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Desserts are a big feature of festivities during Chinese New Year celebrations - after all, sweet treats symbolise a sweet life in China.
From the inaugural feast the night before welcoming the Year of the Tiger on 1 February, to the final lantern festival marking the final day of the new year celebrations, there are plenty of opportunities to practice festive baking on family and friends.
So why not take your pick of lucky foods and bake for a better year ahead? From crumbly almond cookies to sticky and sweet rice balls, here are 10 Chinese new year desserts to add to your festive table.
Fa gao (prosperity cakes)
This fluffy yet dense cupcake-like pastry is traditionally enjoyed during Chinese New Year celebrations. Thanks to an unusual characteristic bloom on top, they're known as prosperity cakes, "because the bigger and taller the cake top blooms the more prosperous your new year promises to be," says baker Kristina Cho in her book, Mooncakes and Milk Bread.
Make your new year more prosperous by baking Chinese prosperity cakes with some help from the video below:
Fried dough twists
Easy to make, dough twists use just a few ingredients, like all-purpose flour, eggs, water, oil and sesame seeds, and can symbolise reunion and happiness in the new year.
Find out how to make dough twists in the video below:
Brown sugar rice cake
This sweet, soft, and chewy new year's cake is a traditional Chinese New Year delicacy that symbolises a new year full of sweetness.
Find out how to make brown sugar rice cake in the clip below:
Almond cookies
Crumbly and round almond cookies symbolise good fortune thanks to their golden coin-like appearance. They are a treat for visiting friends and family during Chinese New Year, but are just as good baked all year round.
Here's how to bake Chinese almond cookies:
Honey pistachio mooncakes
Mooncakes, a mid-autumn festival sweet, can also feature at Chinese New Year. Here's Kristina Cho's tried and tested fuss-free recipe for honey pistachio mooncakes from her new cookbook, Mooncakes & Milk Bread, which also happens to be her mother's favourite sweet treat.
Red bean mooncakes
If you prefer a classic mooncake, follow this easy recipe for red bean mooncakes, also from Kristina Cho, with a salted egg yolk middle. It's also perfect for celebrating the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival.
Chinese glutinous rice balls (tang yuan)
These sweet, gooey balls made with glutinous flour can be filled with sweet fillings of your choice, like bean paste, sesame paste, fruits or nuts, then boiled and served in a bowl of warm, sweet syrup.
Have a go at making your own tang yuan rice balls at home with this video recipe below:
Egg custard tart recipe
Chinese egg tarts are a traditional Chinese New Year dessert representing abundance in the coming year.
Watch and learn as Emmymade tries out Kristina Cho's crisp and flaky egg tart recipe from Mooncakes And Milk Bread.
Chinese New Year cake (nian gao)
Nian gao, a traditional dense, sweet and jelly-like cake associated with Chinese New Year, is prepared with glutinous rice flour, brown sugar, water and oil, then steamed on the stove top. Refrigerate it overnight, then cut into slices, dip in an egg batter and fry like French toast for the ultimate sweet treat.
Fried sesame seed balls
Serve up a bowl of these auspicious deep-fried sesame seed balls hot from the fryer at home, set them down, and watch them go as you join friends and family in wishing for wealth in the new year.
