Sisters’ unique macarons make ideal gifts this festive season

Wai Yee (left) and Ann Nie with their macarons.

KUANTAN: It is customary during Chinese New Year to give pineapple tarts, cookies, nian gao, love letters or other goodies to friends and relatives.

But for sisters Yap Ann Nie, 30, and Yap Wai Yee, 26, they have Chinese New Year-themed macarons that make great gifts.

It was Wai Yee who started baking macarons at home for fun over a year ago.

“I could never get it right most of the time because the macarons either collapsed or the shell cracked. However, I kept on baking.

“I persevered until I got it right but stopped for a while during my studies in university,” said Wai Yee.

Wai Yee decorating some of the macarons.

Ann Nie, who calls her sister the “head baker”, said they baked for friends at first, but eventually word got around about their unique macarons and they began to receive orders for events.

“We had to make more macarons so we decided to get a bigger oven and the necessary equipment.

“The biggest order we received so far was 500 macarons for a wedding party,” said Ann Nie.

The sisters opened their own Facebook and Instagram pages called “Sweet Tooth Macarons” and they have special designs for this year.

Among the most intricate designs is a lion’s face.

Wai Yee said they hoped to open their own baking kitchen this year where they can mass produce their designs and also open a cafe.