It has been a long time since I made Chinese walnut cookies. 

My cousin from Hong Kong visited us last week and brought us some, and our family finished all in no time. 

After taking a bite, it suddenly evoked my memory of the taste of these beautiful cookies. So making some instead of getting more from the Chinese bakery would be a good idea.

Here is an easy recipe for Chinese walnut cookies. But before I begin, let me tell you a story.

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The story of walnut cookies

During the Tang dynasty, a group of farmers from Jingdezhen (景德镇) decided to take up a new job as potters. Since the distance was far from home, one worker brought some flour, mixed it with water, and baked it directly on the kiln’s surface.
Since he was suffering from a constant cough, he crushed some walnut and mixed them into the flour, as walnut is good for treating cough.
Other workers saw it and found it a convenient way to make biscuits and easy to carry as snacks during the long hour of work. That is the origin of these traditional Chinese walnut cookies.

How to make the classic Chinese walnut cookies

Chinese walnut cookies (also called hup toh soh, 核桃酥) have a dry, crispy and crunchy texture and are slightly sweet. It is an excellent gift for foreign guests and a popular snack during the Chinese New Year.

Here are the detailed steps on how to make Chinese walnut cookies. Please refer to the recipe below for precise measurements.

1. Make the cookie dough

1. Combine the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Let it pass through a fine sieve. This step helped trap more air in the flour and evenly distribute the baking powder and salt.
2. Place the walnuts in a pan over medium heat. Roast the walnuts until they become fragrant and turn slightly brown. Keep flipping the walnuts in the process to avoid them from getting burned. This process will take about 2 minutes over low heat.
3. Chop the walnuts coarsely, and reserve some walnut halves for putting on the cookies. Then transfer the remaining to a food processor or spice grinder to pulse them for two to three seconds. Alternatively, you can use a rolling pin to crush them manually on a cutting board.
4. Combine the butter, castor sugar, and egg in a large bowl.
5. Cream the butter and sugar until it becomes light and fluffy and the color turns slightly pale.
6. Add the egg and continue mixing until homogenous.
7. Combine the butter mixture with the sieved flour and crushed walnuts to form a dough. You can do this by hand or use an electric mixer. Just mix the dough until it is slightly crumby so that it can form a dough. There is no need to mix it excessively.

Note: You can add slightly more beaten egg and combine it again if you find that it is too dry to form a ball.

2. Shaping the cookies

1. Divide the dough into portions of about 30 grams each. I use a kitchen scale to weigh it, but you could eyeball it if you have good judgment.
2. Roll each portion into a ball by hand and place it on the baking tray lined with a baking sheet. 
3. Flatten each dough ball slightly by pressing one walnut half on top to make an indentation.

3. Bake the cookies until golden brown

1. Brush some egg wash on the surface of each cookie.
2. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven, 170°C/340°F, for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool on a cooling rack.
4. Store the cookies in an airtight container to ensure the crunchy cookies will not get softened over time. Sealing it in an individual vacuum pack is even better if you have a vacuum sealer.

4. Tips to make better walnut cookies

a. Ingredients

1. The authentic Chinese recipe for Chinese walnut cake uses lard. However, I use butter in this recipe because it is more commonly available and is healthier.
2. Cake flour has less protein content, and it will make the cookies softer. Therefore, I prefer to use all-purpose flour, which yields crispier cookies.
3. I only use baking powder instead of combining it with baking soda, as some people prefer. It is simpler to use it alone, and the result is satisfactory.
4. The baking powder can vary from 2% to 4% of the flour’s quantity in the recipe. The texture of the cookies will become lighter if you use more baking powder. However, too much baking powder will leave an unpleasant taste.
5. Some recipes use egg yolks alone instead of the whole egg. I find that there’s no significant difference in the final result.
6. You may add some almond nibs in addition to the walnuts in this recipe.
7. Substitute 10% to 20% of the flour with cornstarch if you intend to make the biscuit crispier.
8. You may want to add some sesame seeds in addition to the walnut, as found in some other recipes.

b. Others

1. You must omit the salt in the recipe if you use salted butter.
2. The amount of sugar is flexible. For example, you can use less sugar if you want it to be less sweet. You may also use brown sugar, but the difference is insignificant. Generally, the amount of sugar should equal the amount of butter or slightly less.
3. The cookie dough is quite dry and crumbly. Therefore it is best to work it by hand. Arrange the cookies on the baking tray with some space to allow them to expand during baking.
4. It is important to use softened butter at room temperature to get the best result. Softened butter will create more air pockets than cold butter. Do not melt the butter, but leave it on the table at room temperature until it softens.
5. The baking temperature setting and duration are based on my oven, which may differ from yours.

These traditional walnut cookies are easy to make and are a popular item as a gift for guests. The cookies are also a trendy snack for the lunar new year. So give it a try, and let me know the result in the comment.

5. Other cakes and cookies that you would like

If you like this Chinese walnut cookies recipe, Here are some similar recipes for you on this blog:

• This pineapple tart/cookie is one of the famous Chinese New Year cookies. 
• Melting moments cookies are the most popular cookies on every festive occasion. This item is by far the most popular cookie recipe on this blog.
• Chinese salted egg pastry is an all-time favorite among the Chinese. However, it doesn’t taste like most western cookies and biscuits, so you should try it.

Continue to Content

Chinese Walnut Cookies (核桃酥)

Yield: 12 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Chinese walnut cookies are called Hup Toh Soh (核桃酥) in Chinese. It is made with crushed walnut, flour, sugar, and egg. These traditional walnut cookies are easy to make and are a popular item as a present for guests.

Print

Ingredients

Ingredients A

• 150g all- purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

Ingredients B

• 40g walnut

Ingredients C

• 80g butter, unsalted
• 60g castor sugar,
• 1/2 egg
• more egg wash to burh the surface of the cookies

Instructions

1. Combine the regular flour, baking powder, and salt. Let it pass through a fine sieve. 
2. Place the walnut in a pan over medium heat. Roast the walnuts until they become fragrant and turn slightly brown. 
3. Chop the walnuts coarsely, and reserve some walnut halves for putting on the cookies. 
4. Cream the butter and sugar until it becomes light and fluffy and the color turns slightly pale.
5. Add the egg and continue mixing until homogenous.
6. Combine the butter mixture with the flour and crushed walnuts to form a dough. (see note)
7. Divide the dough into portions of about 30 grams each.
8. Roll each portion into a ball by hand and place it on the baking tray lined with a baking sheet. 
9. Flatten each dough ball slightly by pressing one walnut half on top to make an indentation.
10. Brush some egg wash on the surface of each cookie.
11. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven, 170°C/340°F, for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
12. Remove the cookies from the oven, and let them cool on a cooling rack.

Notes

*You can add slightly more beaten egg and combine it again if you find that it is too dry to form a ball.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 156Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 6gProtein: 3g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 24/10/2022