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Strawberry Custard Cookies (Kuih Semperit)

Mixing Custard Cookie Dough with Strawberry Juice Lifestyle Shot

The past couple of days have been full on with my little girl as her classes have switched back to online learning due to the current lockdown. We go to the park in the evenings for some cycling and foraging, as it’s so lovely to breathe in some fresh air. 

I haven’t been able to create much lately but I did managed some small bakes last weekend which I managed to photographed with the help of beautiful afternoon sunlight. I’m sharing them today on my feed, they’re called “kuih semperit susu”, or custard cookies. It’s similar to Scottish butter cookies and they’re quite popular during festive seasons in Malaysia. I find them pretty when piped out into small dahlia flower patterns or even the basic round shapes with serrated surfaces. I make them with just four ingredients: corn flour, salted butter, condensed milk and strawberry juice since strawberries are in season right now. The garnish was just candied cherries chopped to smaller pieces. 

I discovered that with cookies, the type of butter you use determines the final colour and texture. You cannot go wrong if you opt for premium quality. My favourite brand is Golden Churn, I buy them in blocks and they’re so smooth and creamy in a lovely warm, yellow colour. I always had to resist sticking my fingers into the butter whenever I open the foil paper. We’ll be having these cookies with tea (I’ve a box of locally grown BOH Cameronian Gold Blend tea leaves sitting in the pantry). 

I have posted the recipe below. Do check it out and I hope you give it a try 🙂

I’m late for the Dragon Boat Festival which was on Monday 14th June, but I’ll be in the kitchen again this week making some zongzi 粽子 (or bakchang in Hokkien dialect) to commemorate the festivity. They’re little parcels of stuffed glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves. My mother makes them every year, and my family loves the savoury Cantonese/Hokkien ones with mushrooms, pork belly, chestnuts and salted egg yolks cooked in soy sauce and five spice. I made a similar one last year, but I think I’ll try a sweet version this time. 

Lifestyle Shot of Afternoon Tea at the table with Butter Cookies Kuih Semperit

Strawberry Custard Cookies (Kuih Semperit)

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
These flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits are somewhat similar to Scottish butter cookies. A traditional favourite among Malaysians, they're pretty simple to make with just four ingredients: corn flour, condensed milk, salted butter and strawberry juice! The only thing you'll need is plenty of elbow grease and deft fingers to pipe out the dahlia shaped designs.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Course Snack, Tea
Cuisine Malaysian
Servings 40 pieces

Equipment

  • Wilton 1G Star Piping Tip

Ingredients
  

  • 250 g salted butter room temperature (I use Golden Churn butter blocks)
  • 167 g condensed milk room temperature
  • 500 g corn flour (don't mistake it with corn starch!)
  • a handful of candied cherries chopped small
  • 6 strawberries juiced

Instructions
 

  • Preheat your oven to 120C. Bear in mind that ovens cook differently; I find smaller ovens cook faster compared to larger ones. I've cooked these cookies in larger ovens at 160C and they turned out fine.
  • Measure all the ingredients. Chop the butter into smaller pieces, placed them in a bowl, then pour in the condensed milk. With a spatula, gently mash them up until just combined and the butter has mixed well with the milk. Do not overmix because if you mix them too long, the biscuit will over-expand when you bake it in the oven.
  • Add in 400g of the corn flour, keeping the balance 100g aside. Using your fingers, gently combine with the rest of the ingredients. Then add in the remaining flour. Knead well.
  • Form a small well in the middle of the dough, and spoon in the strawberry juice one teaspoon at a time. Keep kneading the dough with your fingers until combined. At this point, it should be pliant, not too soft or too hard (somewhat like playdough texture) and could be easily pressed out from the piping tip.
  • Grease your baking sheet with some butter. Fill the cookie dough into the piping tip until almost full. Use your thumb to push the dough out gently and start piping dahlia shaped patterns onto the baking sheet. Each pattern should be about 0.5 inches high; don't go any higher than that. As you bake it in the oven, the cookie dough will decrease in height naturally. If you make a mistake, you can always start all over again; cookie doughs are quite forgiving!
  • Garnish with a slice of candied cherry on top. You can also put chocolate chips if you prefer.
  • Place your baking sheet right in the center rack of the oven and bake until golden for 15-20 minutes (maximum bake time is 25-30 minutes). Always check your cookies in the oven as they bake. If the top of your cookies are browning too quickly, simply place a layer of foil on top of the cookies and remove it halfway during the baking time.
Keyword Biskut Semperit, Butter Cookies, Cookies

If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram.  

