Thank you Bob’s Red Mill for sponsoring this post!
I’m horrible about baking holiday cookies mainly because it wasn’t part of our family tradition. Growing up, we usually had Chinese cookies around the house—cookies with funny names, such as “blind man cookies” (盲公饼), walnut cookies and almond cookies. Almond cookies were my favorite because they weren’t too sweet, and they were nutty in flavor.
Bob’s Red Mill challenged me to recreate one of my favorite childhood cookies, so I decided to make a gluten-free version of Chinese almond cookies. The batter is made from a mixture of Bob’s Red Mill’s super fine almond flour and oat flour. BRM’s super fine almond flour is great for baking because the almonds have been blanched to remove the outer skin before they’re ground into a very fine powder. You won’t find chunks of almonds in here!
Unlike packaged versions, these gluten-free Chinese almond cookies are chewy, which I prefer. My husband probably ate 15 to 20 of these cookies in the last week and my neighbors raved about them. I’m also planning on making a special batch for my husband’s family in the UK, whom I’ll be visiting over Christmas. I don’t think they’ve eaten anything like these cookies before, so I’m sure they’ll be a nice addition to the dessert selection.
COOKING NOTES FOR THE CHINESE ALMOND COOKIES RECIPE
- The dough: It will be on the soft side, but it shouldn’t stick to your hand when you are rolling it out. Try to be gentle as you work it.
- Failed versions of this recipe: I tested many, many batches of these cookies. I made a batch using honey instead of sugar, and the texture of the cookies ended up too cakey. I also made a batch where I doubled the amount of butter. Honestly, I didn’t think the extra butter improved the taste of the cookies, so I stuck to 1/2 cup butter total. I know it sounds like a lot, but this recipe yields over 3 dozen cookies.
TOOLS + INGREDIENTS USED
- Super-fine almond flour: The almonds are blanched to remove the outer, brown skin and ground into a very fine powder. You can also use almond meal, but you may find tiny bits of almonds in your cookies.
- Oat flour: One of my go-to flours for gluten-free baking. It adds a light, nutty flavor to your baked goods.
- Hand mixer: I don’t own a stand mixer (gasp!), mainly because I don’t bake that often. A hand mixer is much more affordable and does all the work I need. Plus, the hand mixer takes up less space in my already-crowded kitchen.
- Baking sheets: It’s very difficult to find baking sheets that don’t warp or bend in the oven. I’m not sure if I have found one yet, but these baking sheets are nice and don’t warp as much.
Gluten-Free Chinese Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup (220g) sugar
- 3 large eggs, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups (185g) super fine almond flour
- 1 1/4 cups (160g) oat flour
- 1/3 to 1/2 cup raw almonds, for topping cookies
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on low speed for 2 minutes. The butter should be pretty light and fluffy at this point. Crack 2 eggs into the bowl and save the last egg for later. Beat the batter for 1 minute. Add the vanilla, almond extract, baking powder and sea salt. Quickly beat everything to mix the ingredients. Finally, add the almond flour and oat flour and beat until a dough forms and you don’t see any dry streaks of flour.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and position an oven rack to the center position. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Scoop out 1 tablespoon of cookie dough and roll it into a ball. The dough will be soft, but if you handle it pretty gently, the dough shouldn’t stick to your hand. Place the dough ball onto a baking sheet. Try to leave a 1 1/2-inch gap between dough balls.
- Using the fleshy part of your palm, gently tap the balls of dough to flatten into a disc, about 1 1/2 inches wide in diameter. Top each disc with an almond in the center.
- Crack the last egg into a small bowl and whisk. Gently brush the egg wash over each cookie. This gives the cookies a nice glossy and crackly texture on top.
- Once you have filled one baking sheet, pop it into the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes. The tops of the cookies should be lightly tan. Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. The cookies are still very soft when they come out the oven, so you want them to cool and harden before moving them off the cooking sheet.
- While one sheet of cookies are baking, prepare the next batch of cookies. I baked all the dough in 3 batches.
- When the cookies are completely cool, store them in an airtight container.
Notes
- I used a half sheet for baking and was able to fit about 14 to 15 cookies on it.
- I prefer using parchment paper over silicone mats for this recipe. The cookies kept sticking to the mat as I transferred them to the cooling rack.
LOOKING FOR MORE SWEETS? TRY THESE RECIPES:
Gluten-Free Brownies with Pretzels and Nuts
Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Jam
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill! To learn more about their products and to get more recipe inspiration, follow them on Instagram or Facebook.
Gab says
Hello Lisa,
This recipe looks great and I’m looking forward to trying it. Is it possible to alter the recipe to get a crispy texture? If so, would you please provide those instructions?
Thanks,
Gab
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Gab! It’s definitely possible, but I would have to test it a few more times to get the crispy texture down. I don’t know the alterations to the proportions off the top of my head.
