today is Jan 18, 2022
If you love the savory and sweet combinations in cookies, you need to try these eggless laksa cookies with a great savory, umami taste from the laksa paste and amazing aroma of laksa leaves.
I basically use a good basic butter cookie recipe and toned down on the butter and infused with curry laksa paste and some curry leaves. This creates amazing savory, sweet, umami, a bit spicy, crispy crunchy cookies. It’s a great addition to the Chinese New Year cookie baking!
1. Butter I use unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, keep in mind that the laksa paste is savory too, so it is best to use unsalted butter if you can so your cookies won’t be too salty. You can also use room-temperature coconut oil (not melted) 2. Icing sugar I won’t recommend using granulated or caster sugar. Icing sugar gives that melt in your mouth texture 3. Laksa paste You can use homemade laksa paste. I use store-bought laksa paste 4. Laksa leaves Laksa leaves or known as daun kesum in Malay, or rau ram/Vietnamese coriander in Vietnamese. If you can’t find any, curry leaves also give a nice aroma. 5. All-purpose flour All-purpose flour is a common term in the U.S. It’s similar to plain flour or wheat flour (not whole wheat flour) 6. Baking powder and baking soda These two are used to leaven the cookies and also help with browning and keep the acid-base balance in check. So please do not omit them
1. Let butter comes to room temperature and soft. You can easily mash them with a spatula or a whisk. Mix it with the icing sugar. You can also use a mixer to cream butter and icing sugar until just combined
2. Add laksa paste and laksa leaves
3. Stir until combined
4. Sift in the dry ingredients and then use a spatula to mix until the cookie dough is moist and sticky
5. Cover and chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour
6. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Roll the cookie dough with a rolling pin in between two parchment paper into about 4-5 mm in thickness. I suggest 4 mm as a minimum. Don’t roll it too thin to have a good mouthfeel for the cookies
7. Use a cookie cutter to cut the cookies as closely as possible, so you don’t have to re-roll the dough too many times. Place the cut-out cookie doughs on a baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. They won’t spread much during baking. Gather the dough scrap and repeat the step above
8. If you don’t want to use a cookie cutter, you can also pinch off about 10 grams of dough and roll it round and then flatten slightly with a fork or your palm into about 4-5 mm in thickness
9. Put the baking tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes before baking. Bake on a middle rack in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes (depending on how crispy crunchy you want them). I do 20 minute and they are crisp enough on the edge with a bit of softness in the middle (because my hubby likes them that way). If you prefer crispy crunchy type, you can add additional 3-5 minutes (depending on your oven too)
1. Chill the dough before you bake the cookies. Chilling the dough will prevent the cookies from overspreading during baking 2. Use a heavy-gauge aluminum pan It transfers heat so well and its light color will give cookies a nice golden brown and won’t over brown like a dark-color baking sheet 3. Preheat oven 15-20 minutes before you plan to bake 4. Bake one tray at a time for the best result and keep the other tray in the fridge while waiting
1. Let them cool down completely on a cooling rack 2. Transfer to an air-tight container for about 3-4 days at room temperature 3. For longer storage, transfer to a freezer bag and push out all the air and seal the bag. They can be kept for one month. Simply thaw at room temperature before serving
1. Prepare according to the recipe up to the point where you roll and cut the dough with a cookie cutter 2. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, not touching each other 3. Freeze for one hour and then transfer to a freezer bag and they won’t stick to each other anymore. Push out all the air and seal the bag. They can be kept for up to 3 months 4. When ready to be baked, do not thaw and bake according to the recipe and add about 1 minute or 2 until the cookies are slightly brown at the edge
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
The recipe was first published in 2021 and has been improved and updated on 1/3/2022 to have more laksa flavor and less butter. This gives a crispy crunchy type of laksa cookies.
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Servings 30 cookies (about 10 grams each)
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Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Let butter comes to room temperature and soft, but it shouldn't be melty. You can easily mash them with a spatula. Mix it with the icing sugar. You can also use a mixer to cream butter and icing sugar until just combined. Do not over cream them or your cookies will be crumbly. Add laksa paste and laksa leaves and mix until combined
Sift in the dry ingredients and then use a spatula to mix until you can form a soft cookie dough. Flatten the dough into a disc. Wrap the dough with a cling wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes so it's easier to work with
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Roll the cookie dough with a rolling pin in between two parchment paper into about 4-5 mm in thickness. I suggest 4 mm as a minimum. Don't roll it too thin to have a good mouthfeel for the cookies.
Use a cookie cutter to cut the cookies as closely as possible, so you don't have to re-roll the dough too many times. Place the cut-out cookie doughs on a baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart. They won't spread much during baking. Gather the dough scrap and repeat the step above
If you don't want to use a cookie cutter, you can also pinch off about 10 grams of dough and roll it round and then flatten slightly with a fork or your palm into about 4-5 mm in thickness
Put the baking tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes
Bake on a middle rack in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes (depending on how crispy crunchy you want them). I do 20 minute and they are crisp enough on the edge with a bit of softness in the middle (because my hubby likes them that way). If you prefer crispy crunchy type, you can add additional 3-5 minutes (depending on your oven too)
Remove from the oven and let them cool down on the pan for that crisp and crunchy texture
Store the completely cooled-down cookies in an air-tight container and they can be kept for 2 weeks
Serving: 1 cookie Calories: 30 kcal Carbohydrates: 4 g Protein: 1 g Fat: 1 g Saturated Fat: 1 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g Trans Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 3 mg Sodium: 18 mg Potassium: 5 mg Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 1 g Vitamin A: 356 IU Vitamin C: 4 mg Calcium: 7 mg Iron: 1 mg
Marvellina is a food blogger, recipe developer, photographer, and publisher at What To Cook Today. A food blog that brings you tried and true Asian recipes.