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Chinese New Year Peanut Cookies

Indulge in these traditional Chinese Peanut Cookies, a Chinese New Year favorite. Easy to make, these cookies offer a perfect balance of sweet, peanutty flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s simply irresistible.

Traditional Chinese Peanut Cookies

Chinese Peanut Cookies are enjoyed throughout the year but are especially popular during Chinese New Year. I’ve loved these cookies so much ever since I was a child. During the Chinese New Year season here in Malaysia, you will find street vendors everywhere selling a variety of Chinese cookies and sweets in tall plastic containers. Chinese Peanut Cookies are always the first thing I look for.

Last year, I shared my Pineapple Jam Tart recipe for Chinese New Year. This year, I’ve teamed up with my blogger friends once again for an online virtual Sweet Lunar New Year Party and I’m sharing my Chinese Peanut Cookie recipe. Scroll down to see the rest of the recipes from this virtual party!

These Chinese Peanut Cookies are incredibly peanutty, mildly sweet with just a slight hint of salt to bring out the peanut flavor. I use a combination of coarser granulated sugar along with powdered sugar to give it some contrast in texture. The granulated sugar along with the finely ground peanuts give the cookies a nice sweet crunch, while the powdered sugar allows the cookies to crumble and melt in your mouth.

PS – Click HERE if you are looking for more Chinese New Year Cookie Recipes!

Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grind 1 1/2 cups of unsalted roasted peanuts into a fine powder. I use my Magic Bullet Blender for this task and it works perfectly. You can also use a food processor. Be careful not to blend the peanuts for too long; otherwise you will end up with peanut butter! Blend them in small batches at a time so you have better control of how fine they are ground.

Grinding peanuts for Chinese Peanut Cookies

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground peanuts with 1 1/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir well to blend these ingredients.

Ingredients for Chinese Peanut Cookies

Add 3/4 cup of peanut oil to the mix, then use your fingers to knead the ingredients into a dough.

Kneading peanut mixture for Peanut Cookies

Test the consistency of the dough by taking 1 teaspoon of it and forming it into a ball by squeezing the dough in your hand first, then gently rolling it in between your palms. If the dough crumbles too easily, add a little bit more oil into the dough. If you can easily roll the dough into balls, the dough is at the right consistency. Keep rolling the rest of the dough into little cookie balls.

Handmade Chinese Peanut Cookies

Arrange the cookie dough balls about an inch apart on a cookie sheet.

chinese peanut cookies on a baking tray

Lightly beat 1 egg yolk, then brush a little bit of the egg yolk on top of each cookie.

egg wash for peanut cookies

Bake them in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until they turn a nice golden brown color.

baked chinese peanut cookies

Enjoy!

Sweet Lunar New Year Party

Be sure the check out the other recipes from this Sweet Lunar New Year Party!

Snow Fungus Soup by Vermilion Roots

Indonesian Honeycomb Cake (Bingka Ambon) by What To Cook Today

Black Sesame Shortbread Cookies by Little Sweet Baker

Coconut Red Bean Pudding by The Missing Lokness

Korean Caramelized Sweet Potatoes (Goguma Mattang) by What Great Grandma Ate

Cashew Nut Cookies by Anncoo Journal

One Bite Pine Nut Cookies by Yummy Workshop

Baked Coconut Walnut Sticky Rice Cake by Jeanette’s Healthy Living

Black Sesame Cream Puffs by Pink Wings

Cashew Nut Cookies by Roti n Rice

Mini Peanut Puffs (Kok Chai) by Malaysian Chinese Kitchen

Thousand Layer Cake (Lapis Legit) by Daily Cooking Quest

Pineapple Cookies (Nastar) by V for Veggy

Three Color Dessert (Che Ba Mau) by The Viet Vegan

Year of the Rooster Mochi by Thirsty for Tea

Korean Tea Cookies (Dasik) by Kimchimari

Sweet Sticky Cakes (Kuih Bakul) by Lisa’s Lemony Kitchen

Sweet Rice Balls with Peanut Butter (Tang Yuan) by Omnivore’s Cookbook

Candied Ginger (Mut Gung) by Plant Crush

Chick Egg Tarts by Dessert Girl

Red Bean Soup by Nut Free Wok

Orange Scented Sweet Red Bean by Lime and Cilantro

Join our party on social media by using the hashtag #SweetLunarNewYearParty and if you’re making cookies,#ChineseNewYearCookieParty. Tag me (@wokandskillet) so I can see your creations!

