A Chinese New Year Feast
To kick off the Year of the Rooster, Fox New’s Lilian Huang Woo speaks with best-selling authors Kei Lum Chan and Diora Fong Chan. The acclaimed husband and wife team from China sharing tips, recipes and stories from their latest book CHINA: The Cookbook.
Take a LISTEN:
WALNUT COOKIES
From China: The Cookbook By Kei Lum & Diora Chan
REGION: HONG KONG PREPARATION TIME: 20 MINUTES
PLUS 30 MINUTES RESTING TIME COOKING TIME: 30 MINUTES MAKES: 32
- 1?2 CUP (4 OZ/120 G) BUTTER, ROOM TEMPERATURE
- 1?4 CUP (2 OZ/50 G) GRANULATED SUGAR
- 1?4 CUP (2 OZ/50 G) BROWN SUGAR
- 1 EGG, BEATEN
- SCANT 2 CUPS (8 OZ/225 G) ALL-
PURPOSE (PLAIN) FLOUR
- 1?2 TEASPOON BAKING SODA (BICARBONATE OF SODA)
- 1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
- PINCH OF SALT
- 1?2 CUP (21?2 OZ/65 G) SHELLED
WALNUTS, BROKEN, PLUS EXTRA TO DECORATE (OPTIONAL)
Preheat the oven to 350oF/180oC/Gas Mark 4.
Beat the butter and sugars together until smooth. Add
2 tablespoons egg and mix until fully blended.
Sift the flour, baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Sift again. Add to the wet mixture, in batches, and mix into a dough. Stir in the broken walnuts. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet, shape into a disk, and let rest for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into 32 portions. Roll each portion into a ball in your palms and flatten slightly into a small round cookie. Top each circle, if desired, with a piece of broken walnut and transfer to a baking sheet.
Mix the remaining beaten egg with 1 tablespoon water
to make an egg wash. Brush the tops of the cookies. Bake for 18 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325oF/160oC/Gas Mark 3 and bake for another 13 minutes until baked through.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up
to 3 days.