Piping Out Custard Cookies (Kuih Semperit) Lifestyle Shot
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Five Spice and Orange Bundt Cake with Pistachio Glaze

I don’t bake cakes often. But when I do, it’s something our family would enjoy. Like this light and moist five spice and orange bundt cake with sweet pistachio glaze. I always reach for the flavours of my ancestral cuisines in my cooking/baking. So when I developed this five spice and orange bundt cake, I wanted to use certain ingredients that are close to home, like five spice and oranges. It also has dried longan, a local Malaysian tropical fruit that is in the same family as lychees and rambutans. In Chinese food culture, we use dried longan in tonic soups together with red dates and goji berries. We believe it to replenish and improve blood circulation. But I find they go well with spices like cinnamon and nutmeg in baked goods.

Five Spice Orange Bundt Cake with Pistachio Glaze

Five Spice And Orange Bundt Cake with Pistachio Glaze

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
This bundt cake is light, moist and refreshing. Every bite has tiny candied orange peels! I used oil instead of butter so the cake has a tender crumb. It's perfect for afternoon tea or coffee. I'm a huge fan of Nordic Ware bundt tins, and I made this cake in their Heritage bundt tin!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Course Breakfast, Coffee, Dessert, Tea
Cuisine Fusion
Servings 10 slices

Equipment

  • 1 x 10-cup (2.5 litre capacity) bundt tin or 1 x 20cm/8-inch square cake tin about 2¼-inches deep

Ingredients
  

For the candied orange peel:

  • Peel of 1 large orange
  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 8 cups water

For the cake:

Dry ingredients:-

  • 300 g cake flour sifted
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • A pinch of salt
  • Zest of 1 orange
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg grated
  • 2 1/2 tsp five spice powder only use cinnamon, cloves, fennel and star anise
  • 100 g soft dark brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup dried longan finely chopped

Wet ingredients:-

  • 175 ml vegetable oil, like sunflower oil room temperature
  • 3 eggs room temperature
  • 200 ml fresh orange juice room temperature

For the pistachio glaze:

  • 102 g whole milk
  • 26 g pistachios shelled, skins removed and chopped
  • 94 g icing sugar sifted

For garnishing:

  • crushed pistachios
  • cape gooseberries
  • orange slices

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your pistachios ahead of time. Tori Avey has some great tips on how to peel pistachios (click on the link below). If you bought unsalted/unroasted pistachios, you can roast them in the oven to boost their flavour.
    https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/how-to-skin-pistachios/#:~:text=Drain%20the%20pistachio%20nuts%20and,Many%20will%20come%20off.
  • Peel 1 orange, then cut the peel into strips. Transfer to a pot, add 3 cups of water and boil the orange peel for 6-7 minutes. Discard the water and rinse the peel. Repeat the process one more time. 
  • In a pan, add 2 cups water and 1/4 cup sugar. Mix well and let it boil till the sugar gets dissolved completely. Add the boiled peels to this mixture and cook for 25-30 minutes on medium flame till there is almost no more water left in the pan. The peels should be nicely coated in thick sugar syrup. 
  • Spread the candied peels on a cooling rack with a tray at the bottom to allow excess sugar syrup drip. When the peels have cooled down, cut them into smaller pieces and set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 170°C. Grease your bundt tin with non-stick cooking spray/butter/oil.
  • Whisk the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, five spice powder, salt and orange zest in a mixing bowl. 
  • In a separate bowl, measure the wet ingredients: prepare the oil, then crack in the eggs (one at a time). Beat for 2 minutes until well combined. Gently pour in the orange juice then stir well. 
  • In a bowl attached to your cake mixer, beat 50g brown sugar and 100g of the earlier dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, five spice, salt and orange zest) for 1 minute on medium speed until just combined. 
  • Gently trickle 1/4 cup of the wet ingredients mixture down the side of the mixing bowl into the batter, with the mixer on medium speed for 12 seconds until just incorporated. 
  • Repeat, adding the remaining sugar and dry and wet ingredients alternately for 12 seconds on low speed until just combined. Do not over-mix. Take your time, pausing the mixer in between each addition of dry and wet ingredients, otherwise you may end up with dense, gluey streaks in the middle of your cake due to rapid gluten formation. 
  • Finally, gently fold in the dried longan and candied orange peel and mix for 1 minute on medium speed until just incorporated. 
  • Pour the batter into your cake tin (it will be quite runny, but don’t worry). Tap the tin gently on your kitchen counter to burst any air bubbles. 
  • Place in the oven to bake for 45-50 minutes. When the cake is baked, it will come away from the sides of the tin and a cake tester should come out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 
  • To make the pistachio glaze, combine milk and pistachios in a saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes on low fire, stirring from time to time. Remove from heat, cover and allow mixture to steep for 1 hour. Strain nuts from milk and discard. 
  • Measure icing sugar, then stir it into the milk a few tablespoons at a time. Stir well until mixture is smooth. Pour glaze over cooled cake. 

