Hello, Good News! Welcome to another article where I share with you some of the best recipes from around the world. Today, I’m going to show you how to make pandan cookies, a popular snack in Singapore that is also enjoyed in other parts of Southeast Asia.
Pandan cookies are buttery, crumbly, and light cookies that are flavored with pandan extract, a green paste made from the leaves of the pandan plant. Pandan has a sweet and floral aroma that is often compared to vanilla. Pandan cookies are usually topped with desiccated coconut and palm sugar, which add a tropical twist and a caramel-like sweetness. They are perfect for tea time, dessert, or as a gift for your loved ones.
What You Need to Make Pandan Cookies
Ingredients
To make about 40 pandan cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- 250 grams of salted butter, softened
- 80 grams of caster sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 7 to 9 teaspoons of pandan paste
- 250 grams of all-purpose flour
- 50 grams of cornstarch
- 100 grams of desiccated coconut
- 100 grams of palm sugar (gula melaka), grated or chopped finely
Equipment
You will also need the following equipment:
- A large mixing bowl
- An electric mixer or a wooden spoon
- A piping bag with a star nozzle (optional)
- A baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- A small spoon or your thumb
- A small bowl
- A wire rack
- An airtight container
How to Make Pandan Cookies – Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheet
Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. This will take about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Add the egg yolks and pandan paste
Add the egg yolks and pandan paste to the butter mixture and mix well until combined. The pandan paste will give the cookie dough a green color and a fragrant aroma.
Step 4: Add the flour and cornstarch
Sift the flour and cornstarch into the bowl and fold gently with a spatula until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix or the cookies will be tough.
You can shape the cookies in two ways: by piping or by rolling. If you want to pipe the cookies, transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe small rosettes onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between them. If you want to roll the cookies, scoop out about a tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball between your palms. Place it on the baking sheet and flatten it slightly with your fingers.
Step 6: Make an indentation and fill with palm sugar
Using a small spoon or your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Fill each indentation with about half a teaspoon of palm sugar, pressing it lightly into the dough.
Step 7: Sprinkle with desiccated coconut
Sprinkle some desiccated coconut over each cookie, covering the palm sugar filling. You can also press some coconut onto the sides of the cookies for extra crunch.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until they are lightly golden around the edges. The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven but they will firm up as they cool.
Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
Pandan Cookies Nutrition Facts
| Serving size | 1 cookie (25 g) |
| ———— | ————— |
| Calories | 131 kcal |
| Fat | 8.5 g |
| – Saturated fat | 5.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 12.7 g |
| – Sugars | 5.4 g |
| Protein | 1.2 g |
| Sodium | 54 mg |
FAQs About Pandan Cookies
What is pandan and where can I find it?
Pandan is a tropical plant that grows in Southeast Asia. Its leaves have a sweet and floral aroma that is often used to flavor desserts, drinks, and rice dishes. You can find fresh or frozen pandan leaves in Asian grocery stores or online. You can also buy pandan paste, which is a concentrated extract of the leaves, in the same places or in baking supply stores.
Can I use fresh pandan leaves instead of pandan paste?
You can use fresh pandan leaves to make your own pandan extract, but you will need a lot of them and a blender or a food processor. To make pandan extract, chop about 10 pandan leaves and blend them with 1/4 cup of water until smooth. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or a fine sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. You will get about 2 tablespoons of pandan extract, which you can use instead of pandan paste in this recipe. However, the color and flavor of the cookies may not be as intense as with pandan paste.
Can I use other types of sugar instead of palm sugar?
Palm sugar, also known as gula melaka, is a type of sugar made from the sap of palm trees. It has a rich caramel flavor and a dark brown color that complements the pandan flavor well. You can substitute it with dark brown sugar, coconut sugar, or muscovado sugar if you can’t find it.
If your cookies spread too much in the oven, it could be because your butter was too soft, your oven was too hot, or your baking sheet was too greasy. To prevent this, make sure your butter is at room temperature but not melted, preheat your oven to the correct temperature, and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
The cookies are done when they are lightly golden around the edges and firm to the touch. They will still be soft in the middle but they will harden as they cool. Do not overbake them or they will become dry and crumbly.
You can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. To thaw them, let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before enjoying.
You can make the cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake, let the dough come to room temperature and shape it as instructed. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time if the dough is cold.
You can try to make the cookies gluten-free by using a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend instead of regular flour. However, I have not tested this myself so I cannot guarantee the results. You may need to adjust the amount of flour or add some xanthan gum to get the right texture.
You can try to make the cookies vegan by using vegan butter instead of regular butter, flax eggs instead of egg yolks, and agave nectar instead of palm sugar. However, I have not tested this myself so I cannot guarantee the results. You may need to adjust the amount of ingredients or add some baking powder to get the right texture and rise.
You can customize the cookies by adding other ingredients such as chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruits, or spices. Just make sure you don’t add too much or the cookies will lose their shape and flavor.
Conclusion
Pandan cookies are a delicious way to enjoy the tropical flavors of pandan, coconut, and palm sugar. They are easy to make with simple ingredients and have a buttery, crumbly, and light texture that melts in your mouth. They are perfect forI have finished writing the article for you. Here it is:
How to Make Pandan Cookies – A Delicious Singaporean Treat
Hello, Good News! Welcome to another article where I share with you some of the best recipes from around the world. Today, I’m going to show you how to make pandan cookies, a popular snack in Singapore that is also enjoyed in other parts of Southeast Asia.
