Chinese New Year 2025: The most unique CNY goodies and snacks to impress guests

It is snacks galore for the upcoming Year of the Snake. Restaurants and hotels have injected creative twists and unusual flavours into traditional treats such as pineapple tarts and nian gao. Here are some unique and novel snacks that are not only Instagram-worthy but also bring a touch of innovation to the Chinese New Year festivities.

1. Kokuto Pineapple Financier, AMI Patisserie

If the pineapple tart were to go on vacation to France, it might very well end up becoming a Kokuto pineapple financier by Ami Pastisserie. The year-old shop on Scotts Road is known for its ethereal European-style pastries made with Japanese produce crafted by chef-owner Makoto Arami.

The delicate financiers are made with a compote of Okinawan pineapple simmered with kokuto, a refined sugar alternative, almond powder and flour from Japan and French Lescure butter. The result? Each bite of the financier straddles between caramel-like sweetness, tanginess and buttery richness. We might just be ready to give up pineapple tarts.

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2. Festive snacks and cakes, The Pine Garden

One can count on stalwart neighbourhood bakery The Pine Garden, which turned 40 last year, to up the creativity factor of Chinese New Year goodies. While its best-sellers are the classic pineapple tarts and coffee cookies, the bakery has not rested on its laurels. Instead, it has rolled out eight new snacks and cakes for the festive season this year.

My favourite of the lot is the most left-field one, the K-Gochujang, seaweed and caramel crisp, which features the sweet-savoury Korean chilli paste. The sweetness is cranked up with the addition of caramel bits in the cookies that emanate a slight hint of warmth. Flecked with sesame seeds and seaweed, the slender sandy-brown cookies look like pajeon (Korean pancakes).

Another note-worthy new snack, the seaweed white sesame rice crisp is a sleek version of a seaweed-wrapped rice cracker. Other interesting treats are the intensely umami hae bee hiam cookies that resemble the equally addictive soya crisp from Scoop Wholefoods, and the pineapple bak kwa chiffon cake, which gives you an idea of how it’s like to cram two sweet and savoury festive food in your mouth at one go.

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3. Snake chocolate sculpture, Janice Wong

Slither into the festivities with the Snake Chocolate Sculpture by homegrown pastry chef and chocolatier Janice Wong. The chocolate, which comes in hues of pastel purple and pink, is shaped like the ouroboros symbol, which represents renewal and eternal circle of life. And, it doesn’t hurt that the curvy chocolate resembles the auspicious figure, eight. These two ‘snakes’ also adorn the Golden Eternity cake that has pineapple orange mousse, honey orange mousse, coconut dacquoise, and almond crunch. 

Find out more here.

4. Rose sesame nian gao, Fullerton Hotel Singapore

The hotel’s culinary team has created the Rose Sesame Nian Gao that boasts nutty sesame and rose flavours — a twist on the sweet glutinous rice cake that symbolises prosperity. Other goodies include the pink peacock-shaped Baked Longan Red Date Cookie, and the Lion Dance Pineapple Cookie, which comes in the shape of a lion dance mascot head and is decadently loaded with house-made pineapple jam and fresh pineapple pulp.

Find out more here.

5. Shangri-La Nian Gao with Rose, Shangri-La Singapore

Chef Daniel Cheung of Shang Palace in Shangri-La Singapore is pushing the boundaries of what goes into nian gao. Forget the good’ol brown sugar, the hotel has upped the cake’s luxe factor with the Shangri-La Nian Gao with Rose, Bird’s Nest, Trehalose, and Coconut Juice that is dressed up with rose petals. Other flavours include the Water Chestnut and Red Date Nian Gao, Three Layers Nian Gao, Radish Cake with Dried Scallops, Dried Shrimp and Preserved Meat; and the timeless Traditional Nian Gao with Coconut Milk and Brown Sugar.

Find out more here.

6. Golden Nian Gao Tart with Yuzu Chocolate, Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel

Wan Hao’s popular nian gao tarts are back. This year’s rendition, Golden Nian Gao Tarts with Yuzu Chocolate, have zesty yuzu and white chocolate embedded within the nian gao filling encased in crisp, buttery tart shells. The much-loved Golden Pandan Nian Gao Tarts with Gula Melaka and Grated Coconut have also made a comeback from last year with gula melaka, grated coconut, fresh pandan juice, and nian gao residing in a fragrant pandan tart shell.

Find out more here.

7. Fortune ‘Fa’ Cake, Goodwood Park Hotel

This year, Goodwood Park Hotel has rolled out creative Chinese New Year delicacies that are crafted to delight both the eye and palate. The Fortune’ Fa’ Cake represents luck in the form of an expertly crafted butter cake shaped like a gigantic mahjong tile. The rich, moist butter cake is generously filled with silky buttercream. Look out for the Golden Fortune Bag, a pineapple pound cake shaped like an auspicious red festive bag, complete with lucky red packets peeking out and the Blooming Prosperity Roll, a Mao Shan Wang durian roll cake).

Find out more here.

Additional reporting by Winn Chew