Chinese new years wouldn’t be complete without some Chinese peanut cookies. This easy Chinese peanut cookie recipe only requires a few simple ingredients to make but taste heavenly.
Introduction
Gong hei fat choy (恭喜發財), Chinese new years is upon us again this year and what better way to celebrate then with some traditional Chinese peanut cookies?
Chinese peanut cookies or 花生饼 in Chinese, is a popular Chinese new year cookie that is typically eaten around Chinese new years but that shouldn’t stop you from eating it whenever you feel like eating it. It certainly hasn’t stopped me from eating it when I crave it, my waist circumference is evidence of this.
I first tried these cookies back when I was around 6-7 years old while on a vacation trip to visit my relatives over in San Francisco. My relatives over there had brought me, and my parents to Chinatown, and while shopping for groceries, we were introduced to these Chinese new year peanut cookies that were being sold in giant plastic jugs who my relatives couldn’t stop raving about.
It’s been years since I last had some, because frankly I don’t live near a Chinatown in my city. I do most of my grocery shopping at my local Asian grocery stores near my house, which don’t seem to carry these lunar new year peanut cookies along with other lunar new year cookies like Chinese walnut cookies or smiling sesame cookies. Most of the time, these popular Chinese new year cookies are hard to come by unless you live near a Asian supermarket, but even then, you might find that they are only available during special Chinese holidays like Chinese new year (cny).
What Are Chinese Peanut Cookies?
Cny peanut cookies are flaky and slightly crunchy (at least my version is) cookies about the size of a ping pong ball and are made using (you guessed it) peanuts. Some versions even include peanut butter in the recipe just to give the cookies that extra peanut flavour (mine included). I got the inspiration for incorporating peanut butter into my cookies from my other peanut cookie recipe. The top of the peanut cookies are usually topped with half of a peanut and have nice cracks running all along the top of the cookies that make it sort of resemble a lemon crinkle cookie.
These cookies are extremely easy to make and you’ll be surprised at how fast you can make them. In fact, I was actually quite surprised the first time I learned how to make them. On the outside, they looked complicated, but when I actually got my hands dirty making them, they were actually quite simplistic to make and only required a few key ingredients to make them.
But a word of warning though, if your on a diet then these cookies will sideline your plans. Once you grab one, your hands will continue reaching for more cookies and before you know it, you’ve now wolfed down 5-6 or even the whole plate of cookies. Yes, they are that addictive!!!
In my version of Chinese peanut cookies with peanut butter, you’ll find an extra strong hint of peanut flavour in the cookies along with a bit of tiny crunchy bits of peanuts that give the cookies a nice contrast of different flavours to balance out the flaky softness of the cookies. For those of you guys just getting your hands wet with baking then this easy Chinese New Year cookie recipe is perfect for you.
Here’s what you’ll need for this traditional Chinese peanut cookie recipe:
Ingredients
- Unsalted roasted peanuts (de-shelled) 55 g
- Smooth peanut butter 110g
- Table salt ¼ tsp
- Powdered sugar 40g
- White granulated sugar 30g
- All purpose flour 185g
- Melted unsalted butter 15g
- Vegetable oil 50g
Egg wash:
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp of milk
Top with half of a peanut before baking
Ingredient Notes
- Peanuts: Use good old unsalted peanuts unless you want to develop high blood pressure brought upon by consuming too much sodium. You can opt for either roasted or unroasted peanuts. I’m using roasted peanuts in my recipe to speed up how quickly I can get the cookies ready to go but if you want an extra roasty type of taste then you can get unroasted peanuts and roast them in your oven. If your going this route then roast the peanuts in a 350°F (180°C) oven for about 20-22 minutes until you get a nice golden brown colour on the peanuts.
- Oil: I used the cheapest neutral oil available to me (vegetable) however if you really want to be “traditional” and want an extra hint of peanut flavour then you can use peanut oil. If you can get peanut oil at a reasonable price then I recommend using peanut oil But I ain’t about to spend $25 on 1.8L of peanut oil that my grocery store charges my friend.
- Butter: I added in butter to give the cookies an extra bit of richness. Make sure it’s the unsalted kind otherwise your cookies might end up being too salty.
- Sugar: I opted for a combination of both white granulated sugar and powdered sugar to give my cookies more depth and texture. The powdered sugar gives the cookie a smooth texture while the white granulated sugar will make it slightly crunchy.
Substitutions
- Peanuts and peanut butter: You can use powdered peanut butter in place of peanuts and peanut butter if you’d like, although that stuff costs a lot of money so…😑 Also if you want an even crunchier texture then feel free to use crunchy peanut butter instead of smooth peanut butter.
- Oil: You can replace peanut oil with any neutral oil that you have. I used vegetable oil in mines because charging $25 for 1.8L of peanut oil is outrageous.
- Butter: Lard or shortening can also be substituted in place of butter.
- Sugar: You can use either powdered or white granulated sugar instead of both. Likewise, castor sugar might also work as well.
How to Make Chinese Peanut Cookies
- Start by throwing your roasted peanuts into a food processor. Give the food processor a few spins to grind the peanuts down into a semi-fine texture that still has little bits of peanuts left. This is to ensure that the cookies will have a bit of crunch when you bite into them. If you don’t own a stand mixer then you just throw the peanuts into a ziplocked bag and crush the peanuts that way using a dough roller.
- Once you have crushed the peanuts into your desired consistency, set them aside. Now in a large mixing bowl, add in your peanut butter, followed by your melted butter and cooking oil.
- Then add in your white granulated sugar, followed by your powdered sugar.
- Now add in your table salt and the ground peanuts from earlier.
- Then sift in your all purpose flour and mix everything together until you no longer see any white flour spots on the dough.
