Alhamdulillah – Ramadhan is just around the corner!

Before you know it, time will pass us by in the blink of an eye and Insya Allah, Syawal will be here sooner than we know. Inevitably, thoughts will be spent on how we can best prepare for Hari Raya as effortlessly as possible so that we can dedicate more time for our duties during Ramadhan right?

Well, thankfully, the team from Halalfoodhunt.com recently held The Kueh Auditions 2017 where the best of bakes and goodies as submitted by a plethora of bakers were put through a stringent selection process with one simple aim – to narrow it down to the finest selection so that YOU don’t have to spend too much time hunting for yummy treats to serve you guests during Raya!

The Halal Food Blog was privileged to be a part of the selection process where we tried kueh after kueh after kueh until we narrowed it down to a select list for you to choose from! We’re talking about literally HUNDREDS of kueh! LOL but hey it was worth it!

The finalists of The Kueh Auditions 2017 are listed on www.bakes.halalfoodhunt.com where pre-orders are NOW OPEN! You can head down there to browse and immediately place a pre-order with deliveries being fulfilled just before Raya. But in case you were wondering, there were bound to be favourites out of all those great snacks right?

So without further ado, out of all the treats listed on www.bakes.halalfoodhunt.com, here are our picks for The Halal Food Blog’s Top 10 Picks from The Kueh Auditions 2017!

1. Salted Egg Yolk Chips by Yolkalicious

As you probably already know by now – WE LURVE SALTED EGG YOLK ANYTHING!!
But then again, with so many choices when it comes to Salted Egg Yolk stuff, you still have to be sure that you’re getting the one with the right balance of flavour and that little extra something that makes it addictive!

Yolkalicious achieves that by not only having a great tasting bag of chips but also small touches like a generous amount of curry leaves and chili padi bits which make a world of difference!

We reviewed Yolkalicious late last year and glad to see their product still consistently ranking high!
You can read our original review by clicking HERE!

2. Belgian Cookies by Rustic Whisk

It’s pretty amazing how something that is as seemingly simple like the humble chocolate cookie has evolved into something that is… well… more complex now thanks to our (improved) tastes!

The Belgian Cookies by Rustic Whisk fits the bill of what we’d consider a great chocolate cookie. A deep and dark chocolatey flavour in a crunchy cookie with bits of chocolate in there for good measure! Definitely one of the better ones that we’ve had in recent times.

3. Tapak Kuda Nutella by MDesserts

Super popular choice when it comes to cakes for Raya is the ‘originally traditional’ Tapak Kuda that has since been transformed into so many variations that it’s hard to keep track nowadays LOL which is why it’s good to fall back to the classic version once in awhile.

The creations from MDesserts are from Sara Matiin whom many of you might already be familiar with. Her bakes are popular and with good reason! Well, her Tapak Kuda Nutella has caught our attention this time around with a soft and tasty cake with a generous amount of Nutella that can simply never go wrong!

4. Citrus Tapak Kuda by Baker’s Luv

And speaking of Tapak Kuda, one of the more creative flavours we tried was the Citrus Tapak Kuda!

To be honest, I tend to shy away from citrus (especially orange) flavoured desserts but one notable exception is when it’s paired with chocolate! For example, Orange Chocolate is the bomb and that’s what is being channeled with the Citrus Tapak Kuda from Baker’s Luv. It’s not quite subtle but at the same time is not cloyingly sweet so the balance is just nice!

Besides the Citrus Tapak Kuda, you might also be interested in the Peppermint Tapak Kuda too!

5. Kuih Makmur by Ana’s Kookies

We first reviewed Ana’s Kookies in the lead up to last year’s Ramadhan and we didn’t know until after we had posted but a lot of readers commented to say that their Kuih Makmur is actually legendary!

It’s got a great flavour to it and the best part is the crushed peanuts within that does not have excessive amounts of sugar added (unlike some other versions we’ve tried in the past!). Ana’s Kookies also has other traditional offerings like Kuih Sugee and Kuih Tart which come highly recommended but don’t forget their range of modern cookies too!

You can read our original review of Ana’s Kookies by clicking HERE!

6. Salted Egg Yolk Cookies by MDesserts

So, obviously there MUST be some Salted Egg Yolk represented somewhere right??? LOL
But trust us – as much as we love Salted Egg Yolk stuff, sometimes, it just doesn’t turn out right. So thankfully, MDesserts has us covered with their Salted Egg Yolk Cookies.