Gong Xi Fa Cai! Happy Chinese New Year!


These traditional Chinese Peanut Cookies are sweet morsels of peanutty goodness that crumble and melt in your mouth. This popular Chinese New Year treat is so easy to make and irresistibly delicious.

Chinese Peanut Cookies

Char Ferrara
Indulge in these traditional Chinese Peanut Cookies, a Chinese New Year favorite. Easy to make, these cookies offer a perfect balance of sweet, peanutty flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture that's simply irresistible.
4.47 from 15 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Cuisine Asian
Servings 50 cookies (approx)

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted roasted peanuts skinless
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 3/4 cup peanut oil or more
  • 1 egg yolk lightly beaten

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
  • Grind the peanuts into a fine powder using a food processor.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground peanuts, flour, powdered sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Mix well.
  • Pour peanut oil over the peanut mixture and knead with your fingers until a dough forms.
  • Take about 1 teaspoon of the dough and form it into a ball by squeezing the dough in your hand first, then gently rolling it in between your palms. If the dough crumbles too easily, add more oil to the dough.
  • Arrange the cookie dough balls about an inch apart on a cookie sheet.
  • Brush some egg yolk on the top of each cookie.
  • Bake for about 20 minute or until they turn a nice golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 49kcalCarbohydrates: 4gCholesterol: 3mgSugar: 1g
Keyword cookie, peanut
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Traditional Chinese Peanut Cookies
Recipe Rating




Vin

Wednesday 24th of February 2021

Hi thanks for this recipe. I just wanted to know if I could use store bought peanut powder. And the amount to use 1 1/2 cups roasted peanuts to how much peanut powder?

Char

Wednesday 24th of February 2021

Hi Vin, I haven't used peanut powder in this recipe so I can't advise on that, unfortunately, but I think that as long as there are no added ingredients, it should be okay to use. I imagine that it would be a bit drier as well so you may need to use a bit more oil. Let me know how it goes if you give this a try!

Leigh-Anne

Friday 12th of February 2021

Really great recipe. Easy to prepare and cook. Nice crumbly texture and super delicious. Not too sweet, which is just how I like my cookies. Very forgiving recipe. Thanks for sharing. Made for spring festival!

Char

Saturday 13th of February 2021

Hi Leigh-Anne, thanks for sharing and for taking the time to leave this comment! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe. Happy Lunar New Year!

Nicole

Friday 8th of May 2020

Hi. Can the peanut oil be substitute with other oils such as canola oil? Thanks :)

Char

Friday 8th of May 2020

Hi Nicole! Yes, canola oil and vegetable oil are good substitutes. Cheers!

Yin Yee Ping

Thursday 9th of January 2020

Hi what flour do we use? Some recipe calls for all purpose flour. Some cake flour. Urs is written flour so I wonder what flour would that be

Pam

Saturday 6th of February 2021

@Char, I added less oil and still needed to add more flour and ground nuts to get it the right texture... Recipe in weight rather than volume would be more accurate :)

Char

Sunday 31st of January 2021

Oh no! Sorry to hear that! I wonder if there was too much oil or if the peanuts were ground too fine (like peanut butter)? Maybe try adding a bit more flour to see if it will help keep its form.

Yee Ping Yin

Saturday 30th of January 2021

@Char,

I made the cookies and mine flatten in the oven. So I wonder how these peanut cookies stay in shape. Is there a trick to it?

Char

Thursday 9th of January 2020

Hi Yin Yee! Thanks for pointing this out! You can use all purpose flour for this recipe. Hope that helps..happy new year!!

Kut Leow

Sunday 27th of January 2019

Do we need to add baking powder.

Char

Sunday 27th of January 2019

Hi Kut Leow! No, it's not necessary to use baking powder for these cookies. Cheers!