Easy Lunar New Year dessert recipe

Looking for a dessert Lunar New Year recipe? I have just what you need 🙂

Happy weekend, dear friends! I’m celebrating Lunar New Year 2024 with these scrumptious sweets, thanks to my Instagram foodie friend Jessie @jessie_inthekitchen , who posted this recipe for Gok Zai 油角 Cantonese sweet dumplings on her website recently.

Stuffed with sugar, peanuts, and sesame seeds (and sometimes coconut), these dumplings are nutty, aromatic, and crispy. The recipe does not require a lot of ingredients and it is therefore economical, excellent for using readily available ingredients. I usually buy raw peanuts and sesame seeds from local grocery stores such as Fresh Farms and Rich’s Fresh Market, where I find them in bulk. I love peanuts, and 3lb raw peanuts don’t last long in this house, lol As for sesame seeds, if I buy a larger quantity, I store it in glass jars in the refrigerator because these tend to go rancid pretty fast. Buy less if you don’t use them often.

As Jessie writes in her post, “The traditional method of making this peanut dumpling is deep frying, but I would like to share a baking method for this recipe. The appearance of these dumplings is like a mini curry puff. However, it looks like a little plump coin purse from a different perspective– it symbolizes the fuller, the better, for a prosperous New Year.” You can find Jessie’s original recipe here. Thank you so much for the recipe, Jessie 🙂

With kitchen remodeling finalized earlier this week and daily access to the oven restored, I was excited to resume my usual baking schedule with these spectacular sweet tooth-satisfying dumplings. I am fascinated by their symbolism and in love with the delightful blend of flaky crust and sesame&peanut filling. They are melt-in-your-mouth delicious, and I think I may have eaten quite a few in one sitting. But… who’s counting?🤤

Do you have a favorite Lunar New Year dish? Let me know, and enjoy your day and weekend 🙂

Print Recipe

4 from 1 vote

Jessie's Cantonese sweet dumplings

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

• 2 cups raw blanched peanuts
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds
• 2.4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 egg yolk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F. Spread peanuts in single layer on a baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown. While these are baking, spread sesame seeds thinly in a medium-sized frying pan and cook for two to three minutes over medium heat, or until fragrant and golden brown. Move the sesame seeds around the pan every 30 seconds to ensure even toasting and to prevent burning.
• Take the peanuts from oven and allow to cool completely, then chop them finely in a food processor. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground roasted peanuts, toasted sesame seeds, and sugar. Set it aside.
• Blend the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add the egg and mix well. Add the water gradually, and knead until the dough is smooth and soft (Do not over mix!) Set dough aside to rest for 30 minutes.
• Roll out the dough to a thin layer, dust a 2-inch cookie cutter with a little flour, and cut into circles about 2mm thick. Place a spoonful of the peanut & sesame filling in the center of each dough disc. Fold in half, firmly seal the edges, and tuck the edges inward to form patterns. Put dumplings on a baking pan lined with parchment paper.
• Beat the egg yolk to make the egg wash. Brush egg wash onto both sides and the edges of the dumplings. Bake dumplings in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove dumplings from oven and let cool. Store in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.
• Enjoy!

Share this post: on Twitter on Facebook on LinkedIn