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Auntie Peggy’s Gok Jai Cookies makes about 8 dozen
Reprinted with permission from Good Luck Life by Rosemary Gong

These flaky pasty pouches contain a sweet filling of coconut, peanuts, and sesame seeds.
They’re a family favorite during Chinese New Year. Before frying my po po would decorate the
pouches with three red dots by using a chicken feather and red food coloring mixed with water.
This recipe comes from my Auntie Peggy Chu and her girl’s, Jamie, and Vickie, who converted
the village recipe, which called for ingredients according to handfuls, brick sections, and the size
of peanuts, not U.S. measurements.

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted roasted skinless peanuts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 ½ cups shredded sweetened coconut
2 ½ cups sugar
1 ½ cups lard at room temperature
5 ¾ cups all purpose flour
2 cups water
Corn oil for deep frying

1. Prepare the filling, toast the peanuts in a small sauté pan over medium-
low hear and let cool. Finely chop the peanuts with a cleaver, sharp knife
(or use food processor.) In a large mixing bowl, combine the coconut,
sugar, chopped peanuts and toasted sesame seeds. Drop ½ cup of the
lard in small pieces in the filling ingredients. Use your hands to mix until all
the ingredients are evenly blended.

2. To make the short dough, combine ¾ cup of the flour and ¼ cup of the
lard. Work the lard into the flour until the dough adheres and can be
shaped into a ball. Test the dough by taking a small pinch of it with your
fingers; if the dough crumbles, the dough is ready. If the dough sticks
together, add a touch of flour. When the desired consistency has been
reached, set the short dough aside.

3. For the pouch dough, combine the remaining 5 cups of flour in a large
mixing bowl. Add the remaining ¾ cup of lard in small pieces and work it
into the flour with your hands. Slowly add the water to the flour-and-lard
mixture and knead lightly until the dough forms. Over kneading will harden
the dough.

4. Using ½ at a time, roll the pouch dough into a 1-inch-thick snake like tube.
Cut the dough into 1 ½-inch-long pieces. Continue rolling the remaining
dough into tubes and cutting into 1 ½-inch-long pieces until all of the
dough is cut.

5. To form the pouches, take one piece of the pouch dough and flatten it into
a small circle the size of a silver dollar. Place a pinch (a scant ½