Durian Cookies Recipe

Melt-in-the-mouth durian cookies are a beloved festive treat in Singapore, and with fresh durian they taste far richer than store-bought tubs. These are buttery, lightly crumbly cookies with a real hit of durian aroma — dangerously moreish and perfect for gifting or Chinese New Year.

This recipe uses a simple melt-in-the-mouth style dough. The trick is reducing the durian so the cookies stay crisp rather than soft, and we cover exactly how below.

What you’ll need

Makes about 30 to 40 small cookies

• 150 g durian flesh, deseeded and mashed smooth
• 180 g butter, softened
• 60 g icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 200 g plain flour
• 40 g cornflour (for a melt-in-the-mouth texture)
• 20 g milk powder, optional (adds richness)
• A pinch of salt

An intense variety carries best through baking. Mao Shan Wang gives the strongest durian flavour, while D24 or Red Prawn make a sweeter, gentler cookie.

Step 1: reduce the durian (important)

Fresh durian is wet, and too much moisture makes cookies spread and turn soft. To fix this:

1. Gently cook the mashed durian in a non-stick pan over low heat, stirring, for a few minutes until it thickens into a drier paste.
2. Let it cool completely before using. This concentrates the flavour and keeps the cookies crisp.

Step-by-step method

1. Cream the butter

1. Beat the softened butter and icing sugar until pale and fluffy.
2. Beat in the egg yolk and the cooled durian paste until combined.

2. Add the dry ingredients

1. Sift together the plain flour, cornflour, milk powder (if using) and salt.
2. Add to the wet mixture and mix just until a soft dough forms. Do not over-work it.

3. Shape

1. Roll into small balls (about 2 cm) and place on lined trays, leaving a little space.
2. Gently flatten each with a fork or your thumb, or press through a cookie mould for a decorative shape.
3. Chill the shaped cookies for 15 to 20 minutes to help them hold form.

4. Bake

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
2. Bake for about 15 to 18 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges.
3. They firm up as they cool, so do not over-bake.

5. Cool completely

1. Let them cool fully on the tray before moving — they are fragile while warm.

Tips for perfect durian cookies

• Always reduce the durian first, or the dough will be too wet and spread.
• Use cornflour for that signature melt-in-the-mouth crumble.
• Chill before baking so the cookies keep their shape.
• Cool fully before storing to keep them crisp.

Storing and gifting

Once completely cool, store durian cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, where they keep well for a couple of weeks. Because they are aromatic, seal them tightly. They make lovely homemade gifts — pack into a nice jar or tin with a ribbon for a festive touch.

Choosing your durian

Because the durian flavour has to survive both cooking down and baking, start with fruit that has plenty of character. A bold, aromatic variety keeps its identity in the finished cookie, whereas a mild durian can fade into a gentle background note once baked. Ripe, smooth flesh also reduces more evenly into the paste you need.

Do not skip the reduction step, especially with very soft or frozen durian, which carries extra moisture. Cooking the flesh down not only keeps the cookies crisp but also concentrates the flavour, so the effort pays off twice over. Let the paste cool completely before adding it to the butter, as warm durian will melt the mixture and make the dough greasy and hard to shape.

Troubleshooting

• Cookies spread too much: the durian paste was still too wet, or the butter too soft. Reduce the durian further and chill the shaped dough before baking.
• Too dry or crumbly to handle: the dough may have too much flour or was over-mixed. Handle it gently and add a touch more durian paste to bind.
• Faint durian flavour: use a bolder variety and make sure the paste is well reduced and concentrated.
• Uneven baking: keep the cookies a consistent size so they cook at the same rate.

Get the right durian for it

Strong, ripe fruit gives the boldest cookies. For maximum durian punch, use our Mao Shan Wang durians; for a sweeter, milder bake, our XO D24 durians work well. Browse everything in our durian catalog or find your flavour in the durian varieties hub.

Frequently asked questions

Baking a batch for the festive season? Message us on WhatsApp for today’s freshest durians (prices are seasonal — message us on WhatsApp), delivered islandwide and dehusked to order. Start at our Singapore durian delivery page.