I'm back with more CNY cookies for the 2nd week. This week is the cashew nuts cookies. I used to help my mother bake these cookies many years ago. I can still remember the times we baked the cookies during the weekends before chinese new year. But ever since we shifted house, we stopped baking as we did not have oven anymore and she said she's old already and lazy to bake. Ha! Occasionally, during chinese new year, we would miss the cookies we made and buy from bakeries. But most of the time, they don't taste as good as those we used to make.
Finally, this year, I can bake on my own. My mother no longer has her old recipe with her. I have to search for a new recipe to try out. This recipe is taken from the same book as last week's one. I modify it a bit though. The good thing is I'm still using the old crescent-shaped cookie cutter. Luckily she did not throw it away. :)
I couldn't have asked for more. The recipe is great. It's quite close to our old recipe. Definitely have to keep this recipe properly this time so that I can make them every year.
Cashew Nuts Cookies
(Recipe modified from Easy Cookies (and with my mother's past experience))
Ingredients (I make 130-136 pieces)
110g butter
70g castor sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 egg (about 25g)
40g grounded cashew nuts*
180g plain flour
20g cornflour
1/2 tsp baking powder
* Bake cashew nuts lightly at 150 deg C for around 10-15 minutes till fragrance is released before grinding
Topping:
1 egg, separated
136 halved cashew nuts
Method
1. Cream butter and sugar till pale and creamy.
2. Add in pure vanilla extract. Add in egg slowly, Beat until well-mixed.
3. Fold in grounded cashew nuts. Fold in sifted flours and baking powder gradually. Knead to form dough.
4. Roll the dough into 3/4 cm thickness. Cut the dough into crescent shapes (or any shape you like) and place them on the baking tray. Brush a layer of egg white on the cookies and top each cookie with one halved cashew nut. (Brushing egg white helps the cashew nut to stick to the cookie well.) Brush a layer of egg yolk on top of the cashew nuts for a nice golden brown colour.
5. Bake at 180C for about 15 minutes till light golden brown.