Chinese Almond Cookie is a butter-based, almond-flavored cookie treat made especially as part of the Chinese New Year celebrations. This is a quick and easy dish to make and the use of almonds provides a rich taste and a pleasant bite while still maintaining its lightness. These are also prepared during Christmas and enjoyed by friends and family.
Ingredients
Softened butter, sugar, whole egg, almond extract, all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, sliced almonds, egg white and water are required to make the Chinese almond cookie.
Method
Butter and sugar are creamed together in a mixing bowl. The egg and almond extract are whisked in. The combination of flour, baking soda and salt sifted together is gradually added to the creamed mixture. A soft dough consistency is attained. Balls are made out of the dough. These are distributed uniformly on a greased baking tray, flattened a little, and topped with almond slices. The egg white beaten with little water in a small bowl is used to brush the cookies before baking in the oven at 325 F until they puff up and turn a light golden shade. These are allowed to cool before removing and storing in an air-tight container.
Nutrition Information
A single Almond Cookie of about 20 g provides-
• 84.7 calories with 41 calories from fat
• 4.6 g total fat with 0.8 g saturated fat
• 8.7 mg cholesterol
• 87.5 mg sodium
• 9.7 g of total carbohydrates with 4.7 g of sugar and 0.2 g of dietary fiber
• 1.1 g of protein
The delicately flavored and nutritious almonds are packed with health benefits. Almonds are an excellent source of proteins, certain B-vitamins, minerals like manganese, phosphorus, copper, magnesium, and amino acid tryptophan. Almonds have a high monounsaturated fat content which is associated with a lowered risk of heart disease. In fact, this effect may also be in part, owing to the antioxidant activity of the vitamin E present in the almonds, in addition to the LDL-lowering effect contributed by almonds' monounsaturated fats. Manganese, copper and Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) play key roles in energy production, by protecting the cellular machinery from free radical damage.
Nutritional Improvement
Reducing the fat content by use of low-fat butter helps lower the calorific value of the almond cookies. Inclusion of sesame seeds in the dough adds a distinct flavor and increases the content of protein, fiber, phosphorus, iron, zinc, copper, magnesium. Sesame seeds contain sesamin and sesamolin compounds which regulate blood pressure and protect liver from oxidative damage.
Gluten free flour and almond flour may be combined to create gluten-free version of the almond cookie in much the same way, making this tasty treat accessible to gluten-intolerant persons as well.