You stir the batter together from egg white, sugar, flour and butter in five minutes. When folding you have to be quick, because the cookie stays pliable for only about ten seconds after baking. So bake just three circles at a time. Put the note in the middle, fold the circle into a half moon and bend it over the rim of a glass. Put on thin cotton gloves; the batter is hot. Write New Year's wishes on the notes beforehand and hand out the cookies at midnight.

For a plate of cookies from Asia, bake the Korean honey cookies Yakgwa or the Thai coconut cookies Kanom ping alongside. Hong dou sha bing are filled with red bean paste.

Image: AI-generated.