Chinese New Year Cookies & Butter Cake

Chinese New Year somehow spurs me into baking cookies again and again. Baking cookies are the easiest and the most fun things to do especially if you have time to do something useful n meaningful. It is also another wonderful time to send someone a gift from your own kitchen. It is personal and so rewarding after seeing smiles n smiles over these gems you have placed your heart n soul over them.

This time round I intend to make different types of cookies to send as CNY gifts to my aunties and cousins in Malacca. Here are the cookies I have made so far:

Kuih Makmur
Pastry
250g QBB Ghee
100g butter
45g caster sugar
1 egg
480g plain flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
Pandan Paste (optional)

Filling
300g roasted peanut and grind coarsely
70g caster sugar
45g peanut butter

For Rolling
Icing sugar or snow powder

How do you do it:
1. Beat all pastry ingredients together till a dough is formed. Do not overbeat. Rest in the fridge for 1 hour
2. Roll small ball and place in filling and then shaped into a leaf shape and pinch the pattern in the form of a leaf. Place in paper cups.
3. Bake 175C for about 15 mins. Cool for about 8 mins then roll them into icing sugar or snow powder.

For Filling
Mix all ingredients together and form into small balls.




Flower Cookies (Pandan Semprit Cookies)
This recipe is from Y3 Magazine

130g butter
70g shortening
100g icing sugar
2 eggs
1tsp pandan paste
260g plain flour
1/4tsp baking powder
40g hoen kueh flour
20g custard powder
20g coconut powder

some red dried cherries (diced)

How do you do it:
1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Beat all ingredients together.
3. Spoon mixture into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
4. Pipe into small paper cup and press a red dried cherry on top.
5. Arrange it on baking tray and bake in a preheated oven for 15-20mins.



Cashew Nut Cookies (Half Moon)
250g butter
140g castor sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg
100g grounded cashew nuts (toasted and grind)
360g plain flour
20g cornflour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Decoration
1 egg for egg wash
136 halved cashew nuts

How do you do it:
1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Beat all ingredients together. Roll dough into about 3/4' thick.
3. Use a half moon cutter to cut the cookies. Egg wash cookies
4. Press half cashew nut onto cookies and egg wash nuts.
5. Arrange it on baking tray and bake in a preheated oven for 15mins.

These are my famous Prune Lapis.....


and

Pineapple Tarts & Rabbit Pineapple Cookies




and the popular

Horlick Doggie Cookies



& lastly....chocolate rice butter cake


Here is Olivia... wishing all GONG HEI FATT CHOY NIE NIE YA YU