Cookies
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cornstarch Cookies
These classic Chinese cornstarch cookies are light, crumbly, and melt in your mouth. Made with cooked egg yolks, cornstarch, and butter, they develop beautiful natural cracks during baking and have a delicate, buttery flavor.
- Total
- 1 hour
Quick Recipe Summary
- Cuisine
- Chinese
- Category
- Cookies
- Method
- Baking
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Main Ingredient
- Butter
Introduction
These classic Chinese cornstarch cookies are light, crumbly, and melt in your mouth. Made with cooked egg yolks, cornstarch, and butter, they develop beautiful natural cracks during baking and have a delicate, buttery flavor.
This Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cornstarch Cookies recipe is written for Chinese home cooking, with attention to timing, texture, and the small cues that make the method easier to follow. Read through the ingredient notes and cooking tips before you start so the steps feel familiar once the pan, steamer, or pot is hot.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Written with clear home-cooking steps so the process is easier to follow from start to finish.
- Beginner-friendly enough for cooks who are still building confidence in the kitchen.
- Includes clear preparation cues that help with texture and consistency.
- Gives the dish a clear sweet flavor profile without making the method feel complicated.
- Useful as a reference recipe because the steps explain both what to do and what to watch for.
Ingredients
- 100g Butter
- 100g Cornstarch
- 100g Cake Flour
- 40g Powdered Sugar
- 1g Salt
- 2 Cooked Egg Yolks
Ingredient Notes
These notes explain the role of the main ingredients so the recipe is easier to adjust without losing its Chinese home-cooking character.
Butter
This ingredient helps define the flavor, texture, or structure of the dish.
Cornstarch
Starch helps sauces cling and can protect sliced meat during quick cooking.
Cake Flour
This ingredient helps define the flavor, texture, or structure of the dish.
Powdered Sugar
A small amount of sugar rounds out saltiness and helps create a more balanced finish.
Salt
This ingredient helps define the flavor, texture, or structure of the dish.
Cooked Egg Yolks
This ingredient helps define the flavor, texture, or structure of the dish.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Cut the butter into small cubes and let it soften at room temperature.
Step 2
Prepare 2 fully cooked egg yolks and make sure there is no soft center.
Step 3
Press the cooked egg yolks through a fine sieve to create a smooth egg yolk powder.
Step 4
Beat the softened butter, powdered sugar, and salt until the mixture becomes pale, light, and fluffy.
Step 5
Add the sifted egg yolk powder and mix until fully incorporated.
Step 6
Combine the cornstarch and cake flour, sift them into the butter mixture, and mix until a soft dough forms.
Step 7
Knead gently until smooth, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 8
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the chilled dough into 10g portions, roll each into a ball, and gently press with your thumb to create natural cracks. Arrange on the baking sheet with space between each cookie.
Step 9
Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (340°F) for 15–20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
Step 10
Cool completely before serving. The cookies should be crisp, delicate, and melt in your mouth.
Cooking Tips
- Chilling the dough helps create the signature cracked surface when pressed.
- Use fully cooked egg yolks and pass them through a sieve for the smoothest texture.
- Do not replace the cornstarch with additional flour, or the cookies will lose their characteristic crumbly texture.
- Avoid overbaking; the cookies should remain pale with only lightly golden edges.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve it with steamed rice when you want a simple Chinese home-cooked meal.
- Pair it with one vegetable dish and one soup or tofu dish for a balanced Chinese meal.
- Use the recipe card below when you want a quick cooking reference after reading the full notes.
Recipe Card
These classic Chinese cornstarch cookies are light, crumbly, and melt in your mouth. Made with cooked egg yolks, cornstarch, and butter, they develop beautiful natural cracks during baking and have a delicate, buttery flavor.
Ingredients
- 100g Butter
- 100g Cornstarch
- 100g Cake Flour
- 40g Powdered Sugar
- 1g Salt
- 2 Cooked Egg Yolks
Method
- Cut the butter into small cubes and let it soften at room temperature.
- Prepare 2 fully cooked egg yolks and make sure there is no soft center.
- Press the cooked egg yolks through a fine sieve to create a smooth egg yolk powder.
- Beat the softened butter, powdered sugar, and salt until the mixture becomes pale, light, and fluffy.
- Add the sifted egg yolk powder and mix until fully incorporated.
- Combine the cornstarch and cake flour, sift them into the butter mixture, and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Knead gently until smooth, wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the chilled dough into 10g portions, roll each into a ball, and gently press with your thumb to create natural cracks. Arrange on the baking sheet with space between each cookie.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C (340°F) for 15–20 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Cool completely before serving. The cookies should be crisp, delicate, and melt in your mouth.
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