Cookie tangyuan is the playful fusion dessert that took social media by storm. Imagine biting through a warm, chewy cookie shell into a soft glutinous rice ball with molten black sesame filling inside. It sounds like it should not work, but it absolutely does. Store-bought cookie dough and frozen tangyuan make this a dead-simple bake with a spectacular payoff.

Ingredients

  • Store-bought cookie dough mix (prepared per package instructions)
  • Sesame seeds
  • Tangyuan (half-defrosted, black sesame filling recommended)

Singapore Swap

  • Cookie dough mix: FairPrice, Cold Storage, and Phoon Huat stock Betty Crocker and other cookie dough mixes. Don Don Donki carries Japanese cookie kits as well. Alternatively, use pre-made refrigerated cookie dough logs from Cold Storage.
  • Sesame seeds: Available at any supermarket in the baking or Asian cooking aisle. White or black sesame seeds both work.
  • Frozen tangyuan: FairPrice, Sheng Siong, Don Don Donki, and Korean marts on Tanjong Pagar all carry frozen tangyuan with black sesame filling. Some stores also have peanut and red bean varieties.

Instructions

  1. Prepare the cookie dough according to the package instructions.
  2. Stir sesame seeds into the cookie dough and mix them through evenly.
  3. Scoop a portion of dough and flatten it into a thick disc in your palm.
  4. Place 1 half-defrosted tangyuan in the centre of the dough disc.
  5. Wrap the cookie dough fully around the tangyuan, sealing the edges well so there are no gaps.
  6. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius) for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookie shell is golden.
  7. Let the cookie tangyuan cool for 5 to 10 minutes before eating. They are best served warm when the filling is still gooey.

Tips

  • Half-defrost the tangyuan before wrapping — fully frozen ones will not cook through in time, and fully defrosted ones are too sticky to handle.
  • Seal the cookie dough completely around the tangyuan to prevent the filling from leaking during baking.
  • Do not skip the cooling time. The filling is extremely hot straight from the oven and needs a few minutes to settle into a warm, gooey consistency.