Almond Cookies - Chinese Rest type

By mariannefeldman

kingarthurlour.com

"Chinese" Cookies


The fat that you choose to use in this cookie makes a big difference, in both the flavor and the texture. While many people seem to have an aversion to lard, in this cookie it really is a good choice. The lard cookies are the closest in flavor and texture to what Sue remembers eating in Boston's Chinese neighborhood -- which, come to think of it, may be where the name comes from. Using half butter and half vegetable shortening makes a cookies that's less "sandy" in texture, but still very crisp. Using all butter changes the flavor and texture, but makes a very tasty cookie -- just not exactly a "Chinese Cookie."

Ingredients

• 2 3/4 cups (11 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (7 1/4 ounces) sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup shortening*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon bitter almond oil OR 2 teaspoons almond extract
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• .
• Either lard, butter or vegetable shortening, or a combination. Vegetable shortening weighs 6 1/2 ounces per cup; butter or lard each weighs 8 ounces per cup
• .
• CHOCOLATE GLAZE AND TOPPING
• 1 1/4 cups (6 ounces) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 cup (5 1/2 tablespoons) butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoon corn syrup
• 1 cup (4 ounces) finely chopped toasted almonds (or walnuts or pecans, inauthentic but good)

Preparation

Step 1

COOKIES

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Cut the cold butter, lard, vegetable shortening or whatever combination you choose to use into cubes, then cut the cubes into the dry ingredients until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Add the vanilla and almond flavor to the egg and yolk, and stir together.

Sprinkle the egg mixture over the flour mixture, then stir together until the dough is cohesive when squeezed. Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, and place them on a parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheet. Flatten the balls to about 1/2-inch thick.

Bake the cookies in a preheated 325°F oven for 16 to 18 minutes, until they feel set (a fingerprint will remain if pressed in the center). If you bake the cookies until they're totally set (your fingerprint will spring back), they'll be crispy to the point of rock-hard. Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool completely on a wire rack before glazing.

Glaze: In the top of a double boiler or in the microwave, melt together slowly the chocolate and butter. Stir in the corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until well-blended.

Assembly: Frost all around the edge of each cookie, making a band of frosting about 1/2- to 3/4-inch wide. Put a dollop of chocolate into the center of each cookie, then sprinkle the edges with nuts. (An easy way to do this is to grasp a cookie in the center between thumb and forefinger, then "roll" it through the chocolate, and "roll" it through the nuts, just like you were rolling a wheel along the ground.) Allow the chocolate to set before storing the cookies in an airtight container. Yield: about 3 dozen 3- to 4-inch cookies.
Nutrition information per serving (1 cookie, made with butter, 35g): 177cal, 12g fat, 2g protein, 8g complex carbohydrates, 9g sugar, 1g dietary fiber, 32mg cholesterol, 146mg

This recipe reprinted from The Baking Sheet Newsletter, Vol. XI, No. 4, Spring 2000 issue.