7 favourite childhood treats, reimagined for adulthood: treasured snacks like Cheetos, Jaffa Cakes, White Rabbit and Maltesers get the elevated treatment in a quietly nostalgic dining moment

Aug 9 , 2023

What was your childhood favourite? Sweets and snacks we loved while growing up have been reimagined. Photo: Dominique Ansel

A cocktail at Jekyll & Hyde in Singapore recalls White Rabbit candy, while London restaurants Odette’s and three-Michelin-starred Core offer refined desserts inspired by Jaffa Cakes and Maltesers

New York’s Insta-ready Macaron Parlour makes Cheeto-flavoured macarons and José Andres serves a Californian take on the all-American funnel cake at The Bazaar in Washington DC

Who doesn’t feel instantly transported back to their childhood by the taste – or even just the sight – of an old favourite sweet or snack? These recollections may be decades old but are uniquely evocative, rewinding time and taking us back to our earliest memories in a heartbeat; evoking fond thoughts of when life was so carefree that the enjoyment of food was untainted by such adult concerns as nutritional value.

On that (sweet) note, read on to wallow in collective nostalgia as we discover creative modern-day reinventions of these treasured tastes cleverly disguised as “grown-up” food and drinks.

1. Matcha Meadows cocktail (White Rabbit candy)

Matcha Meadows cocktail at Jekyll & Hyde in Singapore. Photo: Handout

In Singapore, everybody’s childhood favourite White Rabbit chews are getting a grown-up makeover. At cocktail bar and restaurant Jekyll & Hyde, the Matcha Meadows cocktail is a pretty fancy twist on the classic sweet, with a sophisticated mix of vodka, cognac and dry vermouth paired with white chocolate and White Rabbit matcha candy.

Alternatively, explore the dark side of the bunny with a limited edition Black Rabbit Stout, a collaboration between the distributor of the White Rabbit candies – Hao Food – and The 1925 Brewing Co. This dusky pour with a creamy head carries notes of roasted malt, dark chocolate and caramel, with its milky sweetness tempered with just a dash of bitterness to make this an adults-only indulgence.

2. Cheetos macaron

Cheetos Macaron from Macaron Parlour in New York. Photo: Handout

New York’s Macaron Parlour flouts many of the rules of traditional French baking. Its owners experimented with flavours such as red velvet and candied bacon with maple, before launching the Cheetos flavour that went viral in 2017 and remains on the menu today. A loud orange macaron shell sandwiches a Cheetos ganache – made from double cream, crushed Cheetos Puffs and melted white chocolate – for a treat that’s sweet, salty and one of a kind.

3. Odette’s Jaffa Cake

Odette’s Jaffa Cake from Odette’s restaurant in London. Photo: Handout

Odette’s, a cosy neighbourhood spot, has been a fixture of London’s Primrose Hill area since 1978, offering simple yet refined Welsh cuisine. Funnily enough, the restaurant’s classic dessert – Odette’s Jaffa Cake – started as an attempt to recreate another British favourite: the chocolate and coconut Bounty bar. When that went to pot, chef Bryn Williams took the leftover chocolate and paired it with orange instead. Months of experimentation later, the classic cake was reborn, featuring just the right chocolate, day-old squeezed orange juice and a two-day-old biscuit base that together approximates the texture of the original bittersweet delight.