Notes

Storage tips:
Wrap the cake loosely in parchment paper and foil, then transfer to an airtight container. It can be kept in cool room temperature up to 1 week.
If you're planning to freeze it, let the cake cool, then wrap it tightly in double layers of clingfilm and a layer of foil. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. To defrost, unwrap and place on a wire rack and leave at room temperature for about 5 hours, then you can reheat it or simply enjoy it on its own. 
Keyword Bundt Cake, Coffee, Dessert, Five Spice Cake, Orange Cake, Pistachio Glaze

If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!

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Soft and Moist Coconut Rolls (Chinese Bakery Style)

When I was a kid, these buns were my favourite take-home snack after school. They cost me less than one ringgit. Soft and pillowy, they were sold in vacuum-packed plastic, and always came in four pulled-apart buns. I get a little thrill all the time, when teasing apart these golden puffy pillows of deliciousness. I’d line up to buy a packet during recess from the vendor at my school canteen, then store it in my bag so I could enjoy them right after the last school bell rang. The packets are easy to pry open, and once I’ve gained access to the rolls, I’d tear them in half, and another half again before I gobble them up so I could get a little bit of the butter coconut filling and bread in each bite. These rolls also substituted as breakfast on days when I wanted a break from my mother’s oats and milk. I’ve attempted to replicate these buns at home and after a bit of experimentation, I can safely say this recipe is good to go. I live in Kuala Lumpur where it’s hot and humid so I usually make just enough for three days. I used a milk bread recipe as a base and let it rise in the fridge overnight to develop flavour. The dough base is versatile, as you can use it to wrap your preferred sweet or savoury filling (just make sure it can hold its shape at room temperature). My favourite bun fillings include dessicated coconut, coconut jam (kaya), red bean/black sesame/lotus seed pastes and potato curry.  

Soft and Moist Coconut Rolls (Chinese Bakery Style)

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
Here's a recipe for these sweet bread buns with melt-in-your-mouth butter coconut filling. I used a milk bread recipe as a base. The dough base is versatile, as you can use it to wrap your preferred sweet or savoury filling (just make sure it can hold its shape at room temperature). My favourite bun fillings include dessicated coconut, coconut jam (kaya), red bean/black sesame/lotus seed pastes and potato curry. Feel free to adjust the servings—they can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled to make large batches. You can always bake ahead then wrap them individually and freeze for up to 3 months. In room temperature, store them well in airtight containers for up to three days.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 14 hours 30 minutes
Total Time 15 hours
Course Breakfast, Snack, Tea
Cuisine Chinese, Fusion, Malaysian
Servings 18 rolls

Ingredients
  

For the buns

  • 290 g bread flour sifted
  • 40 g cake flour sifted
  • 6 g instant yeast if you're using active dry yeast instead of instant yeast, you may need to activate the yeast first. See my Notes below on how to proof your yeast
  • 240 g cold milk
  • 28 g granulated sugar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • edible flowers for garnishing (I pressed them a day in advance)

For the coconut filling

  • 2 egg yolks room temperature
  • 45 g granulated sugar
  • 35 g salted butter room temperature
  • 58 g dessicated coconut extra, for garnishing

