Chinese Peanut Cookies – Hua Sheng Bing
January 27, 2017
In the Fire Rooster Lunar New Year, Chinese Peanut Cookies (Hua Sheng Bing) symbolize fertility and wealth. Peanuts by their Chinese name, Qiansuizi (thousand year old offspring) stand for abundance. Include peanuts in your baking to affirm an optimistic future. You’ll benefit from the long lasting texture of chunky peanuts and coarse salt. The fine sugar and butter add richness and stability. Prosper in the satisfaction of happy friends and family. Teach your children the traditions of Chinese Peanut Cookies. They’re easy to mix and bake. Leave me your comments in the section below.
Many thanks to Andrea Nguyen of Viet World Kitchen for this expert recipe. You can see her original post here.
BTW, I discovered that my friend, a fellow Montreal food blogger, Evelyne at cultureatz.com also made Andrea’s Chinese Peanut Cookie recipe for the Lunar New Year. It turns out, we made these cookies on the very same day without realizing. What are the chances? This kind of coincidence created a perfect opportunity to show our readers the same cookie made by two different food bloggers. Check out Evelyne’s Chinese Peanut Cookies.
The Finer Cookie is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for websites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. This post contains affiliate links, which means The Finer Cookie will receive a small commission if you make a purchase using this link. This modest income helps support the website.
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons 295 grams 10 ounces unsalted roasted peanuts, skins removed
- 1 1/4 cups 150 grams 5 ounces confectioners’ sugar
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons 304.75 gram 10.75 ounces bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon 3/4 teaspoon 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons 43 grams 1.5 ounces unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup 140 grams 5 ounces fragrant peanut oil or safflower oil
- 1 1 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
Mise en Place the Cookie Dough
- What is mise en place and how could it benefit you? See The Finer Cookie’s post How to Mise en Place.
- Preheat the oven to 325F if you need to roast the peanuts.
- Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment or a baking liner.
- Roast the peanuts if necessary. When the peanuts are still warm, remove the skins by rubbing the nuts in a dry kitchen towel.
- Place the peanuts in the bowl of a food processor.
- Weigh or measure the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and set aside.
- Melt the butter and combine it with the peanut oil.
- In another bowl, add the flour, salt and baking powder.
- Crack the egg into a small bowl and set aside. Pull out a pastry brush and set aside too.
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
Assembling the Cookie Dough
- Chop the nuts until coarsely ground. Careful not to over process or the peanuts will become oily.
- Add the confectioners’ sugar and process until fluffy. Be sure to leave a little texture in the peanuts. Chopping them into a fine powder will produce dense, oily cookies.
- Add the peanut/sugar mixture with the flour. Combine well.
- Pour the oil and melted butter into the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Knead it with your hands to even out the moisture. If the dough is too soft or oily, refrigerate until firmer (15-30 minutes).
- Roll the cookie dough into 1″ balls and set on the prepared baking sheet.
- Decorate with a small cookie stamp or make concentric circles with a pen cap.
- Lightly brush the egg over the cookie.
Bake the Peanut Cookies at 350F for 20-25 minutes
- In a 350F oven, bake the cookies for 20-25 minutes or until firm to the touch and lightly golden.
- Cookies will be crumbly when cool, and even more so when warm.
- Store in an airtight container and share.
- May the peanuts in this cookie bring you and your family long life, good health and prosperity. Happy New Year.
- Labels
- Kids,
- Nut and Seed,
- Quick and Easy
