Last Updated on January 13, 2023 by Chef Mireille
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Hup Toh Soh – Walnut Cookies are traditional Chinese Walnut Cookies always made to celebrate the Lunar Festival to symbolize happiness. These delicious Shortbread cookies are often just called Chinese New Year Cookies or Chinese New Year Biscuits.
Chinese New Year
In a few days, people of Chinese origin will be celebrating the Lunar New Year. This is the most important holiday for most Chinese. Many traditional foods are eaten during the 2 week holiday that symbolize wealth, prosperity, good fortune, longevity and hapiness. These Lunar Festival Walnut Cookies symbolize hapiness and have a lovely shortbread like texture.
The Lunar Festival is celebrated in many countries with Chinese descended populations. Even here in NYC, we have a Lunar Festival parade every year in Chinatown. In Malaysia and the Phillipines, it is one of the biggest festivals of the year. There are variations to these cookies that exist in these other countries, where peanut is more often used than walnut.
Chinese New Year Traditions
There are 12 Chinese zodiac symbols that are repeated every 12 years. This is the Year of theOx (2020) so just count back every 12 years to figure out if this is your year or not. In Chinese astrology, it is believed that you will have bad luck in your birth year because you are offending Tai Sui, the God of Age. This is why many of the foods made for Chinese New Year are meant to symbolize good luck to safeguard against the bad luck that is predicted.
Since red is a color of good luck in Chinese culture, it is often recommended to wear red in your birth year to bring on good luck. Red socks, a red belt and red underwear especially is seen as very lucky. However, there is a caveat. Someone else must buy you the red underwear. You cannot buy it yourself. Otherwise, it wont ward off the predicted bad luck. You can also wear jade accessories to ward off the bad luck.
If you would like to learn more check out these 10 Chinese New Year Recipes with a downloadable one sheeter to teach your kids (and yourself 😊) all about this holiday.
Chinese New Year Infographic
Web Story
This recipe is also available as a web story. Check out the Chinese Cookies Web Story for Chinese New Year.
Walnut Meal
Walnut Meal is the most traditional version of this cookies. However, in some countries where walnuts are harder to come by, peanut meal or almond meal is used.
Just like with regular nuts, walnut meal or any nut meal will go rancid if not utilized in a short period of time. For this reason, once opened, you should store the nut meal in the refrigerator until you finish it.
Since walnut meal is not that common, here are a few other recipes you can try that use walnut meal.
- Walnut Whole Wheat Bread
- Paprenjaci – Croatian Spice Cookies
Now let’s go over what else you need to make these delicious Chinese Walnut Cookies.
Ingredients
- all purpose flour – or whole wheat pastry flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- butter – at room temperature
- sugar
- walnut meal – almond meal or peanut meal can also be substituted
- egg – can be substituted with 1/3 cup heavy cream
- milk
- walnut pieces
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TO REMEMBER
These are basically a shortbread type of cookie, so the batter is a bit on the dry side, but do not be tempted to add more liquid. The cookies will bind and come together with the heat of your hands.
How to make Chinese Walnut Cookies
- Mix the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix.
- Beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Use the paddle attachment of an electric mixer or by hand with a wooden spoon.
- Add walnut meal.
- Add 1/2 of the beaten egg
- Add milk and mix until thoroughly combined.
- The batter will be quite dry.
- By hand, form the cookies into balls. The heat of your hands will bind the cookie mix.
- Flatten the balls a bit and press a walnut piece in the middle of each cookie.
- Brush the tops with the remaining 1/2 of the egg.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes.
These walnut cookies are super fast and easy to put together, so you still have time to get them made before the New Year begins.
For some other sweet treats to celebrate the Lunar New Year, try these other Chinese New Year specialties I’ve made:
Chinese New Year Recipes
- Nian Gao – Coconut Sticky Rice Cake
- Peanut Sesame Dumplings
Chinese Walnut Cookies – Hup Toh Soh
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup walnut meal
- 1 beaten egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 12 walnut pieces
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix to combine.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar using the paddle attachment until creamy. You can also mix by hand with a wooden spoon or use a handheld electric mixer.
- Add flour combo and mix to combine.
- Add ½ the egg and milk. Mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add the nut meal/ nut flour and mix until thoroughly combined.
- It is a dry looking dough, but do not be tempted to add more liquid. The heat from your hands will provide the additional moisture to make the cookies come together.
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Spray with non stick spray.
- Form walnut sized balls. Make an indent and place a walnut piece in the center. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat until all the cookies have been formed. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
- While the cookies are resting, preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush cookies with the other half of the egg.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown. As soon as you take them out, press the walnut cookies into the dough again if necessary. Some may have risen a bit. Leave on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes to set.
Notes
Nutrition
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Walnut cookies look fantastic. The second click where you are holding it looks amazing, and yes walnut is one of my favorite dry fruits.
thanks – yes it is challenging to get in those one handed shots but I thought it came out pretty good
Amazing cookies..Learnt the recipe plus about the Lunar Festival from you!!
yes Chinese New Year is very popular here because of the large Chinese population we have. IS always interesting to learn about other cultures especially when food is used as a vehicle for doing so
Very nice reading about the history and the culture..lol on the item that needs to be gifted by others..:)..the cookies sound so sinful!..
I bet these taste absolutely amazing! Love the idea of baking with walnut flour.
here is another idea with Walnut Flour so you are not buying it just for one recipe – Paprenjaci – Croatian Cookies
This is is new recipe for me. Baking with walnut flour is interesting. Great share.
I’ve actually done a few bakes with walnut Meal – You might also want to check out the others. – Walnut Wheat Bread and Paprenjaci – Croatian Cookies
I don’t think these would make it to the office for sharing 🙂 They sound delicious, I love walnuts in my cookies, so will be trying them for sure!
well no one says you have to share 🙂
WALNUT MEAL?! Oh man, that sounds like heaven on earth!
yes – using nut grains is a wonderful way of adding extra protein into baked goods
These were wonderful treats Mireille. Made me a bad mom though :D.
that means you will have to make them for him 🙂
My car insurance agent gave me a package of these (he’s Chinese), and now whenever I talk to him he asks me how I liked them! I never ate them because they were store bought and probably terrible– but love this homemade version!
You should make these and give to him and ask him which he liked better ?
O these sound wonderful! I’d take a whole plate!
These cookies so delicious and could not stop with one cookie. Interesting to know about wearing red in zodiac birth year.
interesting to learn about all the traditions they have for the Festival
Beautiful pictures and interesting cookie recipe. A will try.
This is totally new to me.Never used the walnut flour so far,need to explore.Bookmarked it and the picture are amazing.
Very interesting recipe. Cookies looks soo delicious. Bookmarked
thanks so sorry you were sick as I shared these cookies with the girls but you missed them 🙁 you should definitely try them – so delicious!
? will definitely try them.
Heard a lot about these cookies, cant wait to bake some now. Well baked cookies tempts me a lot.
Mir loved your write-up especially enjoyed the someone else has to buy part. I hope the same holds for jade jewellery too.
Love the cookies they need to be made soon.
Love reading about the tradition Mir, those cookies looks scrumptious!!!
Totally loved these Walnut cookies Mir. They are so crumbly and delicious.
Glad u liked them
Cookie with Walnut meal sounds so awesome. Love how chunky and hearty the cookies look. Happy CNY to you!
Thanks these were so good You should definitely give a try!
Using Walnut flour for cookies sounds very unique. Trust you to dig out unique ingredients and recipes!!
it’s actually not the first time – Check out my recipe for Paprenjaci – they are Croatian cookies also made with walnut flour