Peanut Cookies (Fah Sang Peng)

February 9, 2010

The Chinese New Year gravy train is steamrolling at full speed now with only five days left until we usher in the Year of the Tiger! And honestly, I don’t care if we have KFC for Chinese New Year as long as I have my batch of Malaysian cookies to gorge over, especially these nutty balls of peanut buttery goodness.

One thing I know about peanuts is that The Father loves them especially in Malaysian treats. So these peanut cookies were perfect for him and in fact these were a hit with the whole family. Even Critique Numero Uno – The Mother – was absolutely impressed with them and took great joy in telling me that her work colleagues were in raptures at a mere taste. For me, these cookies are so easy to make that I’m confused as to why I’ve never tackled them earlier!

Simply put, these are even better than any of the packet or processed peanut cookies that you buy but I certainly can’t take credit for these gems. The recipe comes from one of blogger pal A Table For Two, who loves to churn these cookies out every year. He in turn adapted it from here.

Ad-break for some Chinese New Year trivia! Did you know that peanuts are popular to eat during this time as it symbolises longevity and also fertility? Personally the fertility boost I can do without but yay for living longer! In any case who’s to stop you from enjoying these at any time of the year? The crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth texture and the unmistakable peanut buttery taste with the touch of saltiness are just too hard to resist on the other 364 days of the year.



Peanut Cookies (Fah Sang Peng)

Ingredients

300g shelled and unsalted peanuts
200g caster sugar
250g plain flour
180-200ml peanut oil (or any flavourless oil like canola) – you’ll only need enough to bind the mixture
1 tsp salt
1 egg beaten or 1 egg white, lightly beaten until slightly frothy

Method

1. Preheat the oven at 200°C and line some baking trays with baking paper or silicone mats.

2. In a frying pan over medium heat, roast the peanuts until fragrant (be careful not to burn!). Grind them in a food processor until finely grounded. Alternative you can roast peanuts in the oven for about 10 minutes on 170°C.

3. Tip the grounded mixture into a large bowl and break any lumps with a wooden spoon. Sift in the flour, sugar and salt into the peanuts and mix to combine.

4. Pour in about 100ml of the oil into the bowl and use your hands or wooden spoon to knead the mixture together.

5. Pour in the remainder of the oil little by little, while still kneading the mixture until the sugar has melted and has just come together as a dough without it sticking to the bowl or your hands. Dough is ready when it doesn’t break or crumble when you roll a bit of the mixture into a ball in your palms.

6. Roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls and place them on the baking sheets (I made them slightly bigger and got exactly 40 cookies out of this recipe).

7. You can either:

  • Stud each cookie with half a peanut to decorate
  • Or use a round piping tip to score decorative circles on top of each cookie (the original recipe used empty pen cases for this!). For me, I used a star piping tip for a slightly prettier indentation.

8. Brush each cookie with the beaten egg/egg white and bake in the oven for 15-17 mins or until golden brown.

9. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and store in airtight containers. Will last for about a week before it starts to go a bit stale.

Print this recipe 


{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }

amy February 8, 2010 at 16:36

my mom made almond cookies and the recipe is somewhat similar but there are no eggs in that one and ohmyheavens, it is soooo good. will tell her about your peanut cookies:)

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Carolyn Jung February 8, 2010 at 17:18

Wow! These are so puffy looking and loaded with peanuty goodness. With a few of these, the Lunar New Year will definitely be a most happy one.

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joey@FoodiePop February 8, 2010 at 17:38

Oohhh, yum. Not long now before the year of the tiger!

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Trisha February 8, 2010 at 19:47

Ooohhhhh I can eat it everyday of the year alright! And LOL @ using empty pens for piping… ingenius!

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Steph February 8, 2010 at 21:29

:) Same here, I can't live without my new year goodies! Will have to share some of the batch of yummies I get from Malaysia at the end of the month. The boy said that these were super yummy, thanks so much for saving some for us!

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foodwink February 8, 2010 at 23:57

They look great – I could eat them all RIGHT NOW.

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the raw noodle February 9, 2010 at 02:40

oh wow! My mum makes these too. I should get her recipe! Yours look great!

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Sara February 9, 2010 at 04:47

With your posts and posts/tweets and pics of my other fellow bloggers, I really want to celebrate CNY this year. Okay I usually head out for a meal to semi join in the fun, but now I have this incredible urge to cook up some cookies.

Thanks for sharing your delightful recipes and stories with us. Looks like I will be adding CNY baking to my Christmas/Easter and other occassion baking, just so I don't feel left out!

The biscuits just sound and look so delicious. As always your photos are amazing and capture all their cookie goodness.

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dining room tables February 9, 2010 at 08:59

My parents also make this during Chinese New Year! It has been a yearly activity. But I prefer eating it everyday!

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zurin February 9, 2010 at 09:04

Oh and ahhh It sounds so divine…..my list is one recipe longer now because of this….i have to try it…thank u and the fotos are so beautiful !!!

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billy@ATFT February 9, 2010 at 13:30

nom nom nom nom nom… next year i thhink we all should team up for a CNY bake-off!!

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citrusandcandy February 9, 2010 at 13:42

You could always substitute the peanuts in this for almonds or any nuts really :) I hope your mom enjoys them though :D

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citrusandcandy February 9, 2010 at 13:43

Oh any day is a good day with cookies! Especially ones that melt to a peanutty mess yummo!

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citrusandcandy February 9, 2010 at 13:43

Yep and I can't wait! So what are your plans for CNY?

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citrusandcandy February 9, 2010 at 13:54

hehe I know right? But piping tips works even better :)

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citrusandcandy February 9, 2010 at 13:54

You mean share with me LOL! No problems, glad A enjoyed them!

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citrusandcandy February 9, 2010 at 13:55

Aww thanks! :D

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citrusandcandy February 9, 2010 at 13:55

Thank you! Even better… get your Mom to make it for you! :D

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citrusandcandy February 9, 2010 at 13:56

You're very welcome Sara! And I do hope you try out some Malaysian baking soon. You'll love it :) And thank you so much!

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citrusandcandy February 9, 2010 at 13:56

Aw shucks, thanks so much!

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nomnomnibblies February 9, 2010 at 14:05

Hi Karen,

We've been following your food blog for a while now and have been inspired to start one of our own!
Here is the link to our blog http://nomnomnibblies.blogspot.com/
Please pop by when you have time!

PS: we love peanut cookies! and yours look really good! must try the recipe these few days. happy chinese new year!

Love, L & J xx

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Lee Hong November 29, 2010 at 13:26

It is about time to prepare the new year cookies for next year

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melissa April 12, 2011 at 20:04

I’m baking these right now straight from your blog!!

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Citrus and Candy April 13, 2011 at 03:14

Oh awesome! Deliver some to me now please? :)

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lilian August 10, 2011 at 03:19

Can i substitute the oil with melted butter instead?

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Citrus and Candy August 10, 2011 at 23:06

Hi there, I don’t recommend using butter because you’ll alter the flavor and texture of the cookies. Plus the melted butter might make them more greasier and heavy. If you’re worried about the nut content, feel free to use a neutral oil like grapeseed or sunflower.

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