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Delicious Asian Cookies Recipes, ranging from the traditional to modern fusion recipes, such as 3-ingredient brown sugar cookies, Chinese walnut cookies Hup Toh Soh, black sesame cookies with chocolate, and more!
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- Expert Tips
- FAQ
- For Nut-lovers
- Brown Sugar
- Green Tea
- Fruity
- Matcha
- 💬 Comments
Fun fact: My Father and Grandfather both worked in a cookie factory. (In Asia, we call them biscuits!) Our lives were so cookie-centric, I even ate them for breakfast, which is why I've put this post under "Breakfast" recipes!
During every summer vacation- for more years than I like to remember- I was slaving away in the hot factory too, so I definitely know a lot about Asian cookies! 🙂
Expert Tips
Tip #1: You can also substitute half of the butter in these recipes with lard to give your bakes even deeper and traditional flavour. Alternatively use bacon fat for a smoky taste.
Tip #2: A properly preheated oven needs time- at least 12-15 minutes to get to 350F/ 177C/ 157C fan, give or take depending on the size of the oven. So plan this into your baking schedule!
FAQ
What is a Chinese cookie?
It can refer to either Jewish almond cookies or Chinese fortune cookies, both of which aren't actually Chinese! If you're looking for cookies that are part of Chinese cuisine, such as pineapple tarts, click here.
For Nut-lovers
Tip: garnish the top of the cookie with a toasted nut for a great crunch!
Black Sesame Cookies with Chocolate
Easy Chocolate Black Sesame Cookies (No Mixer)
These easy Chocolate Black Sesame Cookies are delicious but super simple to make in UNDER 30 MINUTES. You simply stir the melted butter into the dry ingredients. (No stand mixer is needed, saving you precious wash-up time!) The nuttiness of the black sesame elevates the chocolate and makes it a more grown-up, not overly sweet cookie, with crisp edges and a soft, cake-like interior.
Click here for the black sesame chocolate cookies.
Nutella Cookies
3-ingredient Nutella cookies
This delicious easy Nutella cookies only require 3-ingredients and are like a cake in cookie form! They're soft with crisp edges and have the fragrant Nutella hazelnut aroma!
Click here for the hazelnut chocolate cookies.
3-ingredient Almond Flour Cookies
3-ingredient Almond Flour Cookies (GF) (DF)
These 3-ingredient Almond Flour Cookies are so easy and delicious, they're life changing! Naturally sweet from the almonds, they're perfect for those who have a sweet tooth! (These bake up into light and chewy cookies with a soft texture, not crispy ones!) (Gluten Free) (Dairy Free)
Click here for the soft almond cookies.
Walnut Cookies
Chinese Walnut Cookies (Hup Toh Soh)
Also known as He Tao Su, these classic vegetarian cookies are easy to make at home, using store cupboard ingredients, and can be made vegan as well (info below). Crispy, crumbly and fragrant, they go well with coffee or milk tea!
Try these vegetarian walnut cookies!
Pair these traditional Chinese cookies with a nice cup of Jasmine Tea with Milk! Actually these cookies are super popular in Hong Kong, so maybe have them with Yuan Yang Tea?
Peanut Cookies
These cookies are popular in South East Asia- I don't use eggs in my recipes, just egg yolks to wash the cookies!
FYI: We don't use peanut butter in traditional Chinese cookies! If you really must substitute, make sure it's a pure nut butter. If not, the extra shortening etc will wreak havoc on your cookie's texture!
Tip: if you can't make your own ground peanuts, you can get ground peanuts from the Asian supermarkets.
Chinese Peanut cookies
If your friend likes peanut cookies, she'll love these traditional chinese ones- they're so good someone once ordered 22 jars of them in a go! The recipe was developed after baking over 2000 cookies, as can be seen from the different versions shown in the photo!
Check out these old-fashioned Chinese peanut cookies.
Buttery Almond Cookies
Like fortune cookies, these "Chinese" cookies were created by immigrants in America not China! Use high quality almond extract and almond flour (not almond meal) for extra almond flavor.
Chinese Almond Cookies 2023 (Buttery)
These Chinese Almond Cookies are the Asian-American version: they have a sweet, buttery and crisp texture, making them utterly delicious!
Click here for the American Chinese cookies!
P.S. In case you've not guessed, I'm a huge fan of nuts. Hence, I have this sweet and savory nut recipes round-up on my blog!
Sesame Cookies
These sesame cookie crisps are so easy to make, they only require 5 ingredients!
Note: For more 5-ingredient Asian recipes, click here
Brown Sugar
Easy 3-ingredient Brown Sugar Cookies
Buttery, crisp but flaky and not-too-sweet, these deliciously easy 3-ingredient Brown Sugar Cookies are the perfect Holiday Bake for fall and winter! Lots of flavor for very little work, they're the perfect bake for when you're feeling lazy and don't have eggs.
Click here for the easy brown sugar cookie recipe!
Green Tea
Easy Matcha Cookies (4-ingredient shortbread)
These delicious and easy Matcha Cookies are a 4-ingredient shortbread that is soft and crisp. They have a beautiful green color, taste wonderful and are so easy you can make them perfectly the first time! (Matcha is expensive so I have also added a budget friendly option.)
Click here for the matcha tea cookies.
Fruity
Pineapple Tarts
These are 1 of the most popular cookies in Singapore and Malaysia.
I used to sell pineapple cookies every Chinese New Year but the homemade pineapple jam is a PAIN. I would have to stir the pineapple jam for hours! (I don't like using store bought pineapple paste as it's too sweet and doesn't taste as good.)
Tip: Use unripe pineapples. We need to add a lot of sugar to preserve the jam and if you use a ripe pineapple, your jam becomes too sweet. If you're making open-face tarts, you need to bake the cookies first then add the jam half-way. If not, the jam becomes too dry!
Note: if you love pineapples, why not try this pineapple matcha drink? The 2 flavors go together surprisingly well.
Karachi cookies
Fun karachi cookies
These 5-starred cookies by Mayuris-Jikoni are colourful, fun and rose-scented. Perfect for a fun night in with the girls!
Matcha
Matcha Cookies
Matcha and white chocolate cookies
Matcha provides a pleasing bitterness to complement white chocolate, which can sometimes be too sweet. Try this Teak and Thyme recipe today! Matcha lovers may also be interested in these matcha mochi muffins or these delicious matcha recipes.
Matcha & Pine Nuts
Matcha cookies vs pine nut cookies
If your good friends have allergies or dietary restrictions, here are 2 paleo cookie recipes for you by I Heart Umami! Matcha cookies, and pine nut cookies.
If you're a green tea fan with lots of matcha powder on hand, here are some some delicious matcha recipes that may interest you, such as this Starbucks inspired hot matcha latte, this oat milk matcha and these matcha muffins.
Which of these Asian Cookie Recipes was your favourite? Tag me on social media (@greedygirlgourmet) if you make any of these!