For the sugar syrup glaze

  • 2 tbsp golden syrup
  • 2-3 tbsp hot water

Instructions
 

  • In a large mixing bowl, add egg yolks, salted butter, sugar and dessicated coconut. Combine gently with a spatula, then using your hands, knead them until fully incorporated. Refrigerate until ready to use. 
  • Combine bread flour, cake flour, instant yeast, and sugar in a bowl and whisk. If you’re using active dry yeast and have already proofed the yeast in warm milk and sugar, you can just add this to a mixing bowl, together with the remaining quantity of milk and sugar (see Notes at the bottom).
  • Transfer to an electric stand mixer with dough hook attachment. Add cold milk little by little as you knead on medium speed for 5 minutes. Add oil and continue to knead for another 3 minutes until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour ¼ cup at a time until the dough comes together. By this time, the dough should already come together nicely into sort of a round ball and feel soft and smooth but still slightly tacky to the touch. Do the “windowpane” test (see my Notes below).
  • Lightly grease a container or large bowl with butter or non-stick cooking spray, and place the kneaded dough in the container. Cover with a clean cloth then refrigerate. Allow the dough to rise overnight in the fridge for 12 hours. It will rise to 1.5x its original size.
  • Remove the dough from the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Flour a work surface and your hands with a small amount of flour, then lightly punch down the dough and knead it with your hands for 3 minutes into a small oblong roll, making sure to tuck in the sides towards the bottom as you go along. Divide into half, then each half equally into 18 pieces of dough balls (35g each). Add 1 tbsp filling then pinch to seal and shape into ball.
  • Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9x13-inch pan or on a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment or lightly greased. Space the rolls about 1/2- to 1-inch apart or if you like, 3-4 inches apart (depending on the size of your baking pan) to give them ample room to rise and expand.
  • Insert a tray filled with hot boiling water at lowest rung of the oven. Cover the rolls with a lightly greased plastic wrap, making sure it's not pinned under the baking sheet or else the rolls will flatten while rising. Let the plastic wrap gently hang over the sides of the pan to fully cover the rolls but not press them down. 
  • Place baking tray inside the oven, close the oven door and allow bread dough to rise for 45 minutes - 1 hour until double or triple in size. Then remove from oven. 
  • Preheat oven to 150 C. Prepare sugar syrup glaze. Bake the rolls for 30 minutes until golden brown. Halfway through (15 minutes), remove tray from oven, brush the crust with sugar syrup, add edible flowers and dessicated coconut then bake for another 15 minutes. Once done, remove from oven, place on a cooling rack and brush the crust again with sugar syrup for a nice shine. 

Notes

How to perform the windowpane test:
Grease your fingers with a little oil. Pinch a tiny amount of dough the size of a ping pong ball with your fingers. Hold the dough between your two thumbs on the top and gently tease and stretch the dough until you get a thin, translucent membrane. It might leave some sticky residue on your fingers, but if you can roll it into a smooth ball without it sticking to your hands in a shaggy mess, you have a perfectly floured dough. However if it tears easily while you try to stretch it, it means the gluten (protein in the flour) isn’t developed enough. Just stick it back with the rest in the mixer, and knead for another 2-3 minutes. Repeat until you get the ‘windowpane’.
How to tell if your active dry yeast is working:
Check proof your yeast to find out if it’s still active. Add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 2 1/4 teaspoons of yeast to 1/4 cup of warm water. Wait for 10 minutes. If the mixture bubbles and develops a yeasty aroma, the yeast is still good. 
Keyword Bread, Chinese Bakery, Coconut Buns, Coconut Rolls

If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!

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Carrot Walnut Cake with Mandarin Oranges

It’s been raining the past few days, and where I live in the tropics, this is welcome news. My little one and I have been snuggling under the covers on most evenings just before dinner, reading her favourite Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I know I’ve been quiet on social media, but this intermittent period of ‘missing in action’ has been wonderful for both my mental and physical health. I had a minor surgery last week to remove a skin lesion so I took a few days off to recuperate. On Sunday, we went to visit my late grandparents’ graves to place some flowers because it was Qingming Festival in the Chinese calendar where we honour our ancestors and commemorate those dear to us who have passed on. In the late afternoon, I made this classic walnut carrot cake with mandarin oranges for Easter. 

I find that cream cheese is susceptible to the slightest heat so the first batch of frosting I made with just 375g of icing sugar ended up drippy. I kept the frosting and added more icing sugar, a 150g at a time, until I finally arrived at my ideal consistency, within a 400-600g window. The trick is to gently fold the icing sugar in slowly with a spoon so it’s thick, white and holds its shape. If you overbeat it, the texture goes slack or runny, so just barely beat in each spoonful of icing sugar before adding the next 150g. I always opt for good quality cream cheese like Philadelphia that are brick-shaped (not whipped). They’re better suited for baking rather than the ones in a tub. But even then I’m surprised that the water content in its brick form is still quite high. I drained the excess fluid with a muslin cloth. You could also add in double cream to stabilise it further.

