Kitchen Recipe Collection
Chinese Almond Cookies (Xingren Bing)
The classic bakery treat often gifted during Chinese New Year. A crumbly, sandy, incredibly buttery cookie infused with almond extract and topped with a single whole almond.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Servings
- 18
- Difficulty
- easy
- Cuisine
- Chinese-American
Ingredients
Scaled for 18 servings
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour (or finely ground blanched almonds)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (or traditional pork lard), softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 18 whole blanched almonds (for decoration)
- Egg wash (1 egg yolk + 1 tsp water)
Equipment
- Mixer
- Baking sheet
Instructions
- 1
Mix Dry Ingredients
Whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
- 2
Cream Butter
In a stand mixer, cream the softened butter (or lard) and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- 3
Add Wet Ingredients
Beat in the egg and the almond extract.
- 4
Combine Dough
Gradually add the dry flour mixture. Mix until it just comes together into a soft dough. Do not overmix.
- 5
Preheat Oven
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 6
Form Balls
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the baking sheet, spacing them 2 inches apart.
- 7
Flatten
Use the bottom of a glass (or your palm) to press each ball down slightly into a thick coin shape.
- 8
Add Almond
Press one whole blanched almond firmly into the center of each cookie.
- 9
Egg Wash
Brush the top of each cookie lightly with the egg wash. This gives them their signature golden, shiny bakery finish.
- 10
Bake
Bake for 14-16 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the tops are cracked.
- 11
Cool
Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
- 12
Serve
Serve with hot tea. They should be crisp, crumbly, and melt in your mouth.
Cooking Tips
- Almond extract is extremely potent; stick to the 1 teaspoon measurement unless you want it to taste like perfume.
- Using lard instead of butter is the traditional Cantonese bakery method and provides a sandier, crumblier texture, though butter tastes richer.
Variations
- Walnut Cookies (Hetao Su): A very similar recipe but made darker, using walnuts and omitting the almond extract.
Nutrition Estimate
120 calories · 2g protein · 12g carbs · 8g fat · 1g fiber per serving