Lexi says
1 cup of granulated sugar weighs 200g not 240g.
Lisa Lin says
Hi Lexi, thanks for the note. I weighed the sugar and it’s actually 220g, and not 240g, like I have in my recipe. The amount has been updated.
Marine says
Oat flour: You said your recipe was gluten free. But to my knowledge, oats have gluten (unless they say otherwise on the packaging). I live in Canada and I have never heard of ground gluten free oats.
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Marine. Thanks for the comment. In the U.S., there is a brand called Bob’s Red Mill that sells gluten-free oat flour (processed in a facility that does not handle wheat). Alternatively, you can buy oats that are labeled gluten free and blend it into a flour with a food processor. The flour won’t be as fine, but it is still very good for baking.
Debra says
These are the best cookies EVER!!!! Thanks!
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Debra!!
Liz says
Hi. I was wondering if I can use All Purpose Flour instead of the Oat Flour ? I am very excited to try this recipe but don’t have oat flour on hand . Thanks so much for sharing this!
Lisa Lin says
Yes, it will work fine!
Ellen says
You can grind up rollled oats in a coffee grinder
Food processor may also work. This works for just about any kind of grain.
Dorothy Babb says
Very good , may reduce the sugar a little though because we like cookies less sweet ,
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for trying the recipe, Dorothy! And yes, please modify the recipe to suit your taste!
Mara says
I didn’t find the Oat Flour so I used All Purpose and the cookies came out delicious! Great recipe!!!
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Mara! Thank you so much for trying the recipe! So glad you enjoyed the cookies!
Nathalie says
Hi! Any substitutes for the 1 cup of sugar? Perhaps applesauce or puréed fruits?
Lisa Lin says
Hi, Nathalie. I wouldn’t completely replace the sugar completely as the texture of the cookies will likely turn cake-like. If you want to lessen the sugar, you can substitute 1/4 or 1/3 cup of sugar with applesauce.
Myra says
I ground Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats whole grain in a mini chopper to make the oat flour for many gluten-free cookie recipes I have made. 2 cups of oats = 1 1/4 cup oats flour. 1 cup of oats makes about 3/4 cup of oats flour. Make sure you ground one cup at a time for at least one minute. I substituted butter for Nutiva Organic coconut oil with non-dairy butter flavor. I melted 6 Tbs and let it cool. Also, I cut down on sugar using 1/2 cup Organic light brown raw cane sugar. I love almonds! I added slivered almonds into my batter and even put 2 almonds on a few cookies.
Dorothy says
Looking forward to making these and I want to get them down pat by the new year. Would palm sugar or Chinese slab sugar enhance the flavor? I plan to make a gluten batch using lard, instead of butter. If I choose, can I use lard in the gf batch? Thank you.
Lisa Lin says
I don’t have much experience cooking with lard, but I don’t see why you can’t use it. You can absolutely use palm sugar or brown sugar slab in place of plain sugar!
Dorothy says
This is my first adventure in gf baking. Great recipe. I used Bob’s Mill 1:1 in place of the oat flour and stayed with white sugar (easier to handle). Also chopped some almonds which I added to the mix (about 2 TB). A tip that really helps me when making cookies is to chill the dough before shaping cookies. Thank you for the recipe. I wish you and your’s a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year!.
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Dorothy! I’m so glad this recipe worked with Bob’s 1:1 mix!!
cynthia says
lard was traditionally used in China to make these cookies as dairy products were not common.
you will find this in older printed recipes like “Chinese Village Cookbook” by Rhoda Yee, 1975. this is a book my mom gave me so i would understand her mom’s cooking. hence, i have only made almond cookies w/ lard. a hard fat like coconut oil, palm oil, shortening or butter works well too, although the flavor may be impacted. they have slightly different melting points, causing them to spread more or less while baking.
i am looking forward to trying this recipe, as i need a chewy gluten free recipe.
Wati says
I’ve been looking for a gluten free Chinese Almond Cookie and these were wonderful! I did need to add a few more Tbsp. Of oat flour because the dough was too sticky. I also added about 1/3 tsp. Of salt instead of 1/4. I think it made them a little more crispy and less soft, which I preferred. Thank you for this recipe!
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for trying the recipe and the notes, Wati!
Tim says
The Gluten-Free Chinese Almond Cookies taste great and are easy to prepare EXCEPT that dough really needs to be chilled before trying to make the dough balls, let alone pressing them into disks. My kitchen was warm when I made these (73 F), but not hot, so…
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for the note, Tim! It’s been a while since I made these cookies, and I need to retest it to see if I need to modify the recipe for chilling.
JP says
Hello Lisa, i wonder if this can be made dairy free? Thinking of using coconut oil instead of butter as i worry ghee has too strong a taste. Thoughts? I need a GF and DF version for some friends.
Lisa Lin says
Have you ever tried using DF “butter” before? That’s what I usually do when I cook for my in-laws.