I decorated my carrot loaf cake with edible flowers and finely chopped walnuts. I was happy to find that a nearby supermarket had restocked some locally grown violets and pansies which I adored.

Carrot Walnut Cake with Mandarin Oranges

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
This is my take on the traditional carrot cake with a twist! I adore mini tangerines. Besides the fact that they continue to be held in high esteem with associations of regalness, joy and wealth in Chinese culture, mandarin oranges are sweeter and less tart in taste compared to regular oranges.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Tea
Cuisine American, English, Western
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
  

For The Cake

  • 213 g brown sugar sifted
  • 99 g vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • 240 g fine cake flour sifted
  • 1 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda don't forget to check the freshness of your baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 cups carrots shredded
  • 1/2 cup walnuts coarsely chopped, extra for garnish
  • 142 g mandarin oranges washed and chopped, seeds removed and excess juice drained; keep skin for zesting
  • 1/2 tsp orange zest grated

For The Frosting

  • 227 g cream cheese softened
  • 55 g salted butter softened
  • 2-3 tsp milk room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 400-600 g icing sugar (or confectioner's sugar) sifted
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder optional
  • edible flowers for decoration

Instructions
 

To Make The Cake

  • Pre-heat oven to 177 C. Grease bottom and sides of a rectangular 9 x 22 inch loaf pan with butter or non-stick baking spray, then lined it with parchment paper. In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, oil and eggs (break eggs one at a time) with an electric mixer on low speed about 30 seconds or until well incorporated. Fold in flour, cinnamon, baking soda, vanilla and salt then beat on low speed for 1 minute. Stir in shredded carrots, walnuts, oranges, orange zest and nutmeg. Beat again until combined.
  • With a spatula, spoon the batter into the loaf pan slowly, making sure to spread it out evenly in all directions. Once done, give your pan a light tap a few times to burst any air bubbles. 
  • Transfer your pan to the oven (centre rack with top and bottom even heating) and bake for 35-40 minutes, until toothpick inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Leave to cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes then remove the cake from the pan carefully (you can lift up the parchment paper in which the cake sits). If you find that the top of your cake has cracked, don’t worry as that can be easily fixed when you frost the cake later. Just slice off the top of the cake with a serrated knife to get an even layer before icing. 

To Make The Frosting

  • In the meantime, prepare the frosting. Scoop out your cream cheese onto the centre of a clean muslin cloth. As you would a piping bag, gather up the sides of the cloth and twist it then hold it over the sink or a bowl and apply pressure. You should see some excess liquid dripping out from the bottom of the cloth. Once you’ve gotten as much liquid out as possible from the ball of cream cheese, set it down on a kitchen towel and leave to dry out. 
  • Beat softened butter in a bowl with an electric whisk until smooth, then add cream cheese and whisk on medium high until well combined, about 1 minute. Measure 150g of sieved icing sugar with an electric scale, then spoon the sugar into the bowl slowly and beat for 30 seconds. Repeat until the frosting is very thick and stiff. Do a test by dipping your spoon into the batter then lift it up, or hold it upside down—the frosting shouldn’t slide off your spoon. Now you can refrigerate it for 10 minutes before using it. Don’t forget to cover the top of your bowl with cling wrap or a clean cloth before refrigerating.

Notes

Your cream cheese frosting should keep well in the fridge for 5 days before you use it, or up to 3 months in the freezer stored in a storage bag. 
Keyword Breakfast, Carrot Cake, Coffee, Dessert, Tea

If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!

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Crisp and Buttery Dragon Cookies

Dragon cookies (过年饼 ‘loong peng’ in Cantonese). In Chinese culture, dragons are auspicious, representing good luck, strength, health and also the male element of the “yang” energy. In olden China, they connote imperial power and authority. Dragon cookies are all the rage during Lunar New Year, but since I missed having them during the festival this year, I decided to make them now. They taste just like regular butter cookies, crisp on the edges but soft inside. They’re fun to make and you only need simple kitchen gadgets. But the challenge lies in getting the right dough consistency so that it’s not too hard (which will be tricky to pipe out) nor too fluid and soft that it looses its shape and melts in the oven, or too starchy/custard-y. The end result should be a soft, pliable dough that is easy to pipe out with just a little bit of resistance. 

