With less than 3 weeks to go, it can be quite nerve wrecking for some people to buy Chinese New Year snacks for their friends and family. You don’t want to buy the same old flavours from the same old brands, and you don’t want to push your way through the huge crowd just to get two bottles of cookies.

I’ve happily visited the fair for you, and here are my top picks. Scroll down to #8 for an exclusive deal just for my readers!

1. Truffle White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies ($27), 25grams Bakery

All my favourites in one single cookie, what’s there not to like? I have this view that Macadamia and truffle are somewhat premium ingredients for cookies and chocolates, so having it in a cookie together with white chocolate — BOOM. Awesome stuff.

On first bite the truffle hits you and you’re a little confused, thinking that it’s a bit odd for a cookie but then this feeling quickly dissipates and your experience transforms into a pleasant, happy cookie crunch.

2. Gula Jawa Almond Brittle ($23), Provisions

What I liked about this was the entrepreneural spirit behind the company. I saw the boss personally manning the stall and taking the time to explain to people how he and his friends worked out the recipes in his very own kitchen and even baked some of the goodies personally to sell. Provisions has got a couple of funky flavours to choose from, but my personal favourite is the Gula Jawa Almond Brittle.

3. Red Velvet White Chocolate ($23.80), Butter Studio

Butter Studio has been one of my favorites since last year. I’m not a huge fan of red velvet but these cookies are so crunchy with that sweet tinge of sweetness! While you’re at there do also try their Lychee Kueh Bangkit which I featured on my blog last year.

4. Lychee Martini ($21.90), Careshop de Cafe

Lychee Martini might be a common flavour, but I was sold by the addition of cranberries. This is the first year I’ve seen Careshop de Cafe in Takashimaya, but apparently they’ve been around for a long time!

5. Sweet Potato Pineapple Tarts ($29.80), Kele

Kele’s designs are like their flavours — simple yet chic. This isn’t a new flavour, but you know, if you’ve grown tired of eating traditional pineapple tarts, why not consider this variation?

6. Organic Brown Rice Cookies ($19.80), Cookies4U by Scoopz

Of course I had to include a healthy snack in this list. I walked around the fair a couple of times to decide which was the best healthy snack and I concluded that this was a winner. It’s not only extra low in sugar, but it’s also made from brown rice. Brown rice. Need I say more?

7. Sour Cream and Onion Popcorn ($10), Eureka

Not strictly a CNY snack per se, but this would still be a crowd pleaser. Eureka’s popcorns are uniformly coated so you can expected to have a fulfilling bite every single time. Euraka offers many interesting flavours such as salted egg and even durian but my personal favourite is their sour cream.

8. CNY Hampers (from $158), Asian Treasures

Saved the grandeur for the last! Always thought this would be the perfect gift for mother-in-laws. First, what screams Chinese New Year more than this? Second, every hamper has a minimum 1 can of abalone within, so it’s definitely has an aura of premium tagged to it. Third, who doesn’t like to display a mighty fine hamper in their homes! CNY is all about showing off your homes right?

Edit 22 Jan 19: Spoke to the boss and she’s agreed to give a 5% off all hampers (excluding abalone) if you quote “little miss ramen”!

Takashimaya CNY fair runs from now will 3 February 2019.

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