As a kid, I spent a lot of time running the streets of Chinatown in San Francisco.  After school, I headed to Chinatown to attend Hip Wo Chinese School, which conveniently was housed in the same church our family attended.  I’d love to tell you I was a stellar student and fluent in both Cantonese and English but that would be a lie.  The highlights of Chinese School were recess, calligraphy (a lot like painting), and stopping at the little grocery store right next to the church at the end of the day.  We would grab a Carnation cup of ice cream with the little wooden paddle-spoon, or a cup of noodles (this was before instant noodles, so the shopkeeper made catsup noodles, delish, trust me) to hold us until we got home.

Candyland

More often than not, we bought candy from the array right by the register.  I fancy myself a candy aficionado thanks to Chinese School.  My favorites included Ice Cubes, Flickers, Charleston Chews, Big Hunks, Watermelon Stixs, and Milk Duds.  If you recognize all these you’re a genius or just old like me.  I also loved their Asian candies.  Sugus, the precursors to Starburst, Haw Flakes (a sweet-sour plum wafer), and White Rabbit Candy.  White Rabbit is kinda like taffy.  It tastes like sweetened milk.  They’re hard when you first pop one in your mouth but soften as you chew on it. Kinda like a Big Hunk or Look bar.

I haven’t had a White Rabbit in YEARS.  But, they have been showing up in the new crop of Asian bakeries in the Bay Area.  These inventive bakeries and pop-ups like Grand Opening (From the folks at Mr. Jiu’s), Sunday Bakeshop, Breadbelly, Pineapple King Bakery and Spoons Patisserie are fusing French techniques and Asian ingredients (and visa-versa) to create some delightful sweets and pastries.  Char Siu Bao? Nah, gimme a BBQ Pork Danish, how about an Ube Snickerdoodle or Matcha custard-filled Puff?  Genius.  Instead of strawberry, try passionfruit. Black sesame seeds instead of poppy seeds, why not?  Then there is Third Culture Bakery which popularized sweet rice or mochi desserts.  A little gooey, a lot delish, and gluten-free!

CCC with a Twist

Luckily, White Rabbit Chocolate Chip Cookies from Beyond the Noms, popped up on my feed, bingo (was it luck or an algorithm that reads my mind?).  I knew I had to try it.  Essentially it is a chocolate chip cookie with an Asian twist.  Cream butter with sugars until light and fluffy, one to two minutes and the egg and vanilla, beat again.  Add flour mixture and stir just until the flour is mixed in.  Add the stars of the show, the chocolate, and White Rabbit pieces ( you could substitute white chocolate if you can’t find the White Rabbit candy). Done.  I like to chill my dough before baking.  Allows flavors to blend and helps with spreading.

They’re delicious.  A combination of the milky, vanilla candy, and dark chocolate chunks in a buttery, crispy-edged, tender cookie.  Just out of the oven the White Rabbit candy is gooey, chewy, and sticky-soft.  As the cookie cools, it does become denser, just like a Big Hunk.  If you grew up eating White Rabbit morsels or any of the taffy-like candy bars, you are going to love these cookies.  They will stick to your teeth (ahh transparency). Buy a bag when you are going to make these cookies, the fresher the bag the better for softness.  White Rabbit Candy can be found in Asian Grocery Stores, especially Chinese ones.