Almond Cookies - Chinese-American

These are the almond cookies that arrive in the little plastic bag with your fortune cookie at Chinese-American restaurants. The key ingredient that separates them from generic almond cookies is half a cup of ground almonds folded right into the dough alongside the almond extract. The result is a cookie with both flavor and gentle texture, not just extract perfume.

Butter rather than shortening puts these on the American side of Chinese-American. They’re slightly richer and more tender than the bakery-style cookies you’d find in Chinatown, but they keep the signature golden top and the strong almond identity that makes them recognizable.

The log-and-slice method is faster than rolling individual balls. A 12-inch log cut into 16 even pieces produces uniform cookies in about half the time. Press each one slightly flat before brushing with egg wash so they hold a clean shape during baking.

Pro Tips

• Grind whole almonds in a food processor with a tablespoon of the recipe’s flour to prevent them from turning to almond butter.
• Don’t overmix once the flour goes in. Overworked dough means tough cookies.
• Brush egg wash over the cookies in a thin, even coat. Pooled wash bakes uneven and shiny.
• The cookies are done at 15 minutes when the surface is fully golden, not just at the edges.

Variations

• Press a whole blanched almond into the center of each cookie before baking for a traditional bakery-style finish.
• Add 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds to the dough for an extra layer of nutty flavor.
• Drizzle cooled cookies with melted dark chocolate for a Westernized version.