Families in China and Chinese communities worldwide prepare for this major festival in advance, as the Chinese New Year is around the corner. There’s hardly any other occasion that is associated with foods – special sweets, snacks and delicacies that are prepared and consumed mainly during the multi-day CNY to welcome luck, prosperity and sweet fortunes into the new lunar year. 

Some of these Chinese New Year goodies and cookies are products that have special cultural significance and meanings. Having a bite of these taste-some foods puts a person in the nostalgia mode when with the close-knit company of loved ones. So, when preparing for the coming CNY, do not forget to prepare some of these all-time favorite snack to bring in the Colorful CNY. 

The festival named after and related to the Auspicious Pineapple Tarts.

This piping hot little number is called Feng Li Su in Mandarin and is an essential Chinese New Year delight – buttery, crumbly and packed with rice flour, margarine and sugar. The fruit called a pineapple symbolizes prosperity and luck, the golden pastry symbolizes wealth and riches. The pineapple taste is sweet and reminds of a tropical fruit and the shortcrust is generously buttery and has a lovely crumb structure. These golden beauties should go well with a cup of Chinese tea before guests and relatives arrive during New Year. Making homemade pineapple tarts is also a good way and fun for the family members to do collectively.

The authenticity and Crunchy Chinese Almond Cake

One of the many classic CNY cookies, Chinese Almond Cookies are favorites enjoyed by families and bought from bakeries during the celebration. The cookies are very quick and easy to make, they turn out a perfect golden brown color after baking and with every crunchy, buttery and nutty bite you’ll be surprised. Slightly flavoured with almond essence, they can be tempting sweets to make as gifts or delicious treats to serve to loved ones. For a little fun you can place a sliced almond or a red cherry at the center of each cookie before baking them. 

Sweet and Sticky Nian Gao: New Year Cake 

In China, specifically during Chinese New Year, there is one cake know as Nian Gao or Chinese New Year Cake or Chinese Honey Cake, the meaning is that for relationships, career, and other pursuits in the coming year, people wished to be as sweet and sticky as this cake. With brown sugar, rice flour, and sweet osmanthus wine as ingredients, this is a very solid and a bit sticky andازي slice is consumed after steaming and slicing. Nian Gao is also great for snacking, which is a bonus because it can be eaten even way after the New Year fire crackers. Include them in your red packet to present to friends and relatives this coming Chinese New Year!

Qing Jin Gua Kim Chrysanthemum Tea

Soak up your spirit with strong Chinese flower tea or Kuding Cha derived from flowers or bitter tea leaves. The delicate and lovely scent of the flower and slight bitterness is believed to bring harmony for the soul during the densely packed and hectic holiday season. Drink this healthy hot tea in between all that feasting; it helps the digestion system as well! Plain kuding cha can be consumed or it can be accompanied with dry flowers of chrysanthemum, berries of goji or wolfberries, or dates for better curing aspect and sweetening the drink. 

Sweet Mochi Cakes with Black Sesame and Peanut Filling

In this recipe, traditional Chewy, soft Mochi rice cakes undergo an Asian transformation whereby a sweet black sesame and peanut is used as filling, then rolled with crushed peanuts. light crunchy exteriors, their spongy interior, along with the delicious and mildly sweet nut filling makes them the perfect CNY delight for all ages. Enjoy making them even more colorful each mochi ball depending on what topping you put, crushed crème Eggs, Oreo and Tobler cakes, coconut shavings, peanuts and candy colours before slicing. 

Delicious Tang Yuan Filled with Sweet Potato and Coated in Sweet Golden Syrup 

This CNY dessert made from rice flour coated with mashed sweet potato is simply one of those treasures that thought never disappoint. Boiled and served in a ginger syrup sweetened with honey, you’ll love the dough’s tenderness, the chewiness enhanced by the aromatic ginger syrup. Besides being sweet and delicious, Tang yuan also represent reunion and unity when eaten especially for a family gathering. To add more flavors you can roll the banana after preparing it with crushed peanuts, black sesame seeds or coconut shavings.

Prosperity Yu Sheng Salad 

Yu Sheng or Prosperity Toss Salad is just a beautifully arranged colorful dish which contains sliced mixed vegetables such as carrots, jicama, yellow pepper, cilantro, radish etc., with some sauces and toppings. This is considered as a dish which represents the modern eve meal, but is consumed strictly only during Chinese New Year time. Yu Sheng is served and families sit around the table and use only chopsticks to toss the salad while shouting out loud happy phrases to seek wealth and prosperity in the coming year. The higher a particular salad is tossed the more a person’s luck and prosperity will increase in the New Year. 

The appearance of various CNY goodies and pastries showcases the rich diversity tied to Chinese New Year traditions. When celebrating with friends, colleagues, or family, take a moment to learn about the stories, meanings, and symbolism behind each CNY delicacy. From pineapple tarts to Tang Yuan in ginger syrup, these iconic treats are an essential part of the culinary journey that defines the season. Chinese New Year festivities wouldn’t be complete without these CNY goodies, as they offer both sweet flavors and the opportunity to share joyful moments, making each celebration truly memorable.