China, as well as Chinatowns in cities worldwide. [1]

 

Chinese almond cookie (known in USA) is adapted from the Chinese walnut cookie from China, which first appeared in the Ming Dynasty (Jiajing Emperor Period) during the 16th century. The recipe first created from the emperor’s palace, and it was considered a royalty cookie. However when the recipe later became available for the commoners, it was so popular that some will even call the Chinese walnut cookie a “National Cookie.” [2] Eventually more similar recipes were created using different ingredients such as almond, sesame, roasted melon seeds, cashew, or assorted nuts. [3]

 

The recipe was introduced from the first wave of Chinese immigration to the U.S. in the 19th century. Today this recipe is widespread around the world and there is even a National Chinese Almond Cookie Day on April 9th. [4]

 

There is often confusion with a Macau's  specialty food that is also called “Almond cookie.” It is actually made out of almond and green bean powder. [5]

 

BASIC INGREDIENTS:

Flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, butter, egg, almond extract, whole almonds

 

Optional: other nuts, lard, egg yolk, grounded almond, cornstarch