Chinese Moon Cakes

They aren't too many Chinese desserts and they tend to be either quite simple, or quite tricky. I opted to attempt a tricky one, and I was very pleased with the results. I made my own sweet bean paste for the filling, and because salted, preserved duck eggs were not available, I did a quicker version of a preserved chicken egg. I didn't have a moon cake press, so I just formed the cakes, so they don't look as pretty as the traditional ones, but they are incredibly tasty and a not too sweet dessert. 

Chinese Moon Cakes
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated (white) sugar
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cool
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour
3/4 cup coconut milk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
sweet red bean paste
salted duck egg yolks
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons water

Preheat oven to 375◦F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs until light. Beat in the sugar for a few minutes until very light and fluffy. Beat in the butter and vanilla.
Sift together the flour, milk powder, baking powder, and salt together. Stir into the egg mixture. Knead dough lightly until it comes together into a smooth ball. Wrap and chill for at least an hour. 
Divide dough into 24 pieces. Roll each into a three inch circle, making the edges slightly thinner than the center. 
Spread some of the bean filling on each piece of dough, place an egg yolk in the center and cover with more bean paste, completely enclosing the yolk. Enclose the dough around this and roll into a ball. 
At this point, a moon cake press should be used, but I didn't have one. So I simply used a cookie cutter to make a little pattern on top. 
Place on the baking sheet, spaced slightly apart. Beat together the egg and water and use to brush each moon cake. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until golden and crisp. 

Note: I made a successful gluten-free version by simply substituting a gluten-free flour blend for the flour. Baking time will be slightly left as they crisp up more quickly, and they may be a little less tender, but still quite tasty.