Chinese Walnut Cookies (核桃酥)

You wouldn't think they were particularly Chinese.  They're composed of your standard Western cookie ingredients and they taste like normal tea cookies, but they're traditional Chinese cookies. They're usually huge, like American cookies, and they're very crumbly - the name, 核桃酥 (he tao su), literally means, walnut crumble.

These were made for Deborah, a friend's mother.  I love meeting my friends' parents, because I love that "ahh - I see now" moments. 

Well, Deborah and Phil were just as lovely as his son, Nat.  Thank you for a wonderful meal and company.

Oh yea, Sunday was the day I ended my Vegan Challenge 2.1.  I had cheese and lamb. 


Recipe from here
Makes about 24 large cookies
Ingredients
200g plain flour, sifted
60g walnuts + extra for decoration
100g icing sugar
110g oil
20g beaten egg
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
egg wash: 1 egg + water, beaten together

Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.  Grease and line a baking tray.

Put the walnuts in a food processor and process until finely ground.

Whisk the egg with the oil. Stir in all the dry ingredients.

Form little balls, and then press down on them to form a small disc.  Press a walnut into the middle. Place them on the baking tray, about an inch away from each other.  Brush with egg wash and bake for about 15 minutes, turning the tray halfway through.