Sugee cookies are very light, crumbly, oh-so-very-buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies. These are festive favourites, but perfect treats for everyday tea.
I can’t possibly start my Lunar New Year without sugee cookies!
My festive baking this year has seen better progress than most, with lapis cakes and pineapple tarts all done, and now, with just three more days to the start of the New Year, I quickly get to baking these light, crumbly, and oh-so-very-buttery ghee cookies.
Sugee cookies are like a very lightweight version of shortbread cookies.
Biting into a sugee cookie, you first feel a crisp crunch, and the cookie quickly breaks into crumbly morsels, releasing an intense buttery flavour (as ghee is used instead of butter), and it all literally melts in your mouth.
It’s a sublime way to enjoy a cookie, don’t you agree?
Sugee cookies are very easy to bake (yes, believe me – finally, here’s a Chinese New Year goodie that doesn’t have to test our baking skills to the hilt!).
These cookies tend to have characteristic cracks in their appearance, and that’s due to the action of baking soda when mixed into the cookie dough.
I tend to defer to traditional Nonya recipes like this one by the late Mrs Leong Yee Soo, which uses the simplest of ingredients, and omits the use of baking soda.
But if you just love those surface cracks in your sugee cookies, mix in 2 to 2 1/2 tsp of baking soda with the flour, before adding to the ghee mixture. Then proceed as per the recipe instructions, and shape into rounds without making impressions.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ghee is clarified butter — the butter oil, without the lactose and other milk solids. It is traditionally prepared by gently heating butter until it becomes a clear golden liquid.
The lactose and other milk solids coagulate and are meticulously removed. This process also evaporates most of the natural water content, making ghee light, pure and resistant to spoilage (source: www.qbbghee.com)
Perhaps, the only challenge you’re likely to face is the temptation to over-bake these cookies, and trust me, it’s easy to over-bake these.
You’ll tend to want to see the cookies brown a little, as most cookies and biscuits do, but these cookies should turn lighter, to a pale cream colour when baked (and I know that this might go against every impulse or instinct you have as a baker).
If they are over-baked, these cookies become hard, crispy and crunchy, though still delicious, and are perfectly edible.
If baked to a pale cream, these cookies will give you that full buttery taste of ghee, and that much sought after, characteristic, melt-in-your mouth texture.
Sugee Cookies
Ingredients
- 400 g ghee
- 300 g confectioner’s sugar
- 700 g plain flour
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- ¾ tsp salt
Instructions
- In an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream ghee confectioner’s (icing) sugar, essence, and salt on medium speed for 5 minutes. Change to a dough hook attachment, add the flour, and knead into a soft dough. Leave covered for 4 hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 120 deg C (250 deg F). Line baking trays with greaseproof paper.
- Using a teaspoon, scoop a heaped teaspoon portion of dough and roll between your palms into a ball, each the size of a marble. Place on the baking tray, spaced well apart. Using a small fork, make impressions by pressing lightly on the centre of each ball, and sliding the fork away from the centre to prevent sticking. (For round-shaped cookies, roll into balls, and press lightly in the centre with your finger).
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, until cookies turn lighter in colour. Transfer to a cooling rack. When completely cooled, store in airtight containers.
Celia Lim says
Hello Pert! Happy Chinese New Year to you too! Thank you so much for sharing, and I’m so thrilled you were able to recreate one of your favourite CNY goodies at home with this recipe! I’ve been meaning to update the recipe to include semolina flour as an essential ingredient too. You just gave me the impetus to do so soon!
Pert says
Whenever I am in Singapore, I always dropped by Bengawan Solo to buy these sweet treats. I just finished baking it and we just canโt stop eating it. Very very close to bengawan soloโs sugee cookies. I did replace some of the flour with fine semolina flour. Hope there will still more when family comes over tomorrow. Thank you for sharing the recipe, Celia. Happy Chinese New Year to you & your family.
Celia Lim says
Hi Janice, it depends on the size of your cookies, but as per the recipe, you can get 200 cookies. You can easily half the recipe if that’s too many.
Janice says
May I know based on this recipe, roughly how my cookies can be made?
