What's the origin of the name of the "Chinese Cookie" found in...

mike_plumbs

At a classic Los Angeles Deli for lunch yesterday, I snagged my usual take-out guilty pleasure for later: a fresh-baked Chinese Cookie. This is a four or five inch diameter short-bread cookie with a dollop of chocolate frosting in the center. They appear to be a standard fare at every Deli I've visited. The thing is, although it is unquestionably a cookie, there isn't anything obviously Chinese about it. So, why the name? Update: Here's a link...

Originally asked by RBerteig on Stack Exchange (cooking) (CC BY-SA 3.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

The recipe for Jewish Deli "Chinese Cookies" seems awfully similar to the recipe for Chinese almond biscuits , except that the lard is replaced with shortening (to keep it Kosher) and chocolate is added. A recipe for Chinese almond biscuits was printed as a "standard Chinese cookie" in The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook as early as 1984, and this exact same recipe was reprinted in From Lokshen to Lo Mein: The Jewish Love Affair with Chinese Food . Given that love affair with Chinese food, I am guessing that at some point in time a cook at a deli decided to recreate the beloved Chinese recipe, either due to his or her own love of the baked good or by request. I know a Jewish guy who owned...

Full answer by ESultanik: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/14120 (CC BY-SA 3.0).

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