From pineapple tarts to viral 'Huatssants': 10 luxurious Chinese New Year treats worth splurging on

It’s the Chinese New Year, and you don’t have to be a Generation Z-er to be in a peak “treat culture” moment. The term, which began with a Treat Yo Self meme sparked by the television show Parks And Recreation, has morphed into a social media trend in which people post videos of their small, morale-boosting purchases – little luxuries, if you will – like a sought-after Labubu or a S$12 iced tea. And what could be more of a small luxury than paying a premium for bak kwa just because it’s February?

In that spirit, here’s a selection of snacks that we’re splurging our money and calories on this Lunar New Year.

IBERICO BAK KWA BITS FROM DI TANJONG KATONG

What is it about the Chinese New Year that draws us to these sweet-sticky sheets of grilled jerky, even if they’re available all year round? Unlike regular bak kwa, which comes in neat paper-thin squares, these Iberico bak kwa bits (S$45 for 380g) come in smaller, uneven pieces, with delightfully charred edges. We know that not everyone considers charred smokiness a virtue, but we like to think of it as an occasional indulgence.

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PINEAPPLE BALLS AND BUTTER COOKIES FROM HAHA CHEF

At S$138 for a set comprising a tin of pineapple balls (25 pieces) and another of butter cookies (40 to 45 pieces), coupled with the fact that you must buy a minimum of two sets (that works out to S$69 per canister), these are slightly... well, larger luxuries. But home-based baker Tammy Mah’s confections are incredibly finessed, reflecting her pedigree as an accomplished pastry chef who has worked in fine-dining establishments like modern-Korean restaurant Meta. Each impressively neat, hand-formed morsel is tiny and melts in the mouth with the lingering fragrance of good butter and care.

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ENGLISH BISCUITS AND BAK KWA ALFAJORES FROM PASTRY LOVE

We’ll take any excuse to snack on home-based baker Sheila J’s English Biscuits (S$36 for a tin of 16) that are hands-down better than any store-bought version. Her custard and chocolate cream biscuits are crisp and rich yet so easy to demolish. Every Chinese New Year, she also bakes Bak Kwa Alfajores (S$22 for a dozen) – hearty, cornflake and bak kwa-flecked cookie sandwiches filled with a burnt caramel cream and more chopped bak kwa and crushed cornflakes.

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HUATSSANTS FROM THE LIM'S KITCHEN

The exacting geometry and hygrometry of The Lim’s Kitchen’s cross-laminated croissants make for their own special allure, and it’s no wonder the 'Huatssants' – filled ingot-shaped croissants – went viral on Chinese social media platform Xiao Hong Shu last year. Naturally, they are back for another run (starting from S$45 for eight petit 'Huatssants'), with fillings like lobster, XO Mornay, salmon rillette, taro, and pistachio. Other popular treats in their Chinese New Year repertoire include the Golden Pineapple Gems (S$28) and addictive Pandan Almond Coconut Cookies (S$23).

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PINK BLOSSOM PASTRIES FROM THYE MOH CHAN

Add a few of these Pink Blossom Pastries (from S$13.80 for a box of three) to your cart when you order a box of your grandparents’ favourite tau sar piah from this heritage bakery. The rose-hued blooms are filled with a smooth red bean paste and tart tangerine peel, but what’s particularly alluring about them are their delicate leaves of pastry spiralled around the filling to create an oriental mille-feuille. They are so finicky to make, the company says that each of its veteran chefs can only turn out 20 blossom pastries per hour.

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CUI KO SU (LARD BISCUITS) FROM WHAT LING BAKES

Fun fact: Lard contains less saturated fat and cholesterol than butter. This makes us feel a lot better about reaching for chef and home baker Sim Ling Ling’s cui ko su or old-fashioned lard cookies (S$16) that are airily light, crisp and crumbly. In theory, it’s a simple cookie made from wheat flour, sugar, eggs, salt and lard. But lard has to be rendered, which in Sim’s case translates to double-washing the pork fat with flour before dicing it to increase the yield. It’s a painstaking process that results in crisp, fragrant cookies.

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BROWN BUTTER VANILLA PINEAPPLE TARTS AND HOJICHA PINEAPPLE TARTS FROM NESUTO

When they debuted in 2024, Nesuto’s brown butter vanilla pineapple tarts (S$38.90 a box) sold out within a fortnight. They are now a mainstay on its Chinese New Year menu, thanks to the pastry’s rich, nutty fragrance counterpointed by the mildly tart pineapple jam filling. New to the collection this year are yuzu pineapple tarts (S$38 a box) with the brightness of the Japanese citrus in their filling.

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NUMBER 12 TEA-INFUSED CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES FROM TWG TEA

Everyone knows that the teas from TWG Tea are excellent, but its selection of bakes is, in our opinion, wholly underrated. The crisp and moreish Number 12 Tea-infused chocolate chip cookies and fragrant Turkish nut cookies infused with Almond Tea (from S$10 for 100g) are great additions to your personal snack stash or make great gifts. Enjoy them with a soothing brew of TWG Tea’s limited edition Yunnan Golden Needles Tea (S$48).

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GOLDEN NIAN GAO TARTS FROM SINGAPORE MARRIOTT TANG PLAZA

The thing about these tarts is that they are small enough to eat in a single mouthful yet are soft, chewy and crisp all at once. This year’s nian gao tarts (S$38 for a box of eight) come in two new flavours: Salted egg yolk or mung bean paste squirrelled within their mochi-like nian gao centres.

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CHILLI CRISP FROM CRACKLE

If you’ve been dousing just about everything in chilli crisp, then check out this small-batch version (S$13 per 200g bottle) made by Singaporean restaurant and marketing consultant Audrey Yeong. By slow-cooking shallots and a blend of three chillies, she’s created a chilli crisp with layered complexity that goes with everything from keropok to stracciatella cheese. Available from Feb 5. 

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