Look forward to bake
Celia Lim says
Hi Carolyn, yes, you’re right that semolina flour is a traditional ingredient in sugee cookie. This recipe is one of the late Mdm Leong Yee Soo’s, one of Singapore’s culinary matriarchs, and I stayed true to it as printed in her cookbook.In my humble opinion, these cookies do turn out nice too.
Carolyn Lim says
Should there be semolina flour in the sugee cookies?
Celia Lim says
Hi Shu, thank you so much for trying these cookies! If it’s a bit hard after it cools, it’s probably been baked a little too long. It happened to me the first few times I baked these, cos I’m so used to waiting for my cookies to brown a bit. But this is the opposite, the cookies should be slightly underbaked and still look pale. They they’ll turn out with more melt-in-the-mouth quality. Hope this helps!
Shu says
Hi Celia,
Made it and it’s very tasty and pretty. Super easy, thanks for your recipes! Will try more.
May I know why my sugee cookies are a bit hard? My friends say it’s tasty but a bit hard.
Celia Lim says
Hello Arvina, sorry to hear but this dough should not be turning out watery with the ingredients listed – ghee, icing sugar and flour are all firm at room temperature. The cookie dough is indeed soft but can easily be shaped into balls. The only thing I can think of is that possibly, the mixture was creamed at too high a speed, creating heat and causing some of the ghee to melt. I would recommend chilling the dough until it’s firm enough to shape.
Arvina says
Hi there, I did the same as per measurement given but the dough is so watery and it is impossible for me to make it into a ball? any idea?
Celia Lim says
Hi Shahira, I think resting between 2 to 4 hrs should be fine! Hope these turn out to your liking !
Shahira says
What happens if i donโt leave it for 4 hours? Maybe ard 2 hours?
Celia Lim says
Hi Noridah! I’m so glad these worked out well! Thank you for taking the time to write in and share! Selamat Hari Raya!???
Ida says
Thanks Celia for the advice. I had some problems with my oven but managed to resolve the issue and ended up baking all the dough without having to keep it for another day. The results were fantastic! Thank you for sharing the recipe ๐
Celia Lim says
Hi Ida, I haven’t chilled this dough before but I think it should be okay to do so. But I would only do so overnight. Unlike other types of cookies which you can bake right out of the chiller, I would allow the dough to come to room temperature before rolling and baking. Hope this works out well for you!?
Ida says
Hi Celia
Is it possible to keep the dough in the fridge to bake at another time?
Celia Lim says
Hi Shanks, I can’t believe I missed replying to your comment! I know this is coming so late, but thank you so much for trying out these cookies, and sharing how you did it. I always use QBB brand of ghee too, just love the flavour! Please keep your comments coming (and I’ll try to reply asap…?)
Celia Lim says
Hi Jing, I’ve never left this cookie dough overnight but it should be fine, as the dough doesn’t contain eggs or dairy. I would keep it covered in a dry, cool place. Hope you could share how it turns out! Happy baking!
Jing says
Hi. Can i leave the dough overnight?
Celia Lim says
Hi Kavan, there is no semolina flour in the recipe which I realise is odd for these to be called sugee cookies. It’s how the original recipe was presented and I didn’t feel the need to tweak it then as these cookies really do turn out awesome and have that melt-in-the mouth texture.
Shanks says
First time baking cookies and i love the outcome. QBB ghee brand is a must. I used regular cake mixer to blend ghee and sugar then kneaded flour in by hand till dough got nice and even. Rested dough for abt 3 hours. Cookies were smooth, no cracks, and yes that oh-so-buttery-melt-in-the mouth feelingโฆ100% must try sugee cookies recipe, thanks to Celia.
Kavan says
No sugee for this recipe?
Celia Lim says
Hi Amelia, sorry to hear that. I’ve not encountered this before but my immediate thoughts would be that it’s possibly a case of over creaming the ghee. Do not replace icing sugar with raw sugar as the texture will turn out differently. Cookie dough, when rested enough, allows the flour to become coated evenly with the fats and gluten (protein) in the flour to relax, so that the cookies can have the melt-in-the-mouth texture. Resting also allows the flavours to develop better, so the cookies will taste nicer. Hope this helps!
Amelia says
Hi Celia, I tried your recipe today but I halved all the ingredients. I roll them into balls but minutes later my cookies were flattened in the oven, I was shocked when I saw that. I’m not sure why. Can I replace icing sugar with raw sugar? Why do you rest your dough for 4 hours?
