Places to get unique homemade CNY goodies
Calories don’t count when it comes to Chinese New Year – from pineapple tarts to kueh bangkit, this festive season is practically a bingeing bonanza with so many irresistible goodies to munch on. This year, some local bakers have come up with creative renditions of our favourite CNY goodies so you can upgrade your snack situation.
Whether you’re looking for healthier, vegan options or adventurous flavours to spice things up, here are eight places you can get unique homemade CNY treats to kick start the noms:
For more CNY-related things, check out:
- Hotpot delivery and DIY options in Singapore
- Quirky halal CNY snacks
- CNY gifts for family
- Hotpot kitchen gadgets under $20
1. Ding Bakery – 100% homemade tarts & cookies
Image credit: Ding Bakery
If you were lucky to grow up with a relative who’d bake delicious snacks each CNY, you’d probably appreciate homemade goods all the more. Look no further than Ding Bakery for their traditional handmade Nyonya tarts and cookies.
Image credit: Ding Bakery
Stock up on their Award-Winning Premium Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pineapple Tart (Ball) ($26.90, U.P. $31.90). This comes with Ding Bakery’s signature butter crust and premium pineapple filling that’s soft and velvety. On top of that, you’ll be able to find other Peranakan staples like the Award-Winning Melt-In-Your-Mouth Kueh Bangkit ($21.90, U.P. $35.35).
Order from Ding Bakery website.
2. Pineapple Tart Singapore – unique salted egg crab stick crackers
We’re more than familiar with salted egg crackers and fish skin, but slather this delicious flavour onto crab sticks and you’ve got a whole new addictive snack on your plate.
Image credit: Pineapple Tart Singapore
The good news is, you can easily order your fill from Pineapple Tart Singapore. With their CNY sale, you can get their Salted Egg Crab Stick Crackers ($20.50, U.P. $25.90) that are made using Kani Crab Sticks.
Image adapted from: Pineapple Tart Singapore
For something that’s easy to pop into your mouth, go for their Premium SCS Butter Pineapple Tarts ($22.88, U.P. $27.51) which come with a soft buttery crust. Likewise, don’t click that checkout button without giving their Pandan Kueh Bangkit ($25.08, U.P. $30.96) a try. It’s a sweet Peranakan staple that melts in your mouth.
Order from Pineapple Tart Singapore website.
3. BoTart – pineapple tarts without filling
Image credit: BoTart Facebook
Pineapple-less pineapple tarts may sound just as absurd as ordering chicken rice without chicken. But just two years back, BoTart took Singapore by storm with their launch of their Original Butter Tarts that sold out as soon as we found out about it.
For those who still want the Ong Lai for the huat, go for the Pineapple Glazed Tarts that’s 90% tart and 10% pineapple.
Image credit: BoTart Facebook
That was when all of us found out that we weren’t the only ones nibbling off the tart and secretly throwing the pineapple paste away. Not only will you cut down on calories; these tarts are also much cheaper, with prices starting from $9.80, a fraction of the price of regular pineapple tarts, which usually go over $20 for a jar.
Apart from melt-in-your-mouth butter tarts, they now have new flavours like Sea Salt Milk Caramel ($18.30) and Apple Glazed Tarts (from $9.80).
To enjoy an early bird 10% discount, get your goodies before 1st February 2021.
Order from BoTart website
4. The Custom Bites – unique cookie flavours
Image credit: The Custom Bites
If you find the classic CNY cookies every year a tad too repetitive and want more variety, The Custom Bites has unique flavours like Black Sesame Oolong ($22.80), Earl Grey Lavender ($22.80) and Dried Longan Oatmeal Cookies ($24.80).
They’re all handmade without any refined sweeteners, artificial flavourings or preservatives so you can snack guilt-free. They’ll be closed from 11th – 15th February 2021, so stock your goodies before that.
Address: 12 Lorong Bakar Batu, Singapore 348745
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 12PM-6PM (Closed weekends, by appointment only)
Telephone: 8488 4013
Order from The Custom Bites website
5. You Knead Cakes – CNY pastry boxes
Image credit: @youkneadcakes
Throwback to the circuit breaker period when we sought solace in fancy dessert box deliveries. This Chinese New Year, home bakers like You Knead Cakes are launching CNY pastry boxes that’re perfect as gifts or your own indulgence if you’re planning on keeping visiting plans to a minimum.
Ong Lye Bia – a brown butter cookie filled with homemade pineapple paste, topped with coconut flakes.
Image credit: @youkneadcakes
For just $20, you’ll get their signature Lemon Chia Seed Pound Cake, Pistachio Pound Cake, Orange Dark Choc Chunk Cookie, Orange Almond Shortbread and Ong Lye Bia, their very own rendition of pineapple tarts.
DM @youkneadcakes to order
6. Mdm Ling Bakery – extra large paus & highly raved pastries
Image credit: Eatbook
You might have chanced upon Mdm Lim Bakery’s huge handmade paus on your friends’ IG stories recently and wondered what all the hoo-ha is over these buns. For starters, they’re twice the size of what you’d normally get at kopitiams, which makes it perfect for a filling CNY breakfast treat.