Pandan cookies are buttery, crumbly, and light cookies that are flavored with pandan extract, a green paste made from the leaves of the pandan plant. Pandan has a sweet and floral aroma that is often compared to vanilla. Pandan cookies are usually topped with desiccated coconut and palm sugar, which add a tropical twist and a caramel-like sweetness. They are perfect for tea time, dessert, or as a gift for your loved ones.
What You Need to Make Pandan Cookies
Ingredients
To make about 40 pandan cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- 250 grams of salted butter, softened
- 80 grams of caster sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- 7 to 9 teaspoons of pandan paste
- 250 grams of all-purpose flour
- 50 grams of cornstarch
- 100 grams of desiccated coconut
- 100 grams of palm sugar (gula melaka), grated or chopped finely
Equipment
You will also need the following equipment:
- A large mixing bowl
- An electric mixer or a wooden spoon
- A piping bag with a star nozzle (optional)
- A baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- A small spoon or your thumb
- A small bowl
- A wire rack
- An airtight container
How to Make Pandan Cookies – Step by Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheet
Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer or a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. This will take about 10 minutes.
Step 3: Add the egg yolks and pandan paste
Add the egg yolks and pandan paste to the butter mixture and mix well until combined. The pandan paste will give the cookie dough a green color and a fragrant aroma.
Step 4: Add the flour and cornstarch
Sift the flour and cornstarch into the bowl and fold gently with a spatula until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix or the cookies will be tough.
You can shape the cookies in two ways: by piping or by rolling. If you want to pipe the cookies, transfer the dough to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe small rosettes onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between them. If you want to roll the cookies, scoop out about a tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball between your palms. Place it on the baking sheet and flatten it slightly with your fingers.
Step 6: Make an indentation and fill with palm sugar
Using a small spoon or your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie. Fill each indentation with about half a teaspoon of palm sugar, pressing it lightly into the dough.
Step 7: Sprinkle with desiccated coconut
Sprinkle some desiccated coconut over each cookie, covering the palm sugar filling. You can also press some coconut onto the sides of the cookies for extra crunch.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until they are lightly golden around the edges. The cookies will be soft when they come out of the oven but they will firm up as they cool.
Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month.
Pandan Cookies Nutrition Facts
| Serving size | 1 cookie (25 g) |
| ———— | ————— |
| Calories | 131 kcal |
| Fat | 8.5 g |
| – Saturated fat | 5.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 12.7 g |
| – Sugars | 5.4 g |
| Protein | 1.2 g |
| Sodium | 54 mg |
FAQs About Pandan Cookies
What is pandan and where can I find it?
Pandan is a tropical plant that grows in Southeast Asia. Its leaves have a sweet and floral aroma that is often used to flavor desserts, drinks, and rice dishes. You can find fresh or frozen pandan leaves in Asian grocery stores or online. You can also buy pandan paste, which is a concentrated extract of the leaves, in the same places or in baking supply stores.
Can I use fresh pandan leaves instead of pandan paste?
You can use fresh pandan leaves to make your own pandan extract, but you will need a lot of them and a blender or a food processor. To make pandan extract, chop about 10 pandan leaves and blend them with 1/4 cup of water until smooth. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or a fine sieve and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. You will get about 2 tablespoons of pandan extract, which you can use instead of pandan paste in this recipe. However, the color and flavor of the cookies may not be as intense as with pandan paste.
Can I use other types of sugar instead of palm sugar?
Palm sugar, also known as gula melaka, is a type of sugar made from the sap of palm trees. It has a rich caramel flavor and a dark brown color that complements the pandan flavor well. You can substitute it with dark brown sugar, coconut sugar, or muscovado sugar if you can’t find it.
If your cookies spread too much in the oven, it could be because your butter was too soft, your oven was too hot, or your baking sheet was too greasy. To prevent this, make sure your butter is at room temperature but not melted, preheat your oven to the correct temperature, and line your baking sheet with parchment paper.
The cookies are done when they are lightly golden around the edges and firm to the touch. They will still be soft in the middle but they will harden as they cool. Do not overbake them or they will become dry and crumbly.
You can store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. To thaw them, let them sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before enjoying.
You can make the cookie dough ahead of time and refrigerate it for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake, let the dough come to room temperature and shape it as instructed. You may need to add a few minutes to the baking time if the dough is cold.
You can try to make the cookies gluten-free by using a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend instead of regular flour. However, I have not tested this myself so I cannot guarantee the results. You may need to adjust the amount of flour or add some xanthan gum to get the right texture.
You can try to make the cookies vegan by using vegan butter instead of regular butter, flax eggs instead of egg yolks, and agave nectar instead of palm sugar. However, I have not tested this myself so I cannot guarantee the results. You may need to adjust the amount of ingredients or add some baking powder to get the right texture and rise.
You can customize the cookies by adding other ingredients such as chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruits, or spices. Just make sure you don’t add too much or the cookies will lose their shape and flavor.
Conclusion
Pandan cookies are a delicious way to enjoy the tropical flavors of pandan, coconut, and palm sugar. They are easy to make with simple ingredients and have a buttery, crumbly,and light texture that melts in your mouth. They are perfect for any occasion and can be customized to your liking. I hope you enjoyed this article and learned how to make pandan cookies. If you did, please share it with your friends and family and check out my other articles for more delicious recipes. Thank you for reading and happy baking!