I started making edible crystals last summer, when my friend Jacky developed an obsession with it after he got placed in some edible crystal algorithm on TikTok. When you’re stuck in a specific niche algorithm on a social media app, it makes something feel so much more commonplace than it really is. It seemed like everyone was able to easily access these crunchy (very ASMR-friendly) candies but in reality it was actually quite difficult to source locally. So I made some, recorded a video of the process, got Jacky to record some very satisfying crunching (or cronching) sound clips of himself biting into these candy gems, and shared the process in this Instagram Reel. Apparently being fascinated by edible crystals is not just a common interest between Jacky and myself, because so many of you wanted to make them too. Making edible crystals is a multi-day process but trust me, it’s a very hands-off process and the most important ingredient is just patience.
Edible crystals, also known as traditional Japanese confectionary ‘kohakutou,’ is a vegan candy made of agar agar. Agar agar is a thickener derived from seaweed — it’s a great alternative to gelatin and I like using it to set jellies and puddings… and now edible crystals! What makes edible crystals special and different from regular candy is that they have a thin shell with a firm jelly-like texture on the inside. If you grew up in a Chinese household, I would say the jelly texture of the candy is really similar one of my favourite candies I ate growing up, Smith’s Melon Candy.
Edible crystals only require four ingredients: sugar, agar agar, water, and your flavouring of choice. First, the agar agar is combined with water (much like blooming gelatin in water), and is brought up to a boil. Sugar and candy flavouring is then added to form a thick, translucent mixture. While the candy mixture is still hot, it gets poured into a heatproof dish. Before the candy mixture sets, food colouring (you can use as many colours as you like) is swirled in to create beautiful gradients that resemble real gemstones. Unlike gelatin, agar agar sets relatively quickly at room temperature so you can start carving the gemstones soon after you make the mixture. The candy mixture sets in about 15 – 20 minutes in the refrigerator and is ready to carving immediately after. Carving each individual crystal is by far my favourite part of the process. Using a small knife, remove small pieces from the edges of a crystal. There is no real technique to it — all gemstones are uniquely shaped and no matter how you carve it, it will turn out beautiful!
After all the crystals have been carved, it is simply a waiting game. On the first day, the candies are sticky to the touch and see through. Place the carved crystals on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate, leaving a few centimetres between each candy. Loosely cover the crystals, it is important to not place plastic wrap directly onto the candies. I used a second baking sheeting to cover the pan of candies, leaving a small gap between the two baking sheets so the candies are able to dry. A thin crust will start forming on the second and third day, and this is when I like to flip each crystal over so the other side has a chance to form an even crust. The crystal will become less translucent and vibrant during the drying process. On day four and five, an even crust will have formed on all surfaces of the crystal. The crystals are ready to be enjoyed now but personally I found letting the crystals dry for one full week to created the best texture. Using edible gold paint and gold leaf to decorate the crystals is optional, but make the crystals even more jewel-like! Crystal candies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks at this point.
Here is a separate batch with a different colour palette. I omitted edible gold paint and gold leaf on these ones, but they are just as beautiful. The photos show the crystals on the first day and on the fifth day after drying:
Edible Crystals (Kohakutou)
Ingredients
- 350 ml (1 1/2 cups) cold water
- 10 g agar agar powder
- 550 g (2 3/4 cups) granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp candy flavouring
- Several drops of food colouring
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 8 x 8 square baking pan. Set aside.
- Fill a medium-sized pot with cold water and add agar agar powder to the water. Allow the agar agar powder to absorb the water for 5 minutes.
- While whisking, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until all the agar agar powder has dissolved, about 3 minutes.
- Add granulated sugar and mix until all the sugar has dissolved. The mixture will be thick at this point. Add flavouring of choice.
- Pour the sugar mixture into prepared baking pan.
- Before the mixture sets, add a few drops of food colouring throughout the mixture, spacing out the food colouring. Using a butter knife or a spoon, run it through the mixture to gently swirl the colours into the sugar mixture.
- Transfer the pan to the refrigerator. Allow candy mixture to chill until it has fully set, at least one hour.
- Once mixture has set, run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the candy. The candy should come out as one sheet.
- Using the same knife, cut the sheet of candy into strips (I did 10) then cut each strip into 5 – 6 rectangular pieces. Shape each piece of candy by cutting off the straight edges at an angle.
- Place the crystal candies onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet or large plate. Loosely cover the cookie sheet (without touching the top of each candy) and let dry at room temperature for 5 days (flipping the candies halfway through) until a hard crust forms on the outside. I like using a second cookie sheet to cover the first one while leaving a crack for air to get inside.
- Optional: Using a small paint brush, brush edible gold paint along the edges of the candies and add edible gold leaf on the last day of the candy drying process.
