Chinese walnut cookies are one of the most popular traditional Chinese sweets that we enjoy growing up. Walking on the streets of Beijing, you can see traditional dessert stores. They stack cookies and pastries neatly behind the windows of the counter, with small paper tags in the front with hand-written characters revealing the filling or the flavor of the cookies. To purchase the desserts, you just tell the staff which flavor and how many cookies you want. The cookies will be scaled, priced by weight, and then carefully wrapped in a paper bag. And Chinese walnut cookies are always a top pick. Chinese walnut cookies are similar to shortbread cookies, but with a crispier, crunchier texture. They often have a lovely bright yellow surface with a piece of walnut on top, indicating the flavor of the cookie. Today I want to share my version of these lovely walnut cookies. They are inspired by the cookies made by the Te Company. It’s one of my favorite spots in New York to purchase traditional Chinese sweets and tea for gifting. Their walnut cookies are quite small – a bite-size version that is super cute. I really enjoy the mini size because it is much easier to snack on and is perfect to serve for afternoon tea or Chinese New Year. And they also make a great edible gift if you package them in a small box.
Chinese walnut cookies ingredients
Chinese walnut cookies use very simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry:
Walnuts Flour Butter Sugar Egg Baking soda Baking powder Cornstarch Salt
How to make Chinese walnut cookies
To make Chinese walnut cookies:
Many garnishing methods
This recipe includes a few ways to garnish these walnut cookies. I like to decorate my cookies in a few ways, so they have a fun appearance. However, you can totally pick whichever decoration method works best for you: Combined together, the assortment of walnut cookies gives a stunning presentation. But as for the flavor, I personally like the ones with the sugar surface the most 🙂
Afterthought
Most of the traditional Chinese desserts, like these walnut cookies, are quite different from the ones that I’ve encountered in the US. They are not very sweet or decadent. But, each bite is joyful. The crumbly, nutty cookies are full of walnut aroma. It goes perfectly with freshly brewed green tea, cold milk, or a cup of black coffee. The ingredients are on the healthier end, so you won’t mind snacking on a few cookies late at night.
More delicious Chinese bakery recipes
Red Bean Bread (豆沙包) Chinese Coconut Buns (Cocktail Buns) Chinese Egg Cake (鸡蛋糕) Baked BBQ Pork Buns (Char Siu Bao) Chinese Almond Cookies
