Red Bean Paste Cookies
Buttery, tender cookies with a sweet red bean paste center, inspired by traditional Chinese moon cake flavors. These melt-in-your-mouth treats have a delicate shortbread-like texture and are studded with whole red bean paste for bursts of earthy sweetness. Perfect for tea time or as a gift.
Steps
Before you start
- Bring butter and eggs to room temperature (1 hour ahead)
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C)
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
Prepare red bean paste
- Roll the red bean paste into 24 small balls, each about the size of a pea or ½ teaspoon.
- Place on a small plate and refrigerate while you prepare the dough.
- This keeps them firm and easier to enclose.
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Ready when: All paste rolled into uniform balls
Tip: Wet your fingertips slightly if the paste sticks; this prevents frustration.
Cream butter and sugar
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar together with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3–4 minutes until the mixture is pale, fluffy, and noticeably lighter in color.
- Scrape down the bowl halfway through.
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Ready when: Mixture is pale and fluffy, volume increases noticeably
Tip: Start with room-temperature butter; cold butter won't cream properly and will result in dense cookies.
Add egg and vanilla
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract to the butter mixture.
- Beat on medium speed for 1 minute until fully combined and smooth.
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Ready when: No streaks of yolk visible; mixture is uniform and smooth
Mix dry ingredients
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt.
- Set aside.
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Ready when: Dry ingredients are evenly combined
Tip: Cornstarch adds tenderness and prevents toughness—do not skip.
Combine wet and dry
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold together with a spatula until just combined.
- Do not overmix; the dough should come together in a soft, cohesive mass without visible streaks of flour.
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Ready when: No visible flour streaks; dough is soft and holds together
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and makes cookies tough. Stop as soon as ingredients combine.
Shape cookies
- Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon, drop a small portion of dough (about ½ inch in diameter) onto a prepared baking sheet.
- Press one red bean paste ball into the center, then gently fold and seal the dough around it, covering the paste completely.
- Flatten slightly with your palm to about ¼ inch thick.
- Space cookies 1½ inches apart.
- Repeat with remaining dough and paste balls, dividing evenly between the two baking sheets.
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Ready when: 24 filled, sealed cookies on baking sheets, each about ¼ inch thick
Tip: Keep dough and paste cool to prevent sticking. If dough becomes soft, refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Brush and chill
- Lightly brush the top of each cookie with the beaten egg white.
- This creates a gentle sheen.
- Refrigerate the filled baking sheets for 15 minutes before baking.
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Ready when: Cookies are cold and firm to the touch
Tip: Chilling prevents cookies from spreading too much and losing their defined shape.
Bake cookiesOven 325°F / 165°C
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C) if not already done.
- Place one baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake for 14–16 minutes until the edges are very light golden brown and the centers feel set but still slightly soft when gently pressed.
- The tops should not brown much; this is a delicate cookie.
- Rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking for even color.
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Ready when: Edges are light golden, centers are set but still tender
Tip: Watch carefully after minute 12—these cookies brown quickly at the edges. The centers will continue to firm as they cool.
Cool on baking sheet
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies rest for 5 minutes on the hot pan.
- This allows them to firm up enough to move without breaking.
- Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.
- Repeat baking with the second batch.
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Ready when: Cookies are firm, no longer warm, and hold their shape
Tip: Do not move cookies immediately from the hot pan; they are delicate and will break.
Good to know
Tips
- Measure flour by spooning into a measuring cup and leveling, not scooping directly from the bag, to avoid packing too much flour into the dough.
- Red bean paste varies in sweetness by brand; taste yours first. If very sweet, consider reducing the sugar in the dough by 1 tablespoon.
- For even baking, bake one sheet at a time. If baking two simultaneously, swap their oven positions halfway through.
- These cookies have a delicate, shortbread-like crumb. They are meant to be tender, not crispy.
Make ahead
Dough can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Shaped, unbaked cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month on a baking sheet, then baked directly from frozen (add 2–3 minutes to baking time). Finished cookies keep best stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: 5–7 days in an airtight container. Refrigerator: up to 10 days in an airtight container. Freezer: up to 2 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container. No reheating needed; serve at room temperature.
Substitutions
- red bean paste → Sweetened black sesame paste or black bean paste. Both have similar texture and sweetness. Use the same amount.
- cornstarch → Arrowroot powder or tapioca starch. Provides the same tenderness; rice flour can substitute at 1:1 ratio but yields a slightly grainier texture.
- large egg yolk → ½ tablespoon milk or heavy cream. Reduces richness slightly but maintains moisture. Omit vanilla if using cream.
- vanilla extract → Rose water (¼ teaspoon) or omit entirely. Rose water pairs beautifully with red bean and echoes Asian baking traditions.