Cookie Butter Taiyaki (Fish-Shaped Waffle)
A taiyaki is a fish-shaped waffle that’s usually filled with sweetened red beans, though custard, cheese, and sweet potato fillings are also commonly found. Cookie butter is actually a perfect filling for taiyaki — it’s sweet, has a great consistency, and most importantly tastes like nostalgia, which is exactly what I want to experience when eating a taiyaki.
No-Bake Cherry Blossom Jelly Cheesecake
A no-bake cherry blossom cheesecake to celebrate spring’s most beautiful flower! A light and smooth cheesecake sits on top of a speculoos cookie crust. The highlight of this cheesecake is the jelly layer, which is studded with cherry blossom petals.
Hanami Cherry Blossom Picnic 🌸
Cherry blossom season is in full bloom here and I can’t think of a more beautiful time of the year. The best way to enjoy the blossoms? Making a bento boxes filled with springtime sweets and sakura snacks for enjoying under the cherry blossom trees.
Recreating The Rebel Within Muffin
This is inspired by the famous Rebel Within muffin from Craftsman and Wolves in San Francisco. A savoury muffin studded with cheddar, parmesan and chives encases a beautifully runny egg. The hardest part about making the Rebel Within is figuring out the timing of the egg but it is so satisfying when you cut into it and the yolk oozes out!
Easter Cookies Five Ways (One Dough!)
During the holidays I like to work with recipes that allow you to make several different types of cookies from one base recipe. For Easter this year, I’m making five different kinds of cookies from a perfect blank canvas shortbread dough. The shortbread recipe is my go-to during the holiday sand I like to add seasonal mix-ins or use different cookie cutters depending onthe time of year.
Peach Mango Pies
I’m not going to start claiming that this homemade peach mango recipe is a “copycat recipe” or is “better than Jollibee,” but I’lll say that we’re making the filling from fresh fruit, our own all-butter pastry, and then deep frying it. I might prefer deep fried pie dough more than baked pie dough now?! Deep frying can be intimidating but when you fry the pies one at a time, it’s quite easy to control the temperature and prevent any splatters of hot oil.
Pistachio Latte Sandwich Cookies
The main star ingredient in these cookies is pistachio and we’re using it two ways in the cookie: ground pistachios in the shortbread dough and pistachio cream for the centres. After the pistachio cookies have been stamped and baked, we’re piping a ring of coffee cheesecake cream and filling the centres with a big dollop of the pistachio cream.
Whole Mango Mochi
Whole pieces of ripe mango is wrapped in a thin layer of homemade, soft mochi. The mochi can be made in the microwave with just three ingredients — glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water. Mango mochi is vegan and gluten free!
Stuffed Red Velvet Cookies
Much like red velvet cake, these cookies are vanilla based with a hint of chocolate, just enough for you to notice that it’s there. We stuff each dough ball with a cream cheese frosting centre and roll it in red coarse sanding sugar to amp up the colour and to give them the sparkle that they deserve. These cookies are great warm, but once chilled, the cream cheese centre becomes cheesecake-like, so you get two desserts in one.
Nian Gao Cookies (年糕曲奇餅)
These nian gao-stuffed cookies are chewy, tender, and crisp! I used white sugar nian gao for these cookies but feel free to use any type of nian gao for the centre. I think brown sugar or coconut-flavoured nian gao would be just as good in these cookies. Any nian gao from your new year’s day celebrations will do!
Salted Honey Pistachio Tangyuan 湯圓 Rice Balls
Tang yuan are my favourite Lunar New Year dessert. Traditionally, glutinous rice balls are filled with sesame paste or peanuts. For these rice balls, coarsely ground pistachios are combined with honey and sea salt to create a vibrant green filling. I love pairing pistachio with floral flavours so I made a fragrant osmanthus broth for the chewy rice balls.
Gingerbread Snoopy’s Skating Rink
I was feeling ambitious and wanted to make a scene from a holiday movie I grew up watching — A Charlie Brown Christmas. The skating scene will forever be my favourite so here is my take on it, but made entirely of gingerbread and sugar!
Peppermint Bark Thumbprint Cookies
These peppermint bark thumbprint cookies feature a soft and chewy chocolate cookie filled with a dark chocolate ganache and a piece of peppermint bark! Rolling the cookie dough ball in coarse sanding sugar before baking gives the cookies an extra crunch and holiday sparkle
Crispy Pumpkin Mochi Cakes (3-Ingredients)
These pumpkin mochi cakes are crispy, tender, and chewy! They only require 3-ingredients: pumpkin purée, glutinous rice flour, amd sugar. The mochi cakes are pan fried, giving them a crispy, golden exterior while the centres remain soft and chewy. Because there are no eggs involved, you can easily scale the recipe up or down.
Pumpkin Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
This pumpkin sugar cookie recipe uses both pumpkin purée and warm pumpkin pie spices. It’s great for making cut-out cookies with your favourite cookie cutter. The dough comes together really easily and you don’t need a mixer to make it. It doesn’t spread much but I do recommend chilling your cookie cutouts before baking to make sure the cookies retain their shape as much as possible.