The right balance of buttery and salted egg yolk goodness make up this seemingly humble cookie that is actually bursting with great flavour! These one-bite wonders are bound to please your guests especially lovers of #SaltedEggYolkAnything (including us!) LOL

7. Chocolate Chip Cookies by Biskot Inc.

Here’s another name you might already be familiar with! Biskot Inc. has been churning out copious amounts of bakes over the past couple of years which explains the popularity they have amassed.

They’ve got variations like the Macadamia, Almond and Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies but their original classic Chocolate Chip Cookie reminds us that sometimes, simplicity wins!

You can read our original review of Biskot Inc. by clicking HERE!

8. Durian Roll Cake by Meltz

Are there any durian fans in the house??? LOL I’m pretty sure there are plenty who might be interested in this Durian Roll Cake by Meltz!

To be honest, I personally normally steer clear of desserts that are Durian-flavoured. I guess it’s probably because I’ve had a few in the past that didn’t quite meet the mark and it kinda put me off so I ended up insisting on having the actual durian fruit only. Well, that’s started to change in recent times with quite a few desserts that showing me that it is possible to create a tasty Durian-flavoured snack!

The Durian flavour here is just right. It’s not cloyingly sweet and the flavour is natural (does not taste artificial at all!) so you tak cepat muak when enjoying this Swiss Roll. The cake is soft and the cream is always a big plus!

9. Cheezy Trio by Ana’s Kookies

Here’s another entry from Ana’s Kookies and interestingly enough, it’s something we didn’t have the pleasure of trying the last time we ordered from them. We’ve quite a weakness for cheese so when I saw this, you know I’m gonna try it for sure.

And I guess it’s no surprise – SEDAP GILER!! The cookie is crisp and has a great cheese flavour. I’m not sure what combination makes up the ‘trio’ but you get that sweet-salty pairing that is not just tasty but soooo addictive. This is one of those kueh that you can’t stop once you start. So that means I’ve gotta order a bottle (or two) just for myself or else my guests won’t get anything except crumbs 😛

10. Pineapple Tarts by SJ’s Yummy Treats

We’re rounding off the list with a kueh that’s traditional, one that is a MUST HAVE at pretty much all households for Raya and also a kueh that seems increasingly difficult to find a sedap one nowadays unfortunately.

Plenty of versions of the beloved Pineapple Tart are available nowadays. Some are okay-okay and some are really good but I think you’ll agree with me that it takes a bit of searching before you find one that is REALLY special. A good balance of buttery pastry and tasty pineapple jam means you’ve found it!

Everyone’s gonna have their own idea on what is a tasty Pineapple Tart (or any other kueh for that matter) based on personal preferences and experiences. My late Grandmother used to gather the whole family to make tarts for Raya when I was a kid (my job was to put the line/V on the top!) and this tart from SJ’s Yummy Treats reminds me a lot about that flavour that I learned to love when I was growing up.

Halalfoodhunt’s The Kueh Auditions 2017 was proudly sponsored by Three Legs Cooling Water!

Yes you are right – we’re talking about the same Three Legs Cooling Water that we remember from our childhood LOL after all, they are celebrating their 80th anniversary this year! Almost all of us are familiar with (and almost definitely have consumed) Cooling Water aka ‘Air Badak’ at some point or other right!

This handy beverage is perfect to combat heatiness which is very very common here in our beloved Singapore thanks to the weather and our habit of attacking all the delicious makan that’s available (including the kuehs in this post of course LOL). We always tend to neglect small things like this and something like Three Legs Cooling Water is just the thing we need.

And if you’re worried about the taste (which is not that bad lah actually) then you’ll be glad to know that they’ve launched some new and exciting flavours! You can now enjoy the benefits of Three Legs Cooling Water in flavours like Lychee and Guava! They even have a special edition Lime flavour that is available exclusively at 7-11 stores!

I really loved the Guava flavour and it was such a great help during The Kueh Auditions 2017 and we were gobbling down all those kueh! So Three Legs Cooling Water is actually a great choice of beverage to serve to your guests this Hari Raya (cut down on the fizzy drinks!!) and I’m pretty sure they won’t even be able to tell that it’s ‘Air Badak’ because the flavours are really quite delicious. In fact, bring a bottle or 2 with you when you go Jalan Raya okay you might need it after eating all the Lontong and Rendang LOL

You can order your Three Legs Cooling Water and, of course, plenty of kueh from the finalists of The Kueh Auditions 2017 at www.bakes.halalfoodhunt.com so head down, browse, salivate and then place your orders okay!!

All information (including prices, availability of item on menu and Halal status of establishment) are accurate at the time of posting. For this post, pretty much all the images are property of HalalFoodhunt.com and Wenken Group unless stated otherwise.