Plus, they don’t sacrifice quality for quantity – their fresh, fluffy buns and natural, siew dai fillings have received rave reviews about how addictive they are. Their best-selling Premium Red Bean Buns ($7.90/six pieces), for example, are tirelessly made with dehusked red beans boiled for more than eight hours.
Cranberry Pineapple Balls (from $8.90) and Pink Himalayan Sea Salt Chocolate Almond Cookies (from $8.90)
Image credit: Mdm Ling Bakery (left, right)
To add to the mix, Mdm Lim Bakery has launched a new collection of CNY goodies that includes traditional pastries with a twist. Instead of classic pineapple tarts, they’ve added cranberries to the mix of ingredients that makes it less jelak.
Their Pink Himalayan Sea Salt Chocolate Almond Cookies (from $8.90) have also been highly raved for how addictive they are, as it offers the perfect balance of salty and sweet. Kopi lovers can get their caffeine fix with the Kopi Siew Dai Cookies (from $8.90), and those who can’t live without chilli can try their Hae Bee Hiam Cookies ($16.80) that offer a sambal kick.
Order from Mdm Ling Bakery website
7. Qakes And Bakes – milk tea cookies & pineapple goli pops
Image credit: Qakes and Bakes
Those who can’t go a day without their BBT can curb their addiction with Qakes and Bakes’ milky flavours such as Japanese Royal Milk Tea Butter Cookies ($28) and Strawberry Milk Dotties ($28). Some of their newly launched flavours like Purple Sweet Potato have already been sold out – you snooze you lose!
Image credit: @qakesandbakes
Another best selling item from Qakes and Bakes is their Pineapple Goli Pops which are made smaller than regular pineapple tarts so they’re bite-sized and mess-free. It prides itself for being just the right texture and consistency, so you won’t be reaching out for water to ease a dry throat after bingeing on them.
Order from Qakes and Bakes website
8. Avomin – eggless cookies with flavours like avocado & matcha
Image credit: Avominsg
Shoutout to the vegans and lactose-intolerant; you don’t have to miss out on the noms during CNY as Avomin has got you covered with eggless, dairy-free cookies. They sold Singapore’s very first avocado brownies which offered a guilt-free option for dessert lovers, and they’ve now launched healthy Avocado Cookies for CNY.
They’re made with fresh avocado, and you’d get to taste avocado bits in each bite. If you’re watching your sugar intake or calories, these cookies would be a sinless alternative from the usual CNY treats too. Other flavours include matcha, earl grey and chocolate brookies, each going at $22/box.
Order from Avomin website
9. Olsen Bakehouse – cookie flavours with a local twist
Image credit: @olsenbakehouse_
For the adventurous folks, Olsen Bakehouse has given their CNY cookies a quirky, local twist. Their flavours are inspired by Singaporean’s favourite foods like laksa ($20), and even seaweed ($18), inspired by Mcdonald’s seaweed shaker fries that gets sold out as soon as it returns to the menu. All their pastries are made with natural ingredients and less sugar.
Image credit: @olsenbakehouse_
You can also opt for their beautifully packaged Prosperity Set ($68) that’ll make for a good gift for relatives or friends when you’re visiting this year. Each set includes a jar of Laksa Cookies, Coffee Coconut Cookies, Seaweed Cookies, and a set of Everyday Bakes Trio which consists of a bar of banana cake, coconut lemon cake and almond sugee cake.
Order from Olsen Bakehouse website
10. Ah Ma Homemade Cake – adorable ox designs
Image credit: ah-mah
Usher in the Year of the Ox with Ah Mah’s adorable Moo Moo Cookies ($15.80) that’s sure to impress your guests and delight those with the young‘uns. They aren’t just cute, but also made with quality ingredients like Danish Lurpak butter and tangy pineapple paste that’s a 1-up compared to usual pineapple tarts, so you can be assured they taste just as good as they look.
Granny’s Chao Ta Cheesecake Ondeh Ondeh ($21.90) and Granny’s Chao Ta Cheesecake Yuzu ($24.90)
Image credit: Ah Mah (left, right)
If you’re not a fan of pineapple, Ah Mah’s got you covered too, as each box comes with a mix of four-leaf clover shaped butter cookies. Apart from snacks, they also have cakes to serve your guests like the CNY-exclusive Prosperity Orange Castella Cake ($12.80) and their signature Granny’s Chao Ta Cheesecake Ondeh Ondeh ($21.90) or Yuzu ($24.90).
Order from Ah Mah Homemade Cake website
Stock up on unique homemade CNY Goodies
As we inch closer to the time of the year for angbaos and everyone’s #ootd updates to show off their new clothes, upgrade your snack situation ASAP with these unique homemade CNY goodies as most orders are closing soon in early February!
For more CNY things to do, check out:
This article contains partial partnership content. However, all opinions are ours.
Original article published on 28th January 2021. Last updated by Jessica Fang on 08 February 2021.
Cover image adapted from: BoTart, @olsenbakehouse_, ah-ma
