These sweet red bean crinkle cookies add unique flavor to your typical cookie platter. With Japanese red bean paste, you can get an extra dose of fiber with your sweets! Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
It’s finally here! My red bean crinkle cookies debuted in my holiday gift baskets last Christmas, but I wasn’t able to get the recipe up until now. These have all the ease of typical crinkle cookies and a fun red flavor. BUT they’ve got the addition of Japanese red bean paste made from azuki beans to add some Asian fusion vibes to your typical dessert spread.
In case you’re not sold on the red bean, don’t worry. The red bean flavor itself is not overpowering. In general, I find red bean to have a very mild flavor overall. Usually it’s the texture that really signals to my brain that I’m eating beans in my dessert. Since we’re baking the bean paste into a cookie, you don’t really deal with that texture at all. My kids, who love red beans, actually wanted MORE red bean flavor. However, I had some friends who were not super bean fans tell me it was just the perfect amount. So this recipe should still please everyone, even the bean skeptics.
What are Japanese Red Beans (Azuki)?
Japanese azuki beans look like smaller kidney beans. They have a dark red color when cooked and mashed. In Japanese cooking, you can use the beans whole or mashed in a paste. When made into a paste, you usually add some sugar as a sweetener, as red bean paste is a common dessert topping or filling.
What Do Azuki Beans Taste Like?
Azuki beans taste similar to kidney or pinto beans, but with the added sugar in red bean paste, the texture and flavor resembles a soft marzipan. If you’re familiar with other Asian cuisines that frequently use sweetened beans in dessert, you’ll likely enjoy azuki beans. However, if you are used to beans solely as a savory dish, you may find azuki to be an acquired taste.
Types of Red Bean Paste and Where to Buy Them
When you make red beans into a paste, it’s called “an” in Japanese. Like with peanut butter, you can make red bean paste varying degrees of smooth or chunky. For a smooth red bean paste, look for “koshi an.” For chunky red bean paste, look for “tsubu an.” Of course, you can make red bean paste at home, but it does require some time and effort. For this recipe where the beans get baked into a cookie, I find that store bought red bean paste works fine. I used koshi an when making the batch for these photos, but you could substitute a chunkier red bean paste if you like to have some individual beans sprinkled throughout your cookie.
Tips for Making Crinkle Cookies
The number one question I get about my crinkle cookie recipes is how to keep the powdered sugar from melting so you get the crinkly effect. First off, make sure you follow the recipe instructions to coat your cookie dough ball in granulated sugar first, which creates a barrier that prevents the powdered sugar from getting wet. Unfortunately, if you live in a very humid environment (or have a humid kitchen or oven), it may be impossible to stop your powdered sugar from dissolving before the cookies finish baking. You can try refrigerating the cookie dough prior to rolling in sugar to try and dry out the outer surface area, but I haven’t noticed a difference when I make my cookies.
Can I Freeze Crinkle Cookies?
Yes! You can freeze the dough after scooping it into balls. When ready to bake, make sure your oven is preheated and ready to go. As soon as you roll the dough in sugar, stick it straight in the oven. If it sits out on the counter, the thawing dough will melt the powdered sugar.
Alternatively, you can also freeze fully baked crinkle cookies! Just keep them in an airtight container in the freezer and let thaw before eating. The powdered sugar even stayed fully in tact for mine when I froze them.
More Asian Cookie Recipes
Looking for more cookie recipes with Asian flavors? Check these out:
- Matcha crinkle cookies
- Black sesame cookies
- Ube crinkle cookies
- Kinako sugar cookies
- Matcha black sesame neapolitan cookies
Red Bean Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter 1/2 cup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 eggs
- 1 cup Japanese smooth red bean paste (koshian)
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 2 drops red gel food coloring optional
For rolling:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream room temperature butter with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add in egg and red bean paste and mix until homogenous.
- Add in flour, slowly mixing until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Add almond extract and red food coloring (if using) and mix until the red color is evenly spread throughout the dough.
- Set dough aside while you place the granulated sugar and powdered sugar in separate bowls.
- Scoop a 1.5-2 tbsp ball of dough. I like to use a 2 tbsp cookie scoop, but if you don't have one, aim for about the size of a ping pong ball. (Note: If your kitchen is too hot or your butter was too soft, you may have trouble shaping your dough into balls without making a mess. In that case, stick your dough in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before trying again.)
- Roll the ball of dough in the granulated sugar, then the powdered sugar. Place on the baking sheet and repeat for the rest of your cookie dough.
- Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes. Leftover cookies keep for 3-4 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
Video
Notes
- Red bean paste has a very mild flavor that pairs well with almond extract, but you can always omit the extract or substitute for vanilla if needed.
- The red food dye is optional, but without it, you won’t get a vibrant red color for your crinkle pattern.
- If you live in an extremely humid environment, you may have difficulty getting the powdered sugar to stay in a crinkle pattern.
- Feel free to substitute ogura an (chunky red bean paste) for koshian if you’d like more pieces of red bean.