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You are here: Home / Vegan / CHEWY Chinese Almond Cookies (Gluten & Dairy Free)

CHEWY Chinese Almond Cookies (Gluten & Dairy Free)

Published: Apr 19, 2020 · Updated: Jul 2, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.

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gluten free almond cookies on a wood plate

Instead of almond extract, these Chinese almond cookies use actual almond flour for a chewy version of these favorite cookies that are gluten and dairy free too.

These are not just any Chinese almond cookies that are crisp and taste of shortening.

They are CHEWY Chinese almond cookies meaning they are not crisp and do not have butter.

These cookies are:

  • CHEWY (please don’t forget)
  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free
  • EASY – no creaming butter and sugar together
  • Quick – only 1 bowl requires
  • Almondy – from almond flour instead of almond extract

Ingredients

This recipe is adapted from Food & Wine magazine and contains just 7 ingredients:

  1. Almond flour – gluten free and makes these cookies so chewy but not cheap
  2. Coconut flour – added a little but otherwise these cookies are TOO chewy
  3. Tahini Paste – substitute for butter that adds sesame flavor
  4. Honey – the choice of this all natural sweetener will be explained below
  5. Baking soda – this will help the cookies spread
  6. Vanilla extract – it’s just not American if it doesn’t have vanilla
  7. Salt
  8. Blanched almonds for garnish – so they look like Chinese almond cookies!

Almond flour vs. almond meal

Almond flour is gluten free and also not wallet friendly.  A one pound bag can cost you $10. 🙁

It truly is just ground up almonds without the addition of wheat flour.

Almond flour is ground up blanched almonds that retains its pure blonde color.  Use in this recipe, so they look more like regular Chinese almond cookies.

Almond meal has the brown skins ground up with them to create freckles speckles.

close up shot of almond cookie on wood plate

All natural sweetener experiment

This recipe does not use refined sugar.  I did try them with a variety of natural sugars though to see what the best result would be.

Test #1 –  Agave syrup has a low glycemic index, but too much of it in these cookies made them taste funky.

Test #2 – Maple syrup is a favorite vegan sweetener, but it was not sweet enough or thick enough to provide right texture for these cookies.

Test #3 – Honey proved to be the winner with enough viscosity and the right amount of sweetness to make these cookies taste like a real cookie.

Food Fail

burned almond cookies on silicone baking sheet

I didn’t mean to burn them.

Just forgot.

I burned so many things working in restaurants. Here’s one more for the home record!

These cookies do burn easily though, so don’t leave them in the oven too long.

The Process

The best part of this recipe is no creaming with a mixer or softening butter beforehand.  Just mix in one bowl and go!

Step #1 – Mix

chinese almond cookie mix in a bowl with pink spatula

Stir together the dry ingredients before adding the wet ingredients.

chinese almond cookie dough in a bowl with spatula

The dough will come together quite quickly and should resemble a thick paste or mud.

Step #2 – Scoop

Scoop and roll into 1″ balls and put on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet.  This recipe will make approximately 12 cookies.

With moistening fingers, flatten the balls into discs.

If you forget to flatten, they will remain in the shape of a ball.

Press a blanched almond into the center of each cookie.

Step #3 – Bake

baked chewy chinese almond cookies on silicone baking sheet

Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees F.

flipped over chinese almond cookie with golden brown crust

The bottom of the cookie should be golden brown.

This is a dry dough so it will bake with some cracks.

Take care not to overbake because these will burn very easily. 

Step #4 Cool and serve

almond cookie with a bite taken out

Unlike most cookies, these do not taste much better when warm.  Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tips to make it better @ home

  1. Use almond flour instead of almond meal, so you don’t end up with brown speckles
  2. Don’t forget to flatten moistened fingers to help these cookies spread
  3. These make approximately 12-14 cookies. The nutrition calculates at 2 cookies per serving.
  4. Take care not to overcook, since these do burn easily.
  5. This is a dry dough, so there will be cracks around the edges after baking.
  6. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
  7. These are CHEWY Chinese almond cookies and have a different texture

More Easy Sweets

Coconut Date Balls (aka Faux Chocolate Truffles)

Easiest Cold Brew Coffee Recipe with Coconut Cream

Coconut Fruit Salad (Dairy Free Asian Ambrosia)

row of chinese almond cookies
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5 from 1 vote

Chewy Chinese Almond Cookies

Instead of almond extract, these Chinese almond cookies use actual almond flour for a chewy version of these favorite cookies that are gluten and dairy free too. 
Course Dessert
Cuisine American, Asian
Keyword gluten free cookies, one bowl recipes
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 239kcal
Author Asian Test Kitchen

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 c almond flour
  • 2 Tb coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 1/4 c honey
  • 1/3 c tahini
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Garnish

  • 12 ea blanched almonds

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  • Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix.
  • Scoop and roll into roughly 1" sized balls. Put on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet.
  • Press gently with moistened fingers to 1 1/2" discs.
  • Bake for 8 minutes and let cool. The bottom of the cookie should be golden brown.

Nutrition

Serving: 6g | Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 198mg | Potassium: 69mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 9IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @agiletestkitchen or tag #agiletestkitchen!
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Comments

  1. Tricia

    July 18, 2020 at 8:11 am

    5 stars
    very unusual flavor – almost savory and sweet. I did add a little almond flavoring but overall a great cookie recie to add to my repetoire!

    Reply
    • asiantestkitchen@gmail.com

      July 18, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      Thank you so much Tricia for trying the recipe and your kind comments. You have just made my day!!! 🙂

      Reply
  2. Lynn

    December 5, 2020 at 6:09 am

    I am all about chewy, loving this Deanna. Will try with coconut sugar (low glycemic). Thanks for doing the testing footwork!

    Reply
    • asiantestkitchen@gmail.com

      December 8, 2020 at 9:50 am

      Thank you so much Lynn for visiting and commenting! That is a fantastic idea to use coconut sugar. I’m going to try that too!

      Reply

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