Celia Lim says
Hi Pat, thank you for writing in!?I haven’t tried that myself though cashew sugee cookies are made with flour and ground cashew, so I’m sure ground almonds would work just as well. Nut-based sugee cookies would have more of a crunch to it than a melt-in-the mouth texture. Hope this helps!
Pat Sia-Robey says
Hi Celia,
Thanks for sharing your recipe. Do you think substituting some of the flour with ground almonds will work?
Appreciate your comments. Thanks
Violet says
Thanks for the response. I am certainly going to wait for 4 hrs to get the ultimate taste. ?
Celia Lim says
Hi Violet, I usually let mine rest for 4 hours, but if you can’t wait that long, I would let it rest it for at least 2 hours. Mine were worth the wait, they turned out crisp on the outside but melt-in-the-mouth, if baked just right. Hope your cookies turn out great too! Hope you can share!?
Violet says
hi, thank you for sharing. i am cooking half of the recipe, do i leave the dough covered for 2 hrs or 4hrs?
Appreciate your advise as my dough has just crossed 1hr ?
Celia Lim says
Hi Jo, I baked top and bottom heat, on the middle oven rack. Hope it works out beautifully!
Jo says
Hello, can I know if I bake the cookies at the lowest level or the medium level of the oven? Is it top and n bottom heat or just bottom heat?
Celia Lim says
Hi Nicole,mmmm… yummm,cheese sugee cookies sound so good!??? I haven’t tried this before so I can’t be sure how to tweak this. I’d love to know if you do make a cheese version though!
Nicole says
Hi Celia,can we make an additional cheese flavor in the ghee cookies??
Bren says
If my electric mixer does not have paddle or dough hook attachment, can I cream the wet ingredients with wooden spoon? Do I need to use icing sugar to get’melt-in-mouth’ effect? After browsing your recipe-I recalled successfully making sugee biscuits in 6-3-3 proportion. Can’t remember if I have to use icing sugar or fine sugar will do?
Celia Lim says
Hi Shini, if you like the crack appearance in your cookies, mix in 2 to 2 1/2 tsp of baking soda with the flour, before adding to the ghee mixture. Then proceed as per the recipe instructions, and shape into rounds without making impressions. Hope this helps!
Celia Lim says
Hi Shini, thank you for writing! It does have a melt-in-the-mouth quality if you are careful not to overbake, but it will be crisp on the outside.?
shini says
Hi Celia
Does this recipe require baking soda?
shini says
hi Celia,
Iโm gonna make this tonight and does the recipe have the quality of melts in the mouth, because the previous recipe i used to do doesnโt give that kind of taste
hope to hear you soon .
Thank you in advance
Celia Lim says
Hi Jenny, I’ve only made these with two brands widely available in Singapore, QBB and LEILA. Both worked out equally well in terms of flavour, in my humble opinion, though I use QBB more often for most of my baking and cooking.?
Jenny says
Hi Celia,
Have you experience with different brand of ghee? Which is the better tasting?
Celia Lim says
Hi Sarah, sorry for the confusion!? hope you liked how your cookies turned out! Thank you for highlighting that, and I’ve updated the recipe. ?
Celia Lim says
Hi Sarah, oh my! Thank you so much for highlighting that! Sorry forbthe confusion, am going to edit the recipe to include that right away! Hope your cookies turned out to your liking!?
Sarah says
Hi,
Just to let you know, in your method you have forgotten to add the vanilla and salt. It got me a little confused and I had to add it at the end before baking.
Celia Lim says
Hi Adeeba, I usually do out of habit but you don’t need to for cookies. For cakes, it’s more important.?
Adeeba says
Sorry for too many questions,did you sift the flour and icing sugar?
Celia Lim says
That’s so nice to hear!? Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Enjoy!?
Adeeba says
thank you for the recipe , my mom love it so much .
Celia Lim says
Hi Adeeba, I left the dough out at room temperature.โบ
Adeeba says
Did you leave the dough in fridge ?
Celia Lim says
As per the instruction, pre-heat oven to 120 deg C (moderately hot) and bake at this temperature. Sorry for the confusion!? I’ll clear that up in the recipe. Thanks, Adeeba!
Celia Lim says
Hi Adeeba, you only need to knead long enough to incorporate the flour, which shouldn’t take very long if I remember correctly.