- Now take a spoon about the size of a Tbsp and scoop out the dough.
- Shape the dough into a round ball by rolling it in the palms of your hand.
- Then place each cookie dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper about 1-1.5 inches apart to prevent the cookies from touching each other when baking. Yes, the cookies will spread and expand slightly when baking.
- Now top each cookie with half of a peanut.
- Gently press down on the peanut so that it sticks to the cookie dough.
- Then prepare an egg wash by whisking 1 egg with a tsp of milk together.
- Apply the egg wash evenly all around the cookie making sure to coat the sides as well. The better a job you do of applying the egg wash to the cookies, the prettier they will look when baking 😍
- Finally, bake the cookies in a preheated oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 20-22 minutes until the cookies are golden brown. They will have a slight crack to them at the top which is the signature look of these cookies so do not be alarmed if you see them cracking away in the oven baking.
Tips
- To make your cookies look extra delicious and have that nice golden yellow coating, ensure that you coat the cookie well on all sides all the way to the bottom of the cookie.
- If you want the cookies to look extra nice, then I recommend that you sieve the eggs prior to mixing them with the milk to create the egg wash. This will create a smooth surface.
- Don’t grind the peanuts for too long or they will turn into peanut butter
- Place the cookies slightly apart when baking to ensure that they don’t stick together. The cookies will slightly expand out when baking
- For a more aromatic cookie, use un-roasted peanuts and roast them in your oven.
- If you’re in a rush, just use pre-roasted peanuts to save time.
Beginner Mistakes When Making This Recipe
- You used salted peanuts instead of unsalted peanuts. Congratulations, hypertension is your new best friend ♥
- You used olive oil instead of peanut oil or another neutral oil. Enjoy your olive oil tasting cookies 😁
- You used maple syrup or honey instead of sugar.
- You grinded the peanuts for too long turning them into peanut butter. You might as well have used a jar of peanut butter then.
- You didn’t save any for your family and friends because you developed an addiction to the peanut cookies after taking one bite. Well, I guess no Li Xi (red pocket full of money) for you 😥
Storage Tips
The cookies can be stored in an airtight glass or plastic container for up to 1 week at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.S)
Do I Need to Grind My Peanuts Using a Food Processor?
No, you can also pound the $h%t out of the peanuts by using a hard blunt object such as a dough roller like an evil villain in a movie. Place the peanuts inside of a sealed ziplock bag and go to work. Beat the peanuts down until you get a consistency that you like. For a more detailed demonstration of how to pound the living daylights out of the peanuts, please watch my video below in the recipe card.
Can I Grind My Peanuts Down to a Fine Texture Instead of Semi-course?
Yes you can. Depending on your personal taste, you may opt for a finer texture.
Can I Use Salted Peanuts Instead?
Yes but why make your life more difficult when you can just use unsalted peanuts? If you want to use salted peanuts then leave out the table salt.
Can I Use PB2 or Powdered Peanut Butter?
Yes this should also work. I recommend using half of the powdered peanut butter mixed with water to create “peanut butter” and the other half as just its powdered form.
Can I Substitute White Granulated Sugar With Brown Sugar?
No, brown sugar has molasses in it and gives a distinct smell and taste which will make your cookies taste different.
Can I Substitute Honey or Maple Syrup in Place of White Granulated Sugar?
NO!!! If you do substitute with either honey or maple syrup it will end up tasting like a maple syrup or honey cookie instead of a peanut cookie. These two sweeteners have a distinct taste and smell that will overpower the smell of the peanuts.
Can I Use Another Oil Instead of Vegetable or Peanut Oil?
Yes but make sure it doesn’t have any extra flavour or aromas such as extra virgin olive oil otherwise you may end up with a cookie that tastes funny. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Most neutral oils should work with this recipe though.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
Chinese Peanut Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Food processor
Ingredients
- 55 g Unsalted roasted peanuts
- 110 g Smooth peanut butter
- 1/4 tsp Table salt
- 40 g Powdered sugar
- 30 g White granulated sugar
- 185 g All purpose flour
- 15 g Unsalted butter melted
- 50 g Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Start by throwing your roasted peanuts into a food processor. Give the food processor a few spins to grind the peanuts down into a semi-fine texture that still has little bits of peanuts left. This is to ensure that the cookies will have a bit of crunch when you bite into them. If you don’t own a stand mixer then you just throw the peanuts into a ziplocked bag and crush the peanuts that way using a dough roller.
- Once you have crushed the peanuts into your desired consistency, set them aside. Now in a large mixing bowl, add in your peanut butter, followed by your melted butter and cooking oil.
- Then add in your white granulated sugar, followed by your powdered sugar.
- Now add in your table salt and the grind peanuts from earlier.
- Then sift in your all purpose flour and mix everything together until you no longer see any white flour spots on the dough.
- Now take a spoon about the size of a Tbsp and scoop out the dough.
- Shape the dough into a round ball by rolling it in the palms of your hand.
- Then place each cookie dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper about 1-1.5 inches about to prevent the cookies from touching each other when baking. Yes, the cookies will spread and expand slightly when baking.
- Now top each cookie with half of a peanut.
- Gently press down on the peanut so that it sticks to the cookie dough.
- Then prepare an egg wash by whisking 1 egg with a tsp of milk together.
- Apply the egg wash evenly all around the cookie making sure to coat the sides as well. The better a job you do of applying the egg wash to the cookies, the prettier they will look when baking.
- Finally bake the cookies in a pre-heated oven at 350°F (180°C) for about 20-22 minutes until the cookies are golden brown. They will have a slight crack to them at the top which is the signature look of these cookies so do not be alarmed if you see them cracking away in the oven baking.
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