21 BEST Chinese New Year Cookies 2027

Along with the giving out (if you're married) and collecting red packets (if you're unmarrried), feasting on sweets such as Nian Gao, snacks and traditional cookies when visiting friends and family is a huge part of the annual Chinese New Year celebration.

Below you'll find some of the most popular Chinese New Year cookie recipes. What's the snack you're most looking forward to this holiday season?

🍪 Nut Cookies

Almond Cookies

In America, these cookies are actually 1 of the most popular Chinese cookies and only need a few simple ingredients. (They're made with a mix of fine almond flour and regular flour.)

Traditionally, Chinese New Year almond cookies were made without butter, but the American version is slightly different- and, in my opinion, these crunchy cookies are more delicious!

Note: for more Asian cookies, click here

Chinese Almond Cookies 2023 (Buttery)

These Chinese Almond Cookies are the Asian-American version: they have a sweet, buttery and crisp texture, making them utterly delicious!

Click here for the butter almond cookies.

No Mixer Needed

Traditional Almond Cookies

Cashew Cookies

Chinese Peanut Cookie

This is 1 of the most popular Chinese New Year recipes on Greedygirlgourmet! One year, someone ordered over 20 jars of these traditional peanut cookies!

It's pretty much a sift and mix recipe- no electric mixer needed! I recommend using home ground and roasted peanut for the best flavor. (Leftovers can be used for muah chee, or sprinkled on Thai dishes.)

Plus, if you skip the egg wash, they're naturally vegan!

Note: these old-school cookies don't use peanut butter in them.

Traditional Chinese Peanut Cookies (CNY 2023)

In the process of recipe testing, I baked over almost 2000 cookies (and tested many variations of the recipe!)

Click here for the peanut CNY cookie recipe.

Hup Toh Soh

These is a popular snack in Hong Kong, but very easy to make at home for Chinese New Year season!

Chinese Walnut Cookies (Hup Toh Soh)

Also known as He Tao Su, these classic vegetarian cookies are easy to make at home, using store cupboard ingredients, and can be made vegan as well (info below). Crispy, crumbly and fragrant, they go well with coffee or milk tea!

Click here for the Cantonese nut cookie recipe.

Chocolate Black Sesame Cookies

You will need black sesame powder to make this- click through for an easy homemade recipe for sesame powder and paste. Extra black sesame seeds can be made into a warming and nutritious sesame soup or beautiful lattes.

P.S. Another popular Chinese sesame snack is Jian Dui, which is made from glutinous rice flour, and is commonly seen at Dim Sum restaurants.

Easy Chocolate Black Sesame Cookies (No Mixer)

These easy Chocolate Black Sesame Cookies are delicious but super simple to make in UNDER 30 MINUTES. You simply stir the melted butter into the dry ingredients. (No stand mixer is needed, saving you precious wash-up time!) The nuttiness of the black sesame elevates the chocolate and makes it a more grown-up, not overly sweet cookie, with crisp edges and a soft, cake-like interior.

Click here for the sesame cookies with chocolate.

Nutella Cookies

This No Mixer cookie is a fun project to make with the kids!

3-ingredient Nutella cookies

This delicious easy Nutella cookies only require 3-ingredients and are like a cake in cookie form! They're soft with crisp edges and have the fragrant Nutella hazelnut aroma!

Click here for the easy hazelnut chocolate cookies.

Zodiac Cookies

Every year, the Chinese Lunar Calendar is associated with a different animal. For example, 2023 was the year of the Rabbit, and 2024 the year of the dragon!

Chinese people like to celebrate by making food in the shape of that year's animal. It's very easy to turn regular sugar cookies into mini dragons for the new lunar year- all you need are dragon cookie cutters!

🇸🇬 South East Asian

There's a huge Chinese population in many parts of South East Asia such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Here, the Chinese people have starting using local ingredients and know-how to make their own particular Chinese recipes.

Scroll down for some of the popular Lunar New Year treats in the region!

P.S. If you're curious about the local cuisine, click here to find out more about popular Singaporean desserts!

Pineapple Tarts

Once upon a time, I sold these, until I decided chopping the pineapples, grating them by hand and stirring for HOURS was just too much work! However, here are some of my tips from those days:

• to enable this traditional cookie to last at room temperature, you need to add a lot of sugar to the pineapple jam. To make sure it's not too sweet, use unripe pineapples (and not ripe ones, which have a higher sugar content.)
• if you like them chewy but don't have hours to grate, you can mix blended pineapples with some grated pieces for more bite. (Some people chop them instead.)

These traditional Chinese New Year cookies are given out as symbols of Good Fortune. In Hokkien, pineapple is "Ong Lai" which is a homonym for the arrival of Prosperity.

Kuih Rose

Also known as Beehive Cookies, these delicacies use coconut milk, which is a very common ingredient in South East Asian cooking.

Light and crunchy, they're fried, not baked!

🥠 Modern

Matcha Cookies

You can also substitute the matcha powder for Hojicha to make Hojicha Cookies.

If you enjoy matcha cookies, you'll love matcha pound cake!

Easy Matcha Cookies 抹茶クッキー (4-ingredients)

These delicious and Easy Matcha Cookies 抹茶クッキー (4-ingredients) are a green tea shortbread that is soft and chewy. They have a beautiful green color, taste wonderful and are so easy you can make them perfectly the first time! (Matcha is expensive so I have also added a budget friendly option.)

Click here for the matcha shortbread cookies.

Fortune Cookie

Given that fortune cookies are an American invention, they certainly weren't part of the traditional Lunar New Year celebration!

However, they're a fun addition when celebrating with friends, as you can easily make your own and include all kind of fun predictions for good fortune in the Year of the Rabbit in them!

P.S. The recipe even comes with a video to make your life easier!

Brown Sugar Cookies

These are 1 of my favorite holiday cookies as you can make so many cookies from this 1 dough:

• add in milk chocolate chips
• substitute the brown sugar for white
• add some vanilla or almond extract
• use royal icing to write the Chinese Character for fortune (福) on them
• etc etc!

Easy 3-ingredient Brown Sugar Cookies

Buttery, crisp but flaky and not-too-sweet, these deliciously easy 3-ingredient Brown Sugar Cookies are the perfect Holiday Bake for fall and winter! Lots of flavor for very little work, they're the perfect bake for when you're feeling lazy and don't have eggs.

Click here for the easy basic cookie dough recipe.

Bak Kwa Cookies

Most people end up with too much meat jerky after the Spring Festival, so why not chop some up and throw them into your bakes?

Note: for more leftover bak kwa recipes, click here.

Shaker Cookies

These CNY cookies with a see-through centre by Constellation Inspiration are some of the most unique ones I've seen!

They're a bit complicated as you will need isomalt to make the clear "windows" in the cookie (so that you can see the bits move when you shake the cookies!)

Five Spice Cookies

If you want something more original, try these glazed 5 spice cookies! Use homemade Chinese 5 spice powder for a more aromatic flavor.

Note: you will need a mold to get the beautiful pattern. They look perfect for Christmas too!

Red Bean Paste Cookies

This popular-in-China sweet treat is crisp and delicious. The crust is similar to the one used in easy Chinese Almond Cookies so you can save time by baking both on the same day. (It's custom to have maaaaannnny different types of traditional Chinese New Year desserts out to offer guests!)