What is White Rabbit Candy (大白兔奶糖)?
White Rabbit Candy is a very famous childhood candy from Shanghai, China. Contrary to its name, it does not contain any rabbit in it. I believe it’s called white rabbit candy because of the packaging design.
It’s a soft and chewy candy that has a rich, milky taste. The cool unique thing about white rabbit candy is that after you unwrap it, there is a see-through plastic looking film. This is actually edible! It’s made from rice paper and it prevents the candies from sticking together.
During my last trip to Shanghai, I saw a variety of white rabbity candy flavours. While the original milky flavour is popular, there are other variations including red bean, wasabi, mango and even durian!
White Rabbit Candy Paste
The key to this recipe is to make a white rabbit candy paste.
You can make this by gently melting some white rabbit candy in some milk on low heat. The number of candies depends on your personal preference.
If you prefer a stronger milk candy taste, go for at least 30 candies. However, you may need to add more milk with more candies.
If you want a lighter milk candy taste, add about 20 candies (pictured). The flavour is more mild but still noticeable.
The white rabbit candy paste should be glossy and slightly thick. If it’s too runny, keep stirring it on low heat until more liquid evaporates.
This can’t be too watery, or else it’ll impact the texture of the cookies and the cream cheese frosting.
We’ll be adding half of the paste to the cookie dough, and the remaining half to the frosting. This way, we have white rabbit candy flavours infused throughout the cookie!
Vanilla extract
To lift up the flavours, I’ve added vanilla extract to the cream cheese frosting.
If you want a more pure milky taste, you can omit the vanilla extract.
Not too sweet!
Have you heard that the best compliment an Asian person can give to desserts is that “it is not too sweet!”
I personally prefer desserts that aren’t too sweet, but it really comes down to your own preference.
The sugar amounts in this recipe make a cookie that’s not too sweet, but sweet enough for sure.
If you prefer very sweet desserts, you might want to gradually add some more icing sugar to the cream cheese frosting – though I would recommend you do this only after tasting the frosting with the existing recipe sugar measurements.
Tips for you!
Here are some more tips if you’re making this for the first time:
- Melt the white rabbit candy on low heat: in a pot, adding the white rabbit candies and milk. Slowly melt it on low heat, and keep stirring, to prevent it from burning or thickening too fast.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes maximum: the first time I baked cookies, I waited until the cookies were hard before taking it out of the oven. This was a rookie mistake! The cookies need to be soft still when you take it out of the oven, because once they cool down they harden. These sugar cookies are not super hard, they’re more soft cookies.
- Let the cookies cool down for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack: if you transfer the cookies too early, they’re still hot and soft, they might break apart! So patience is key.
White Rabbit Candy Cheesecake Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- In a small pot over medium-low heat, add the White Rabbit candies and milk.
- Stir continuously for 5 minutes, until the candies fully melt and the mixture thickens into a glossy paste.
- Remove from heat and let the paste cool completely.
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
- Add the egg, vanilla extract, and half of the cooled White Rabbit candy paste. Mix until smooth.
- Add the flour and baking powder, mixing until just combined.
- Scoop out one golf-ball–sized piece of dough (this will be baked and crumbled for topping).
- Divide the remaining dough into 4 large balls and gently flatten them into thick discs.
- Bake at 175°C for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter for 2 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract, salt, and the remaining half of the candy paste. Mix to combine.
- On low speed, gradually add the icing sugar in three batches until silky.
- Spread a thick, generous layer of the White Rabbit cream cheese frosting onto each cooled cookie.
- Add a spoonful of strawberry jam and freshly chopped strawberries.
- Crumble the small baked golf-ball cookie over the top for texture.
- Finish by adding a White Rabbit candy in the centre.
