Kuih Bangkit

‘Kuih bangkit’ are light and delicate coconut cream cookies that melt in the mouth. Usually enjoyed during the festive seasons, these cookies are made with tapioca flour and have a creamy rich coconut taste.

4 stars

Preparation 90 mins
Cooking 90 mins

Snack

Coconut Cream Cookies, Tapioca Cookies, 番婆饼

Malaysian, Singaporean, Indonesian, Bruneian

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Nutrition per Serving

76 kcal
14 g
2 g
0 g


'Kuih bangkit' (tapioca cookies) is often enjoyed during festive seasons like Chinese New Year and Hari Raya in Singapore and Malaysia. These little coconut cookies are made with tapioca flour that results in them being light, airy and delicate. In the Malay language, the term 'kuih' refers to bite-sized snacks or sweet/savoury desserts. ‘Bangkit’ on the other hand means ‘to rise’. I assumed that the name derives from the cookies rising during the baking process.

Dry-fry the flour

The perfect kuih bangkit crumbles and melts in the mouth the moment it is eaten. It is light, airy and delicate in texture. Getting the melting effect is no small feat. To make it successfully, the moisture from the flour needs to be removed in order to create the light and fluffy texture. Therefore, the flour needs to be baked or cooked in a dry pan beforehand.

Cream coconut

Pure cream coconut is recommended as it is thick in consistency and lacks in moisture. This is perfect when making kuih bangkit to get its crumbly texture. Ensure to choose good quality cream coconut to achieve the optimum flavour. It is advisable to sift the cream coconut for a smoother texture.

Coconut cream which is a thicker version of coconut milk can also be used. However, in comparison, coconut cream has a higher liquid content and more fluid.

How is the texture of the perfect dough?

The dough to be shaped for baking should be crumbly yet being able to hold its shape. After mixing all the ingredients, use your palm to grasp the dough. If the dough crumbles, add 1-2 teaspoons of water to help it hold its shape. When the dough comes together and doesn't fall apart, then you can move on to the next step.

Shaping Kuih Bangkit Dough
Shaping Kuih Bangkit Dough

The other test is to try to break the dough into two as shown in the photo below:

Test Kuih Bangkit Dough
Test Kuih Bangkit Dough

The dough should be able to break into two with ease. Otherwise, sprinkle some tapioca flour onto the dough and knead before testing again.

How do I know when it is ready?

During baking, ensure that the heat does not brown the cookies because they are meant to be white (or off-white). It is also fine if they were to crack a little during the baking process.

Why is the dough still soft?

It could be one of these 2 reasons - the thickness of the coconut cream or the heat of the oven. In this recipe, coconut cream is obtained by chilling coconut milk to separate it from its water.

After the water is removed, what remains is known as coconut cream which is thick in consistency and plays an important role in making kuih bangkit. Coconut milk contributes too much moisture to the dough.

Additionally, ovens differ due to their types and sizes. Therefore, despite baking at the suggested temperature and time, the kuih bangkit might require a slightly longer baking time. If it is your first try, I would suggest to bake them until they are very lightly browned on the surface.

Storing kuih bangkit

Store the cookies in air-tight containers. They can be kept for up to 1.5 months.


Ingredients

Servings:  
300 g
tapioca flour
100 g
sugar (powdered)
1
egg(s)
1⁄2 tsp
baking powder
1
egg yolk(s)
3
pandan leaves
130 ml
coconut cream

Steps to Prepare

Kuih Bangkit Step 1

Step 1 of 3

    • 300 g tapioca flour
    • 100 g sugar (powdered)
    • 1 egg(s)
    • 1⁄2 tsp baking powder
    • 1 egg yolk(s)
    • 3 pandan leaves

Bake tapioca flour with pandan leaves in advance at 150 degrees Celsius for 1.5 hours. Remove pandan leaves and set aside to cool. Once cooled, add baking powder. In a separate bowl, sift powdered sugar and mix with eggs until mixture turns into a lighter shade of yellow.

Kuih Bangkit Step 2

Step 2 of 3

    • 130 ml coconut cream

Add sifted flour into sugar and egg mixture using a spoon or spatula. Then, add coconut cream. Lightly knead dough until evenly mixed.

Kuih Bangkit Step 3

Step 3 of 3

Press dough into 'kuih bangkit' mould or use a cookie cutter. Bake at 150 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Leave aside to cool. Store in air-tight containers.

Published: February 6, 2016


7 Discussions

Grace Chen
3 years ago

Grace Chen

hi, would using icing sugar improve the melty texture?

Grace
3 years ago

Grace

I haven't tried. Could work too.

Veron Ong
4 years ago

Veron Ong

Does it use whole of 300g of tapioca flour to make or some of it?

Grace
4 years ago

Grace

All of it.

Rose Mary Dass
4 years ago

Rose Mary Dass

I did according to the video and my kuih bangkit fail. I just didnt know what went wrong. The dough was like so sticky as i pour the coconut cream little by little. Is it ok to ignore th egg and replace with 2 egg yolks?

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
4 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

We haven't tried it with 2 egg yolks. Did you use pure cream coconut? You can read about the difference above, under the section: Cream coconut

Rose Mary Dass
4 years ago

Rose Mary Dass

Hi Mira, I use KARA brand, I kept in the fridge let it chill and than took out the cream and let it sit while I mix all the other ingredients. I am not sure if any other coconut cream works. As for us in Malaysia KARA coconut cream is the best selling product. I did for the 2nd time with 2 egg yolks and it was ok but is another fail as the kuih bangkit looks like soggy and pale. haha. Could you recommend the coconut cream brand that you use? I will try again.

Bob
4 years ago

Bob

Hi! Just to check with you isit possible if i use pandan extract instead of baking the pandan leaves with the tapioca flour for 1½h? Cause i think baking the tapioca flour for 1½h a bit too long haha 😅

Grace
4 years ago

Grace

It's not just for the fragrance. We need to remove the moisture of the flour.

Kc
4 years ago

Kc

When baking tapioca flour with pandan leaves in advance at 150 degrees Celsius for 1.5 hours, how many pandan leaves should I use? And is tapioca flour same as tapioca starch?

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
4 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

3 pieces will do. Yes, tapioca flour is the same as tapioca starch.

Lum Sook Mun
4 years ago

Lum Sook Mun

Have tried 3 times baking with your recipe. The biscuit is hard and why is there no coconut taste? I used kara coconut cream but didn't manage to use up all the 130ml. Left about 50ml.

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
4 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

We haven’t had experience with kara coconut cream. From this video, it does seem like the consistency is still very fluid. https://youtu.be/PjQ9phjWSXw?t=24 It's better to use pure cream coconut which has a thicker consistency. Why not place Kara coconut cream in the refrigerator and allow it to separate before using?

Joy
5 years ago

Joy

Had to bake for about 35-40mins and it was but really really hard and like there isn’t enough sugar. These cookies are NOT as easy as they seem.😭 btw, if I wanted more brown cookies, would you recommend using brown sugar?

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
5 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

Did you use (pure) coconut cream? Brown sugar is not recommended because the sugar crystals are not as fine as powdered sugar, making it difficult to dissolve.

Joy
5 years ago

Joy

I used Kara coconut cream extract. Is it the same? Also my grandmother took a bite and said it might be wet so maybe I should’ve slowly added the coconut until it reached the right texture😭

Mira - Community Happiness Manager
5 years ago

Mira - Community Happiness Manager

Grandma is right! As mentioned above, coconut cream has liquid content and more fluid. Try placing coconut milk in the refrigerator and after a few hours, it should separate. Discard water to get pure coconut cream

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