Banh quy vung cookie from Vietnam

Bánh quy vừng cookie from Vietnam

No beans on toast for the Vietnamese: they like their food to be built up in a more subtle way. In a meal the five basic tastes – ngũ vị : spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet – should be balanced and when you are eating all your senses should be involved in a pleasant way. Food should look attractive, have an aromatic smell, give an enjoyable sound when you bite into it, have a nice feel to it when you touch it and, of course, taste good. A cookie is not a complex dish but these bánh quy vừng cookies do meet the last 5 requirements. The little golden rings look pretty, smell pleasantly of sesame and butter and are delicate and light to the touch. You can hear a soft crunch when you bite into them and I find they have a pleasantly intense sesame taste. The tin filled with test cookies that I took to work was empty in no time! If you like this cookie you will surely enjoy my black sesame variation.

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Bánh quy vừng cookie Vietnam

ingredients

for about 25 cookies

100 grams sesame seeds
50 grams soft unsalted butter
100 grams sugar
pinch of salt
2 egg whites
100 grams flour

roast the sesame seeds

Roast the sesame seed in a dry frying pan until golden brown. Leave to cool.

light and creamy

With an electric mixer beat the butter with the sugar and the salt until light and creamy.

foamy egg whites

Beat the egg whites until they are foamy.

add egg and flour

Add the egg whites and mix until incorporated. Add the flour and mix into a smooth dough.

mix in the sesame seeds

Add the sesame seeds and mix in well.

pipe circles

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F. Spoon the dough into a piping bag with a open round tip and pipe little circles onto a cookie sheet covered with baking paper.

Bake the cookies for 10-15 mins. in the middle of the oven until golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on the cookie sheet.

This post is also available in: Dutch