Salted Egg Yolk Cookies

Nov 7, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Cookies bars Medium

Salted egg yolk cookies are short, crumbly butter cookies enriched with steamed, mashed salted duck egg yolks, which give them a deep golden color and a rich sweet-salty, almost savory taste. An egg yolk glaze and a scatter of black sesame seeds finish each one. Makes 32 cookies in about 2 hr 25 min.

Prep 40 min

Cook 30 min

Cooling 1 hr 15 min

Total 2 hr 25 min

Yield 32 cookies

Ingredients

Adjust yield

4 (72 g)salted egg yolks, from raw salted duck eggs
1 ¼ cups (150 g)all-purpose flour
2 tbsp (15 g)cornstarch
2 ¾ tsp (8 g)milk powder
¼ tsp (1 g)baking powder
1 pinchsalt
½ cup (110 g)unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup (50 g)caster sugar
1 (18 g)egg yolk
1 tsp (5 ml)water
1 ¾ tsp (5 g)black sesame seeds

Fresh ingredient guides

Sesame seedsHow to pick, season & nutrition · 172 kcal per 30 g

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Instructions

Rinse the salted egg yolks, set them on a heatproof plate and steam over boiling water until firm and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Mash them with a fork while warm into a fine, crumb-free paste and cool for 10 minutes.
Whisk the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, milk powder, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
Beat the unsalted butter and caster sugar with a hand mixer until creamy, about 2 minutes, then beat in the mashed yolks until evenly golden.
Add the flour mixture in two parts and mix on low speed just until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
Near the end of chilling, heat the oven to 340°F (170°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll the dough into 12 g balls (about 32), set them 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart on the baking sheets and flatten each slightly with your fingertips.
Beat the egg yolk with the water, brush it thinly over each cookie and sprinkle with the black sesame seeds.
Bake until golden brown on top and lightly browned underneath, 18 to 20 minutes, swapping the sheets halfway through.
Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then move to a rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Tips

Mash the yolks while still warm and press them through a fine sieve if any grainy bits remain, so the dough is smooth.
Frozen ready-separated salted yolks work too; you will need about 40 g after steaming.
Steam the raw salted egg yolks until firm all the way through before using, and do not taste the unbaked dough (raw flour).
Good with hot oolong or jasmine tea.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make salted egg yolk cookies?

Plan on 40 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour 15 minutes to chill and rest. The recipe makes 32 cookies.

How should I store salted egg yolk cookies?

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Can I make salted egg yolk cookies ahead?

It is at its best the day it is made; prepare it a few hours before serving.

A festive cookie that became a Singapore Chinese New Year favorite during the salted egg yolk craze, made by steaming cured salted duck egg yolks and mashing them into a butter dough. Serve it with hot oolong or jasmine tea.

Variations

Curry leaf salted egg cookies: fry 10 g (about 1/4 cup) fresh curry leaves in 5 g (1 tsp) of the butter until crisp, cool, chop finely and beat in with the yolks; bake time unchanged.
Cheesy salted egg cookies: replace the milk powder with 15 g (3 tbsp) finely grated Parmesan; bake time unchanged.
White sesame finish: replace the black sesame with 5 g (2 tsp) white sesame seeds; bake time unchanged.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 32 servings this recipe makes.

60 Calories / serving

3.7g Fat

5.7g Carbs

1.0g Protein

1.6g Sugar

Whole recipe (32 servings): ~1920 cal · 118g fat · 182g carbs · 32g protein · 51g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.