Based on mixed results from readers, we re-tested and updated this Chinese walnut cookies recipe to include more precise measurements including weights in grams!
When you’re young, it can sometimes seem like the world revolves around those sweet treats that are just beyond your reach. Well when my mother was young, these Chinese walnut cookies were one of those sweet treats. She would walk back and forth…back and forth…eyeing those cookies behind the glass case like they were a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Golden yellow and dotted with a perfect crunchy walnut.
Years later during sticky summers in Beijing, me, my mom, and sister would take weekly trips to the Chinese bakery where we would give in to our shameless desire for all things sweet, crunchy, sprinkled with nuts, and covered in chocolate. The bakery in question had a glass window where the cookies were passed to you like life-affirming pills in an old-school apothecary. There were boxes and boxes of cookies, stacked perfectly in plastic bag-lined cardboard boxes–no frills, bells, or whistles, just the most simplistic of utilitarian packaging to ensure that the cookies stayed nice and fresh.
Well, these walnut cookies aren’t behind a glass window or too high up on the shelf. This recipe yields deliciously rotund, just slightly sweet cookies that are positively packed with ground walnuts and topped off with that perfect crunchy walnut in the middle. These Chinese walnut cookies go great with a morning cup of coffee or an evening mug of black tea.
So grab a bag of walnuts, along with a few other things, and head into the kitchen!
Tips for this Chinese walnut cookie recipe:
* Recipes for truly authentic Chinese walnut cookies use lard; we use butter because it’s more widely available.
* Use a kitchen scale for more precise measurements to get the best results
* I like this rounder cookie shape, but you can also press them into a flatter shape before baking.
* After toasting the walnuts, I like to crush them under a rolling pin to get them to the desired texture.
Sift the cake flour, baking soda and baking powder together and set aside. Mix the butter, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl, stir thoroughly until the mixture is creamed. Now add the flour mixture to the butter mixture along with finely chopped walnuts.
Beat the egg, put aside 2 teaspoons of the beaten egg for brushing later, add the rest to the dough mixture. Work the mixture into a dough ball. You can do this by hand or with an electric mixer. Just note that the dough might be lightly crumbly, but it should come together when you take the time and work it into a ball.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a clean surface, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball.
And position them on the baking sheet a couple inches apart. All of the cookies should fit onto one pan.
Take the walnut halves and gently press one into each cookie.
Cover the cookies with a clean kitchen towel, let them rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
While that’s happening, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once the dough is done resting, brush each with the beaten egg that you saved.
Bake your walnut cookies for 20 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cookies sit inside the oven for another 5 minutes before opening the oven door and taking them out.
Let cool and enjoy these Chinese walnut cookies with your morning coffee or afternoon tea!
Chinese Walnut Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups cake flour (270 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (3 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder (2 g)
- 8 tablespoons butter or lard (4 oz or 115g, at room temperature)
- 1/2 cup sugar (115 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (1 g)
- 1 egg (beaten and divided; the egg I used weighed about 62 g with shell on)
- 3/4 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts, plus 12 raw walnut halves (75 g)
Instructions
- Sift the cake flour, baking soda and baking powder together and set aside. Mix the butter, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl, stir thoroughly until the mixture is creamed. Now add the flour mixture to the butter mixture along with the finely chopped walnuts. Beat the egg, put aside 2 teaspoons of the beaten egg and add the rest to the dough mixture. Work the mixture into a dough ball. You can do this by hand or with an electric mixer. Just note that the dough might be lightly crumbly, but it should come together when you take the time and work it into a ball.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. On a clean surface, divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each into a ball, position them on the baking sheet a couple inches apart. All of the cookies should fit onto one pan.
- Take the walnut halves and gently press one into each cookie. Let the cookies rest for 15 to 20 minutes while covered with a clean kitchen towel.
- While that’s happening, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once the dough is done resting, brush each with the beaten egg that you put aside and then bake for 20 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cookies sit inside the oven for another 5 minutes before taking them out. Let cool and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
JRB says
Fantastic recipe!!! First time i followed the recipe to the letter and opted to use butter ( mostly because i didn’t have lard) and they were tasty. Second time, i used lard and they were worth getting past the guilt of using lard. I also left out the raw walnut on top and flattened the cookie prior to baking… delicious! My new gift giving cookies 😋
Judy says
How great is that! Love it :-)
Darlene says
Hi Kaitlin, When I was young, we used to eat restaurant style almond cookies. It looks similar to the chinese walnut cookie but without the walnuts. I noticed that the almond cookie recipe are more flat and the walnut cookies are fatter and has cracks. Why is that? Both recipes use baking soda and baking powder. Can I replace all the walnuts And add 1 tsp almond extract in this recipe? Also, is crisco and lard the same? Does it make a difference by using butter instead?
Judy says
Hi Darlene, a slight change in a recipe can yield different result. Same applies to crisco, lard, butter…they all yield different results. And Chinese baked goods do often use lard. You could try the substitution, but I’m not sure how it would turn out.
Wendy says
Made these twice. Once as written in the recipe and the second time flattened like reg cookies and the flat ones came out nice and crispy. The ball version are a little too hard imo. Love the recipe! Thanks for sharing.
Judy says
Hi Wendy, glad that you love the recipe ;-)
Inez says
My 2 cups of cake flour weigh 221 g instead of 270g. Not sure why so I am going to use the cup measurements and see how it turns out.
Judy says
Really??? I bet there is variation in the measuring cup’s size.
wujiawen says
can you use all purpose flour instead of cake flour?
Judy says
Hi there, “if you don’t have cake flour, use 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour sifted with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch for each cup of cake flour called for in a recipe.” Problem solved ;-)
L W says
I made this for my Chinese New Year family gathering, and it was a big hit! Some thought it tasted just like the ones in the Chinese bakeries. I followed the recipe as written and had no issue with the dough being too dry. Yes, it’s crumbly at first, but as you continue to work the dough, it’ll come together. The dough is similar to a shortbread dough. I also made smaller cookies, and yielded 18 cookies. I made it again for my friends. For this second batch, I substituted half the sugar with brown sugar, and it tasted good too. This recipe is a keeper.
I’ve been a long time fan and really enjoy your website. :)
Judy says
Thank you so much for your kind message. I’ve made this recipe many times too so I know it works :-)
Joce says
I think the baking soda and baking powder amounts are flipped! I baked these earlier and they came out with a strong soapy aftertaste :/
I would omit it entirely if you’re sensitive to baking soda
Judy says
Hi Joce, please check the expiration date on the container of your baking soda and baking powder.
DH says
I made these yesterday and they were too dry as written. I had to add the whole egg minus 2 tbsp. Just 2 tbsp. of egg was not enough. I also think it needs more salt as a pinch leaves it tasting flat.
Judy says
Hi DH, I don’t know if you did, please try the the weight measurements for each ingredient. I’ve tested this recipe many times, it really works.
PK says
These cookies are easy to make and turn out delicious! Those are 12 big cookies btw, divided mine into 18.
Judy says
Yayyy! Thank you for comment. I really appreciate it :-)