Baked Yau Gok 油角/Gok Zai 角仔 (Cantonese Sweet Dumplings)

This recipe for Cantonese-Style Sweet New Year Dumplings (also known as Yau Gok 油角 or Gok Zai 角仔) is baked and not fried, with a crunchy cookie-like texture filled with a sweet, coconut and peanut filling.

What is yau gok?

Yau gok 油角 or gok zai 角仔 is a traditional Cantonese-style small dumpling which is deep-fried and eaten during Chinese New Year.

Yau gok is literally translated as "oil dumpling" in Cantonese.

There are sweet and savory versions of this crunchy dumpling, which is also known by many different English names including oil dumpling, peanut puff, fried oil dumplings, or oil horns.

The sweet version of yau gok (tim gok zai) includes a mixture of desiccated coconut and sugar.

Why you'll love this recipe

This recipe for Cantonese sweet dumplings is:

Baked: unlike traditional yau gok which is deep-fried, this healthier version is baked and yields a super crunchy texture.

Delicious: the filling contains black sesame seeds and peanuts in addition to the coconut and sugar, which adds a little more texture and crunch.

Great for tea time: or a snack for anytime. These baked dumplings can be stored for quite some time at room temperature, which makes it longer lasting than its fried counterpart.

Special equipment you'll need

• 2.5" round cookie cutter: or 2.5" dumpling mold

Ingredients you'll need

Coconut peanut filling:

• raw peanuts (生花生) (skins removed) (去除皮)
• unsweetened shredded coconut (椰絲): if using sweetened coconut, you can reduce the amount of sugar
• sesame seeds (芝麻): (white and black sesame seeds), roasted
• granulated sugar (砂糖): for sweetness
• peanut butter (花生醬): to bind the filling

Dough:

• all-purpose flour (麵粉): for a nuttier flavor, you can add in a little almond flour (or 110g all-purpose flour + 20g almond flour)
• granulated sugar (砂糖)
• pinch of salt (鹽)
• lard (豬油): or unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces (omit salt if using salted butter)
• beaten egg (蛋)
  

How to make it

Make the coconut peanut filling:

Preheat oven to 320ºF.

Add peanuts to a baking tray and roast for 25~30 minutes until slightly golden in color. Remove from heat and let cool.

Next, toast the shredded coconut and sesame seeds for about 5 minutes in the oven or until the coconut is slightly turning golden in color. Alternatively, toast in a pan on the stove top.

Add the roasted peanuts, toasted coconut, sesame seeds and sugar into a food processor.

Process into a very fine texture.

Transfer mixture to a small bowl. Add in 1 teaspoon of peanut butter and mix well until the texture is not too loose or sandy.

Set aside.

Make the dough:

To a medium bowl, add in flour, sugar and salt. Mix well.

Add in lard or cubed butter, and mix until it resembles a corn meal texture.

Add in beaten egg, give it a mix and knead into a smooth dough. If the dough feels too dry, add a tiny bit of extra egg.

Cover with cling wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into half.

Roll and flatten a piece of dough to about 1/16" thick and cut dough with a 2.5" diameter ring. Repeat with the other pieces.

Fill the dumplings:

Roll the dough further into an oval shape, slightly wet one-half edge of the dough with the remaining egg or water.

Fold the dough in half, pinch one corner, forming a funnel and fill one teaspoonful of filling, then pinch on the edges to seal into a half-moon shape.

Pleat and pinch to seal the dumpling.

Alternatively, use a 2.5" dumpling mold to shape and seal the dumplings.

Place the dumplings on a parchment paper lined pan or baking tray.

Bake:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Bake the dumplings for 25-30 minutes at 350F until slightly golden in color.

Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

How to serve

Serve yau gok dumplings with tea, and other Chinese New Year snacks such as firecrackers, pork jerky (bak kwa), shrimp/prawn crackers (keropok), or almond cookies. 

How to store

Store the completely cooled yau gok in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Expert tips

You can also deep fry the yau gok dumplings:

Heat oil to 300ºF, add in yau gok, reduce the heat to medium low, stir frying for 4 minutes.

When the dumplings float and turn golden, turn up the heat and fry for an additional 2 minutes.

Remove the fried yau gok with a slotted spoon or spider. 

Other Chinese New Year snacks you may like

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