Here is How You Can Bake These Fully and Scrumptious Asian Cookies Easily at Home

Cookies don't have to mean chocolate chip cookies or just butter cookies. There are a host of exciting flavors of these baked goods from around the world that you should add to your repertoire. Asian countries, in particular, offer unique cookie variations that elevate the simple combination of flour, butter, eggs, and sugar. Experiment with and savor these different and unique flavors, impressing your friends and family with this exciting list of recipes.

Lengua de Gato

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of softened butter
• ½ cup of granulated sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1 cup of refined flour
• A pinch of salt (omit if using salted butter)

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 180 C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• In a bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup of softened butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until creamy.
• Add the vanilla extract, followed by the egg whites, continuing to whisk until the mixture is well combined.
• Gradually fold in the flour and a pinch of salt until a smooth cookie dough is formed.
• Transfer the dough into a piping bag.
• Pipe 3-inch long cookies onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about a 1-inch space between each.
• Bake the cookies in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the edges turn a light brown color.
• Remove the tray from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. They will harden and crisp up as they cool down.
• Enjoy these cookies with a hot cup of coffee.

Nan-e Berenji

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of vegetable oil
• ¾ cup of icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 cups of rice flour
• ¼ cup of rose water
• 1 to 2 tbsp of poppy seeds

Instructions:

• In a large bowl, mix the sugar and vegetable oil together till you achieve a creamy result.
• Add in the egg yolk and keep whisking till homogenous.
• Gradually add the rice flour, mixing every time you do so. It’s best to use a spatula instead of a whisk here.
• Finally, add the rose water, and mix till you achieve a dough.
• Knead the dough and flatten it into a rectangle, wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
• Now, preheat the oven to 160 C and line your baking tray with parchment paper.
• Portion out the cookie dough and place them on your baking tray. Flatten them out and using a teaspoon, make a star shaped pattern on it.
• Top each cookie with poppy seeds.
• Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until they turn a light golden brown.
• Let the cookies cool a little before digging in.

Karachi Biscuit

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of refined flour
• ½ cup of vanilla custard powder
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• ½ cup of softened butter
• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• ½ cup of tutti frutti
• 1 tsp of rose water
• ¼ cup of chopped cashew nuts
• 6 tbsp of milk

Instructions:

• Sieve the flour, custard powder, and baking powder into a large bowl.
• Cream the butter and sugar till it turns pale and creamy. Add the vanilla, tutti frutti, and chopped cashew nuts to this.
• Now fold the sieved flour and custard powder mix into the butter and sugar till everything is well combined.
• Finally, add the 6 tablespoons of milk till you achieve a well formed dough.
• Then form the dough into rectangle-shaped cookies and place them on a parchment-lined baking tray. Space them out evenly. If you run out of space, use another baking tray.
• Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour or more.
• Bake the cookies in the oven at 180 C for about 25 minutes to half an hour. The cookies will spread out a little and turn golden brown.
• Once done, cool the cookies and store in an airtight jar.

Yakgwa

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 2 cups of whole wheat flour
• 2 tbsp of toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp of vegetable oil
• ½ tsp of cinnamon powder
• 2 tsp of ginger juice
• ¼ tsp of salt
• A pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup of honey
• ½ cup of soju
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Pumpkin seeds (for garnish)

Syrup:

• 1 tsp of ginger juice
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup corn syrup (or honey)
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions:

• Sift the flour into a large bowl, then add the sesame oil, vegetable oil, and cinnamon powder.
• Mix the flour with your hands till you get a sandy texture.
• Sift the flour once again to remove any lumps.
• In another bowl, combine the ginger juice, salt, honey, soju, and black pepper. Mix well to dissolve the honey.
• For the syrup, take a large enough saucepan or kadhai and add ginger juice, corn syrup, water, and sugar.
• Cook this syrup for 10 to 15 minutes till the liquid thickens.
• Move back to the cookies, and add the flavored honey and soju mixture to the flour. Mix till you have a loose, crumbly dough.
• Transfer this to a flat surface and using a rolling pin, spread this into a rectangular shape. Now fold and roll out the dough a couple more times to add layers. The dough will become less crumbly and loose after you’ve repeated this process multiple times.
• Cut the dough into any shape and make a hole with a chopstick or a skewer.
• The cookies will now be fried twice. After you’ve done and achieved golden brown fried cookies, they are ready to be dipped in the ginger flavored syrup.
• Dip and let the cookies sit in the syrup for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Garnish them with pumpkin seeds.