You should also develop some arm muscles because it takes a fair bit of thumb coordination to get the dough out of the nozzle! 

These cookies are a perfect accompaniment to my warm matcha latte.

Crisp and Buttery Dragon Cookies 过年饼

Deborah, Saveur Malaisie
Known as ‘loong peng’ in Cantonese, these cookies are popular during Lunar New Year. They have a nice crispness to them with a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture. Perfect for tea or snack any time of the day! Find the recipe below.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 24 minutes
Course Snack, Tea
Cuisine Chinese, Malaysian
Servings 40 cookies, depending on size

Equipment

  • Electric cake mixer
  • Hand whisk
  • Baking sheets/parchment paper
  • Baking tray
  • Rubber spatula
  • Digital kitchen scale
  • Oven (with top and bottom heating function)
  • Wilton 1M piping nozzle and thick, durable piping bag (avoid disposable bags)
  • Toothpicks
  • A cooling rack

Ingredients
  

  • 150 g salted butter brought to room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut to smaller pieces and mashed
  • 100 g icing sugar sifted
  • 2 egg yolks 18g each, brought to room temperature, egg whites separated from the yolk. How to identify eggs: https://www.allrecipes.com/article/whats-the-deal-with-grades-of-eggs/ 
  • 60 g milk room temperature
  • 250 g corn flour sifted (I used unbleached organic corn flour, which is slightly yellower in colour)
  • 50 g cake flour sifted
  • 30 g milk powder sifted
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla essence optional
  • red gel food colouring

Instructions
 

  • Cream butter for 3 minutes at medium high speed until creamy. Add icing sugar and increase to high speed. Mix well until light and creamy and icing sugar is no longer visible. Don’t forget to scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl from time to time. 
  • Add egg yolks, one at a time, then beat well until just combined. I recommend you to weigh the egg yolks beforehand as this will determine the consistency of the cookie dough. 
  • Add in milk, a little at a time, as you continue to beat everything together on high speed for 3 minutes. Whip until the texture becomes fluffy. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl.
  • Fold in milk powder, corn flour and cake flour. Using a baking spatula, gently fold in all the ingredients together, stirring firmly until well combined to form a soft, pliable dough.  
  • You can use a 1.5cm piping tip (those ideal for making churros), but I prefer the Wilton 1M nozzle to achieve a thinner, more organic shape. Fit your nozzle to your piping bag then transfer the dough to the bag. Do not overfill. Kitchn has some great tips on how to use a piping bag for beginners (link below).
    https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-use-a-piping-bag-224064
  • With a firm hand, gently press down the tip of your nozzle to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Pipe out ’S’ patterns, using your thumb to press them out of the nozzle. Try to keep to an S shape as much as possible and don’t pipe too long, otherwise it may end up looking like a snake instead of a dragon. 
  • Use a toothpick dip in red gel colouring to dot the eyes. 
  • Cover with a plastic wrap and refrigerate cookie dough for 30 minutes before baking.
  • Preheat oven to 150 C. Bake your cookies on the lower rack for 15 minutes till light yellow. It shouldn’t brown too much.
  • Remove and leave to cool on a cooling rack. 

Notes

  1. You don’t need to add salt as I incorporated salted butter in the recipe.
  2. I use cake flour for finer, airy and tender cookies. They’re best for baked goods like cakes, biscuits, or pastries.
  3. It's recommended to bring eggs, butter, and other dairy ingredients to room temperature before mixing them. These ingredients form an emulsion which traps air, while at room temperature. While baking in the oven, that trapped air expands and produces fluffy baked goods.
  4. Chilling the cookie dough before baking solidifies the fat in the cookies. As the cookies bake, the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. And the longer the fat remains solid, the less cookies spread out or “melt” in the oven. 
 
Best practices for storage: Arrange your cookies in layers inside a jar, lined with parchment paper in between to absorb oils. They keep well in an air-tight container at room temperature. 
Tip: Always weigh all ingredients with a digital scale for precision.
Keyword Auspicious, Biscuits, Dragon Cookies, Lunar New Year

If you made this dish, let me know by tagging @saveurmalaisie on Instagram!

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