Seaweed Almond Cookies ~ 紫菜杏仁饼 ~ CNY 2017

Here's a recipe that you may like to add onto your baking list for the coming Chinese New Year.  These shortbread like, slice and bake cookies are a bit crisp and crumbly, taste a little bit sweet and a little bit salty.  For those of you who like to snack on seaweed or nori, do give this a try.

Seaweed Almond Cookies ~  紫菜杏仁饼

Ingredients

• 230 gm unsalted butter
• 320 gm plain flour
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 sheets Japanese roasted seaweed ( 24 x 19 cm)
• 110 gm icing sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 50 gm lightly toasted almond nibs
• Lightly toasted white sesame seeds for garnishing (optional)

Method

1. Sift the flour with bicarbonate of soda, salt, set aside.
2. Cut up the seaweed and place in a chopper to chop into small pieces.
3. With a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with the icing sugar till well blended.
4. Add in the egg yolks and mix well.
5. Add in the sifted flour, mix well.  Mix in the seaweed bits and almond nibs (You can do this by hand), to form a soft dough.
6. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic, shape and roll up.  You can roll into a cylindrical or square shape.  I roll up the dough and press it into a biscuit shaper mould.  Chill it in the fridge for about 2 hours till firm.  (I left it in the fridge, overnight).
7. Cut up the chilled dough into 1/4 inch thick slice, place on a parchment lined baking pan,  1 inch apart, sprinkle on the white sesame seeds.
8. Bake in a preheated oven @ 180 deg C for 13 to 15 mins. till lightly golden brown.
9. Let the cookies cool on a wire rack before storing them in an airtight cookie jar.
10. Yield :  48 cookies