Xing Ren Bing with Chia Seeds （杏仁饼）
Here's another one of my childhood favorites! Each drop of elbow sweat unleashed flashbacks of my old memories of these crispy, semi-sweet delights! For this recipe, I attempted to mimic the same texture as that of Chinese tao su （桃酥） cookies, which is, afterall, just an almond cookie imposter-- except bundled with walnuts in lieu.
I adapted this recipe the Chinese Walnut Cookie recipe by Kaitlin from the Woks of Life, whom most eloquently and gracefully described all the procedures and techniques in crafting these gems. I highly suggest checking out her and her family's amazing blog!
By anyway, through my rendition, I messed with healthier forms of fats and different sources of proteins-- which of course, just had to include a sprinkle of chia seeds! I typically use black sesame seeds to decorate at the end, but this time, I felt for an extra snap of protein and, when all's said and done, a lil dust of chia seeds never hurt nobody!
Recipe
Cuisine: Asian-fusion
Servings: 10 cookies
Level: Easy
Servings: 10 cookies
Level: Easy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dried osmanthus petals
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg (+ 1 yolk for brushing)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 10 or more whole almonds
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together vegetable oil, white granulated sugar, dried osmanthus petals, salt, and egg.
- Slowly add dry ingredients into wet, stirring by each portion incorporated.*
- (Optional): Set mixture into freezer for 30 minutes.**
- Divide the dough into 10 similar slabs and roll each one into balls. Transfer the dough balls onto the baking tray, leaving 3-4 inches between each ball.
- Use the almonds to gently snug down on the centers of each cookie. Sprinkle chia seeds over all cookies. In a small bowl, mix together egg yolk and honey and brush over each dough ball.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 10 minutes! Enjoy your chia seed xing ren bings! Cookies can be left at room temperature in an airtight container, layered with parchment/wax paper and a slice of bread, for up to 1 week. Afterwards, freeze in an airtight container/ziplock bag. When desiring further consumption after so, simply warm in oven or microwave for 10 second intervals to restore homely warmth in your cookies!
*the resulting texture should still be granular and crumbly, but moist enough to be molded by compression.
**check into this step if your dough isn't coming together with force. The lower temperatures will aid in solidifying the fats.
Link(s):
https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-walnut-cookies/
