Kinako Butter Cookies

 

I just returned from Japan and discovered kinako (roasted soybean flour). I was excited to try these butter cookies with kinako and was able to find kinako at my H mart. The dough is easy to put together but it was somewhat challenging to pipe out even using a large piping tip. To make the pretzel shapes, I had to pipe it out and then shape it into a pretzel.

 

Kinako Sewing Tin Butter Cookies (Modified from Kristina Cho’s Cookbook Mooncakes and Milk Bread)

 

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose four

¼ cup kinako

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350^o F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk flour, kinako and salt in medium bowl.

3. Mix butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (~ 3 min). Add vanilla and egg until incorporated. Add flour mixture and mix until smooth (~1 min).

4. Pipe shapes (for example, circles, hearts, pretzels). Refrigerate until firm (~ 15 min).

5. Bake for 12 min. (I initially baked for 9 min 30 sec but it was still very soft. I baked for another 4 min but I found that they quickly softened at room temperature).