Adeeba says
What do you mean by using a moderate oven ?
Adeeba says
Is there any possibility to over knead the dough after you add the flour ?
Celia Lim says
Hi Adeeba, sure you can! This recipe is easily halved. Hope you like it!
Adeeba says
Can I divide this recipe by 2 ?
Celia Lim says
Hi Yasin, yes, you can, you’ll get a little exercise doing it by hand?! It would be a lot easier if you could use a spoon/scoop/spatula with a long handle to beat the ghee and icing sugar mixture till it’s light and fluffy, then use your hands to knead in the flour.
Yasin says
Can i use normal spoon to mix instead of electric mixer??
Celia Lim says
Thank you, Mallika!?
Mallika says
Very nice nd simple
Celia Lim says
Thank you so much, Doris!? So happy to hear that!
doris says
Thanks for your special tips to leave the dough covered for 4 hours. This makes the biscuits melt in the mouth.
Celia Lim says
Hi Su Yin,
So happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing!? I recall that mine had a kind of a powdered sticky surface too, was it like that for you? I thought that was characteristic of sugee cookies, otherwise, they might end up being overbaked and crunchy but still delicious!?
Ong Suyin says
Hi my cookies using this receipe was a hit and brought back childhood memories. However the top layer was a little sticky like uncooked.
I tried moving the trays up and down . Maybe next round I will do it in smaller balls
Cheers
Celia Lim says
Hi Daljit, this recipe doesn’t actually use semolina flour, which I know may seem odd ? you could easily experiment with it though, by using part plain flour, part semolina flour. The texture won’t be quite as melt-in-the-mouth, but I reckon it’ll have a nice crunch. Do let me know if you try it, ya? Cheers, Celia
Daljit says
Hi Rachel. This seems like the perfect receipe but for some reaso n i am not able to see the most important ingredient which is the sugee. How much sugรจe does one use for the main receipe written at the top ? Thank you.
Celia Lim says
Hi Michelle, I know the amount of icing sugar looks insane ? but these cookies won’t turn out tasting sickly sweet, also because there’s salt added that blunts the sweetness just a tad. Do feel free to reduce the sugar if you’d prefer the cookies a little less sweet. You may need to reduce the salt a pinch too.?
Michelle says
Hi. May I know what if the cookies are too sweet. What else can I do ?
Celia Lim says
That’s so helpful to know, Rachel! Thanks a ton for sharing in detail how you made these. I’d definitely love to try it the way you did yours. I think it works out really well both ways, from what I’ve read elsewhere when looking for recipes for these cookies (i.e. melting the ghee, then stirring in the dry ingredients, or creaming the ghee with sugar and then kneading in the dry ingredients), but I’d happily go for a shortcut method anytime! Happy eating (am getting fat on my stock of these cookies!)
Rachel says
Yeah they weren’t as snowy white as yours were (but that’s probably also because I just melt the ghee and stir it into the sifted dry ingredients instead of creaming the ghee and sugar so the dough doesn’t start out as pale either). I definitely need to try the creaming method, but fwiw melting and stirring (plus the 150C bake temp + time) gets you from start to finish in about 25 minutes total so it’s a great shortcut with less cleanup and (I think anyway) a pretty good texture!
For reference my ingredients were….60g ghee, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 105g flour, 25g icing sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp baking powder.
Celia Lim says
Hi Rachel, thanks so much for sharing! That’s awesome! Now I know what to do if I’m short on time too! ๐ Regards, Celia
Rachdl says
Didn’t have time to do 120C/20-25 min so I just tried a middle ground of 150C or thereabouts for about 16-17 min and they turned out great! My house is now out of ghee which…is probably a good thing since I cannot stop eating these things haha but I’ll definitely try 120C next time I make these! Thanks ๐
Celia Lim says
Hi Rachel, hope the texture of these sugee cookies as per the recipe works out to your liking, and if it’s not too much trouble, I’d love to hear from you how it turns out when you try this…happy baking!?
Rachel says
Ooh! Finally a recipe that doesn’t call for 1:2 ghee to flour. I’ve been experimenting with Sugee cookies this year too and had some trouble getting them fully cooked without any browning – I’ll have to try your lower oven temp on my next batch. ๐ thanks!