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Red Dot Almond Cookies for Chinese New Year

Red Dot Almond Cookies for Chinese New Year

The first year when we lived in Maui, our next door neighbor brought us a plate of the most delicious almond cookies as a gift for Chinese New Year. We loved them so much that I asked for the recipe which she very kindly shared.

These Red Dot Almond Cookies are the perfect sweet treat to make to celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Celebrations for the year of the Metal Rat begin January 25, 2020 and run for 15 days ending with the Lantern Festival.

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Red Dot Almond Cookies

 

  • 1 c butter (the original recipe called for Crisco)
  • 1 c sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tsp almond extract
  • 3 c all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt 

Please note: The original recipe called for only one egg but after we moved back to the mainland I found that I needed to add an extra egg otherwise the finished cookies turned out really dry. I think it’s possible that the moisture level of our flour is lower than it would be in the humidity on Maui.

I have had success making gluten free almond cookies by substituting 3 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour for the all purpose flour.

 

Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

 

Begin by adding the flour, baking soda and salt to a small bowl.

Flour, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl

Stir to combine the dry ingredients then set aside.

Add the butter to a medium sized mixing bowl and cream until light and fluffy.

Creaming the butter in the mixing bowl using a hand held mixer

Add the sugar and cream until the sugar is incorporated and the mixture is smooth and no longer grainy.

Next add the almond extract.

Measuring the almond extract to add to the butter mixture

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.

Adding the flour to the butter mixture gradually

If using a hand held mixer, you may need to switch to mixing with a wooden spoon.

Kneading the flour into the butter mixture using a wooden spoon

Then it will be time to get your hands in the dough to finish the mixing.

Using two hands to finish incorporating the flour into the butter mixture

Scoop out a tablespoon of dough at a time.

Scooping one tablespoon of almond cookie batter

A #50 (1.5″) cookie scoop makes it easy to get equal amounts of dough to form the balls.

Scoop with almond cookie dough over cupped hand

Rounded scoop of almond cookie dough in the palm of a hand

Form into balls by rolling between your hands with your palms slightly cupped.

Ball of almond cookie dough being rolled between two hands

Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Edited to add: In the comments, Hatton asked where I got the baking mats with the circles for perfect placement of the cookies.

I purchased my first set at Costco but the second set I ordered from Amazon. They are Mui Silicone Baking Mats.

When I bought mine, it came with two mats with the circle markings of the size shown in the photo below. The new sets seem to have only one of those and a second with larger circles plus 2 smaller mats.

If you don’t care about the color of the mat, I found this pack of two Infinite Home: Non Stick Mats with the same spacing for the circles.

Balls of almond cookie dough on baking sheet

Press flat using the bottom of a glass that has been lightly dusted with flour. (I don’t have any glasses with bottoms that don’t have some kind of design on them, so I used a clean jar lid.)

Flattening the almond cookie ball using a jar lid

Place a dot of red gel food coloring in the center of each cookie.

Traditionally the round end of a chopstick or a small cork is used for this. (All our chopsticks have square ends so I used the eraser of a brand new pencil that had been washed in warm, soapy water.)

Eraser end of pencil dipped in red food coloring to make the red dots on the almond cookies

Making red dots on the almond cookies with a pencil eraser dipped in red food coloring

Bake on the center oven rack for 10 to 15 minutes until very lightly golden brown around the edges. Remove from the oven and transfer to cooling racks.

Transferring almond cookies to baking racks

The recipe yields approximately 48 cookies.

Red dot almond cookies cooling on racks

Store cooled cookies in a sealed container for up to three weeks or up to three months in the freezer.

But trust me, these almond cookies won’t last that long!

If you’re baking for more than two people, you might even want to double the recipe.

Rectangular plate of red dot almond cookies arranged on it.

They are perfect to serve with tea or coffee.

Red dot almond cookies served with a cup of tea
Make up a plate to take to work or to give to a neighbor to wish them…

Xin nian kuai le! Gong xi fa cai!  Happy Chinese New Year!

Almond cookies with red dots arranged in a circle on a white plate

I do hope that you’ll give this recipe a try. You’ll find the printable recipe at the bottom of the post.

If you do make them, please post a photo on your favorite social media and tag me so I can come see. I’m @supermomnocape on Instagram, @1SuperMomNoCape on Twitter and @1SuperMomNoCape on Facebook.

 

Don’t forget to save it by clicking on the Pinterest button underneath the post.

And of course, I’d love it if you shared it on Twitter and Facebook as well. 🙂

Collage photo of Red Dot Almond Cookies for Chinese New Year with text overlay

 

Yield: 48

Red Dot Almond Cookies for Chinese New Year

Red dot almond cookies served with a cup of tea

These Red Dot Almond Cookies are the perfect dessert to make to celebrate Chinese New Year. A soft shortbread type cookie with a delicious almond flavor. The red dot in the center represents good luck for the coming year.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 c butter
  • 1 c sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tsp almond extract
  • 3 c all purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cream the first 4 ingredients together in a medium sized bowl until the mixture is smooth. Sift in flour, baking soda and salt and mix until completely combined.

Scoop out a level tablespoon of dough. Form into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

Press flat using the bottom of a glass that has been lightly dusted with flour.

Place a dot of red food coloring in the center of each cookie using a small cork or end of a chopstick.

Bake on the center rack for 10 to 15 minutes until very lightly golden brown around the edges.

Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Notes

I have successfully made these gluten free by substituting 3 cups of Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

48

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 82Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 72mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 4gProtein: 1g

Please note: all nutritional information is approximate. If you need precises information, please be sure to run the calculations yourself.


This post was originally published on Super Mom – No Cape! in February 2014. It has been completely updated with all new photos and more detailed instructions.

I would be so pleased if you chose to share by clicking on one of the buttons below!

12 Comments

  • Ann
    March 6, 2020 12:03 pm

    Mmm… terrific! These almond cookies are the perfect sweet treat. I’m definitely saving this for later. I’m so excited at the idea of giving the recipe a try.
    Thanks for sharing this fab idea and step-by-step instructions for how to make these. I hope the recipe will inspire many of your followers. Keep up the good work!

    • Super Mom No Cape
      March 6, 2020 5:26 pm

      Thanks so much Ann for your sweet comment! The cookies are sooo good.

  • Mary
    January 24, 2020 10:20 am

    Those sound so good. I love the red dot.

    • Super Mom No Cape
      January 25, 2020 6:45 am

      Thank you Mary. They don’t last longer around here. We’re making our third batch today so I have some for Sunday Supper tomorrow.

  • Hatton
    January 23, 2020 9:27 pm

    These look delicious! Where did you get your cookie sheet? I love the circles for perfect placement!!!

    • Super Mom No Cape
      January 25, 2020 6:20 am

      Thank you Hatton! I bought my first set of those silicone baking mats at Costco but my second set I bought through Amazon. I’ve edited my post to add a link to those ones.

  • Rachel
    January 23, 2020 4:58 am

    They do sound delicious!

    • Super Mom No Cape
      January 25, 2020 6:01 am

      Thanks Rachel. They really are delicious.

  • Deb Weyrich-Cody
    March 14, 2014 3:57 pm

    Hm, they sound great (LOVE Chinese almond cookies: ) but, how about a tiny sliver of maraschino cherry instead of the food colouring?

    • Super Mom No Cape
      March 15, 2014 12:02 am

      That could work too for a red center, Deb.

  • Celtic Thistle Stitches
    February 3, 2014 4:38 am

    They sound and look delicious!

    • Super Mom No Cape
      February 4, 2014 12:05 am

      Thank you Fioana! They really are. 🙂

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