We’ve always loved the super lemak Gula Melaka Pandan Chiffon Cake from Cheng's @ 27, a rather polished family-run Hainanese zi char joint nestled amid the hipster cafes in Tiong Bahru. During a recent dessert run there, the affable third-generation boss Dawn Cheng (she operates the kopitiam alongside mom, pop and her brothers), who bakes all the cakes and kuehs at the shop, urged us to try her new Gula Melaka Coconut Biscotti ($50).

Now, we love ourselves a buttery cookie. But biscotti? We can't say we'd ever wake up in the middle of the night lusting after one. Sure, we’d eat the crunchy, nutty Italian biscuit (the name, which comes from the Latin words panis biscotus, means twice-cooked bread) with our coffee if it’s especially good. But more often than not, at least in our part of the world, it's too thick, too dry, and let's face it — too boring. Fun fact 1: it's originally meant to be kinda dry and stiff (though not tooth-crushingly hard, we've had great ones in Italy that were crusty yet delicate to the bite). Fun fact 2: the oft-used biscotti is the plural form of biscotto in Italian. The biccies are baked twice because the Tuscans who created the recipe like to dunk them in sweet fortified wine as a post-dinner treat. This confection with medieval origins is thought to have been more of a preserved bread, double-baked to keep it dry and fresh for longer periods — perhaps during war, times of scarcity and other unpleasant things more common in the not-so-good old days.

But back to Cheng’s version. Unlike the more rustic chunky Italian original, these are extra long and wafer-thin. And more biscuity than rusk-like. They are tanned a deep-brown and in keeping with Italian tradition, contain no oil or butter (as opposed to most modern renditions). But why is it a whopping $50 a large-ish jar? We know this is steep because the responses from folks we surveyed ranged from siao! to ridiculously overpriced . Most jars of biscotti cost roughly between $20 to $30 plus at other bakeries. Also, these aren’t, say, Valrhona chocolate sable cookies made with French butter, or even atas pineapple tarts. So why the price tag?

“I use premium cashew nuts instead of the usual (cheaper) almonds. Also, my pure gula melaka is actually from Malacca. And I cold-press concentrated pandan juice [instead of using synthetic flavouring]. It’s just very time-consuming to make this biscotti as this particular recipe requires the dough to be sliced very thinly by hand,” explains Dawn. All of the above, together with organic coconut extract, go into the bakes which she says is made with very little flour and ideal for the more health-conscious dessert lover. And they’re packed in “made-in-Italy” jars with air-tight seals, okay?

Now that we’re done with the backstory of these gourmet biscotti, what do they taste like? Almost like a shatteringly crisp, toastier version of Cheng’s divine gula melaka pandan cake. In fact, this is the most lemak biscotti that ever touched our lips. There’s a clean snap that’s assertive yet friable enough that it doesn’t hurt our molars. The roasted cashews dotted within lend the dough a rich creaminess. Speaking of dough — it’s perfumed with the heady, caramelly notes of good-quality gula melaka, counterpointed with palm sugar’s best pals: fresh pandan and bits of chewy desiccated coconut. Very sedap. The fact that it contains zero oil or butter makes us feel as if we could eat half a jar in one sitting with no guilt. Actually... we did polish off almost half the thing at one go, but there were admittedly still feelings of post-gluttony shame involved. So, worth it or not, you ask? Yes — it's a generously-sized jar and a unique, less sinful yet still delish snack to have lying around amongst those decidedly evil, artery-clogging bak kwa and pineapple tarts.

While the biscotti is brilliant, this baby is still #1 in our hearts. Its the best store-bought pandan chiffon cake in town, in our opinion. The incredibly moist sponge is splodged with gooey pockets of gula melaka, the crumb itself brimming with the intoxicating aromas of cold-pressed pandan juice and organic coconut oil.

These are worth buying too: slightly firm but still wobbly-enough kueh infused with more of Cheng’s signature smoky gula melaka, all showered in juicy grated coconut. Shiok.

Order online by 19 Jan in time for CNY, limited quantities available for walk-ins at Cheng’s @ 27, 27 Yong Siak St, S168654. Call 6223-7883 or visit www.chengs27.com for more info.

Selected photos: Alvin Teo