Hup Toh Soh: Chinese Walnut Biscuits

Name: Hup Toh Soh: Chinese Walnut Biscuits
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 12 biscuits servings
Cuisine: International
Ingredients: 270 g cake flour; ¼ level teaspoon baking powder; ½ level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda); ¼ teaspoon fine salt; 115 g unsalted butter, softened; 115 g caster sugar; 75 g toasted walnuts, finely crushed; 1 large egg, at room temperature; 12 walnut halves for topping, additional to the 75 g above; A little extra softened unsalted butter, only if needed to bind the dough

ByWei Ling

Oct 8, 20263 min

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Prep Time

25 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes (plus 8-10 minutes for toasting walnuts)

Total Time

35 min

Servings

12 biscuits

Difficulty

easy

Bake hup toh soh, Chinese walnut biscuits, with toasted walnuts and butter. An easy recipe for golden biscuits with a crisp, crumbly bite.

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Golden, gently cracked and crisp at the edges, hup toh soh is a biscuit made for a cup of tea. A light egg wash gives the tops their sheen, while toasted walnuts add flavour to the crumb.

This butter-based version uses ordinary supermarket ingredients and needs no special mould. The biscuits are shaped by hand, with a walnut piece added to the top if you like.

A Walnut Version for the Home Kitchen

Despite the name, some hup toh soh recipes contain no walnuts. This version includes finely chopped nuts in the dough, giving the biscuits a clear walnut flavour.

I prefer using butter instead of lard as in some traditional recipes. It gives these biscuits a buttery flavour and crumbly texture.

For the biscuit’s origins and the puzzle behind its name, read our history article Hup Toh Soh: China’s Crumbly Walnut Biscuit.

Golden Chinese walnut biscuits, known as hup toh soh, arranged on a plate. — Golden hup toh soh, Chinese walnut biscuits with a buttery, crumbly bite.

Recommended Tools and Tips

Use a Digital Kitchen Scale to weigh the ingredients, including the beaten egg. Egg sizes vary, so weighing helps keep the dough consistent.

A Food Processor makes quick work of the cooled, toasted walnuts. Pulse in short bursts until finely ground, stopping before they turn oily.

Alternatively, place the walnuts in a resealable food bag and crush them with a Rolling Pin. Work over the bag until you have fine crumbs; a few slightly coarser pieces are fine.

Use a large Silicone Spatula to mix the softened butter and sugar. The butter should yield to gentle pressure but still hold its shape; mix until smooth and slightly lighter.

A Dough Scraper is useful for gathering the crumbly mixture and dividing the finished dough. You can also use an Ice Cream Scoop to divide the dough. If the dough is too dry and falls apart, add a bit of softened butter and work it in, a little bit at a time.

Line the Baking Tray with Baking Paper or a silicone baking mat. Flatten the dough portions before baking and leave space between them to allow for spreading.

Use a Pastry Brush to apply a thin, even layer of beaten egg. Brush the tops lightly, avoiding pools of egg around the bases.

Let the biscuits cool on a Wire Rack before storing. They are fragile when warm and firm as they cool.

Four step-by-step images showing walnuts being prepared and mixed with butter, sugar, egg and flour to make hup toh soh dough. — Steps 1–4: Preparing the walnut biscuit dough: toast and crush the walnuts, mix the butter, sugar and egg, then bring everything together with the dry ingredients.

Four step-by-step images showing hup toh soh dough being portioned and brushed with egg wash, followed by golden baked walnut biscuits on a silicone baking mat. — Steps 5–8: Shaping and baking hup toh soh: portion and flatten the dough, brush with egg wash, then bake until golden.

Serving and Storage

Serve hup toh soh with tea or coffee, once the biscuits have cooled completely and their texture has settled.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within a week for the best flavour and texture. Keep away from heat and moisture.

Hup Toh Soh: Chinese Walnut Biscuits

Prep: 25 minutesCook: 20 minutes (plus 8-10 minutes for toasting walnuts)Serves: 12 biscuitseasy

Ingredients

Instructions

1
Prepare the walnuts. Toast the walnuts at 160°C conventional or 140°C fan for 8–10 minutes, until fragrant and lightly coloured. Cool completely, then pulse briefly in a food processor or crush in a resealable bag with a rolling pin or mallet. Stop before they become oily. Weigh out 75 g.
2
Mix the dough. Using a spatula, mix the softened butter, sugar and salt until smooth and creamy.
3
Weigh and set aside the cake flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Sift dry ingredients over the dough in the bowl.
4
Add the egg. Beat the egg and reserve 2 teaspoons for brushing.
5
Bring dough together with your hands.
6
Add the walnut meal to the crumbly mixture and gently work it into the dough. Do not knead. If a squeezed portion still falls apart, work in extra softened butter about 5g at a time, adding only enough to bind it.
7
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C conventional or 160°C fan.
8
Shape the biscuits. Divide into 12 equal portions and roll into balls. Arrange on a baking tray lined with baking paper or a silicone baking mat, leaving about 5 cm between them. Gently press a walnut half onto each biscuit.
9
Glaze and bake. Brush the tops lightly with the reserved beaten egg. Bake on the middle shelf for about 20 minutes, checking from 18 minutes, until golden. Switch off the oven and leave the biscuits inside for another 5 minutes.
10
Cool. Remove the tray and allow the biscuits to be firm enough to handle, then carefully transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.