Imperial Walnut Cookies
Traditional northern Chinese imperial pastry with a crisp, crumbly, sweet texture and chopped walnut pieces mixed throughout.
Ingredients
lard (Ingredient A)
240g
fine granulated sugar (Ingredient A)
250g
salt (Ingredient A)
3g
whole egg (Ingredient A)
60g
cake flour (Ingredient B)
500g
baking powder (Ingredient B)
3g
baking soda (Ingredient B)
6g
ammonium bicarbonate (Ingredient B)
3g
chopped walnuts (Ingredient C, pre-roasted and chopped)
75g
Instructions
1
Prepare Ingredients
Place the walnuts in the oven and pre-roast at 150°C for 8–10 minutes until fragrant and toasted. Let cool slightly, then chop and set aside.
2
Cream the Fat
Combine Ingredient A (except the egg) and whisk together until pale white and fluffy.
3
Mix the Dough
Add the whole egg to the mixture from step 2 in batches, mixing well. Then sift in Ingredient B and fold until just combined.
4
Add Walnuts
Fold in the pre-roasted chopped walnuts until evenly distributed to form a dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10–20 minutes.
5
Divide and Shape
Divide the dough into 30g portions. Roll each into a round ball, shape, and press down slightly.
6
Bake
Place on the middle rack of a preheated oven and bake at upper heat 180°C / lower heat 170°C for about 20–25 minutes, until golden.
