Cookie Crust Mooncakes
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for details.
These Cookie Crust Mooncakes are made without lye water and golden syrup. They have crisp, buttery, tender cookie crust and are filled with traditional red bean filling and salted egg yolks.
I have a confession to make. I have sampled a few mooncakes throughout my growing-up years but I just don’t like the traditional mooncakes.
My least favorite part of the traditional mooncakes is the skin since it tastes bland to me. So, when I made and tried the Lava Custard Mooncakes, I fell in love with the crisp, buttery, and tender cookie-like crust they had.
That was why I decided to create my own homemade mooncake recipe by combining the best of both worlds. A crispy cookie crust on the outside and a traditional red bean paste and salted egg yolk inside.
About Cookie Crust Mooncakes
These Cookie Crust Mooncakes combine sable cookie crust as the mooncake skin pastry with traditional red bean paste and salted egg yolk filling. The crisp, buttery, tender sable cookie crust brings a contrast to the soft, sweet red bean paste filling. Plus, the addition of salted egg yolk adds a nice savouriness that balances the sweetness of the red bean paste.
Variations
This recipe is very versatile and can come in an endless array of flavors. You can use different flavorings and add-ins to make each recipe unique.
- Cookie crust. Add matcha powder to make the crust green and taste earthy. Substitute some of the cake flour with cocoa powder for a chocolate cookie crust.
- Filling. If you are not a fan of red bean paste, feel free to substitute it with any other sweet, thick, and dense paste, like mung bean paste, lotus paste, black sesame paste, or custard paste. And if you are not a fan of salted egg yolks, just omit and substitute them with more paste. Or just add add-ins like dried fruits, seeds, and nuts to the paste for more flavor and texture.
Why You Should Chill the Dough
You need to chill the cookie dough because it is sticky and it is impossible to work with unless it is chilled. A short stay in the fridge will firm up the cookies and solidify the butter. The cold dough is easier to work with and will mold a neat mooncake pattern with sharp edges.
Make in Advance
You can make and wrap the cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap then place it in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and freezer for up to 3 months. If frozen, let it thaw in the fridge a day before and continue with the recipe.
You can also store the raw molded mooncakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Make sure the mooncakes are covered in the refrigerator or the skin will turn dry.
How to Store
Let the mooncakes cool down completely and store them in an airtight container. They will last for 3 days at room temperature or up to a week in the refrigerator. The mooncake skin is crisp right after baking and will eventually soften after some time. You can reheat in the oven to make the skin crisp again.
More Mooncake Recipes
Ingredients
Mooncake Skin
- 1/2 cup (113 gr) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup (35 gr) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (160 gr) cake flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
Matcha Mooncake Skin
- 1/2 mooncake skin dough
- 2 tsp matcha powder
Filling
- 14 salted egg yolks
- 12.5 oz (350 gr) red bean paste
Egg Wash
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
Prepare Salted Egg Yolks
- Preheat the oven to 320F/160°C. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil for an easy clean-up.
- Crack open salted duck eggs and separate the yolks from the whites. Clean the yolks on running water. Place the yolks on the prepared baking pan.
- Spray the yolks with a small amount of Shaoxing wine/baijiu/other alcohol to remove the fishiness.
- Bake for 10 minutes until the yolks are cooked. Remove from the oven and cool completely before using them.
Mooncake Skin
- In a medium bowl, add unsalted butter and sift in confectioners' sugar. Mix with a spatula or mixer until well combined.
- Add egg yolk and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Sift in cake flour and salt. Mix until just combined.
Matcha Mooncake Skin
- Divide the mooncake skin dough into two bowls evenly (164 gr each).
- Sift in matcha powder into one bowl and mix until well combined with a spatula.
- Rest the vanilla and matcha dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Assemble
- While the dough is resting, start preparing the filling. Weight one salted egg yolk and red bean paste on the scale until you have a total weight of 40 gr.
- Shape the red bean paste into balls. Flatten the red bean paste thinly and place a salted egg yolk in the middle. Gently push the paste upwards to seal the yolk completely. Roll with your palms to smooth it out. Repeat for the remaining 13 pieces.
- Remove the skin dough from the refrigerator. Divide each vanilla and matcha dough into 7 pieces evenly (23-24 gr). Shape into balls.
- Flatten a ball of skin dough with your palms. Place a filling in the middle. Lift and stretch the dough over the filling to cover completely, and pinch to seal. Roll between your palms to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and fillings.
- Use a 65-75 gr mooncake mold to shape the mooncakes. Dust the inside of the mooncake mold with flour. Shake off the excess flour. Place a ball into a mooncake mold and face it down on the working surface. Push hard the mold a few times. Release it to get a mooncake out of it.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking mat. Place the mooncakes on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Take the mooncakes out of the oven. Let them cool for 10-15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix egg yolk and water to make the egg wash. Use a soft bristle brush to brush the top of the mooncakes with the egg wash thinly.
- Bake for another 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Allow the mooncakes to cool slightly on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
