I have long loved and lusted after these Chinese Almond Cookies. I actually do not know the exact name of them, this is my best guess. I originally found them with my mother at a Jewish bakery. Most recently though I discovered them at an Italian bakery in Coral Springs and that is where I was lucky enough to find a recipe.
These are about 90% as good as the originals which is pretty good! And the recipe makes quite a lot of cookies, but you can freeze extras if you need to. They have a soft texture, not very chewy and the chocolate adds an extra layer of flavor. The original calls for rolling them in chopped walnuts, I didn’t have any so I used sprinkles. Both would be fabulous options!
Chinese Almond Cookies
Recipe from Doris’s Italian Market in Coral Springs, Florida
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup almond past
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 12 ounces vegetable shortening
- 4 large eggs
- 5 cups floud
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 6 ounces melted semisweet chocolate, divided
- 2 cups walnuts, chopped (or sprinkles which I used!)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine sugar and almond paste, works best using a hand mixer or electric mixer
- Add salt, baking soda, shortening, eggs, flour, vanilla and almond extract and mix on low speed until a smooth dough is formed
- Add 2 ounces of melted chocolate and mix in partially to create a marbled look.
- Separate the dough in half and form two logs about 2.5 inches in diameter.
- Roll each log in chopped walnuts or sprinkles.
- Cut each log into 12 discs.
- Place discs on baking sheet and bake for 12-14 minutes or until just barely golden brown.
- Cool completely and enjoy!
bakingbandit 