Although there’s always room for cold sweets like halo-halo, ice cream, and custardy silk pies on our tables, the cool and rainy weather has us looking forward to something a little cozier. The arrival of the ’Ber months means trading in our iced summer desserts for warm treats we can pop in the toaster or microwave when the cravings strike.
Here are a few desserts that will warm you up from the inside out and leave you feeling satisfied.
Sweet hummus bucci
The bucci most of us are used to are usually filled with custard or bean paste, but Gang Green’s bucci (P150/box of eight) is filled with sweet hummus—yes, the chickpea kind. The deep-fried glutinous rice balls are coated in a generous layer of black and white sesame seeds and best enjoyed while warm. They’re sweet, a little salty, quite filling, and taste better when shared with friends and family.
Guava strudel
Nothing But Jill’s claim to fame may be its Porto’s style cheese rolls, but the guava strudel (P350/box of five) can definitely compete. The strudel is made with buttery, flaky puff pastry generously stuffed with sweetened cream cheese and guava jam, sprinkled with sugar and baked until golden brown. If you’re not a fan of guava, Nothing But Jill also makes apple and strawberry strudels.
Sticky rolls
Passing by the food carts selling freshly made turon is probably one of the things everyone misses from the “before” times. Instead of hunting turon vendors down physically, Fried Nice has done everyone the favor of adding the crowd-favorite snack on its menu.
Aside from bananas (P130+ per serving), the cloud kitchen has also created different versions of turon like mango, ube cheese, and champorado. Pro tip: If the rolls have cooled down, make sure to pop it in the toaster before chowing down so the exterior crisps up and the fillings get warm again.
Hot taro sago
If you were a Chinese restaurant regular pre-pain de mie (you’ll get it if you say it out loud), hot taro sago was one of the many staple dessert options available after your meal. The Creamery Catering’s hot taro sago (P480) comes in a bonafide 1-liter bucket, so you can either share with others or keep enjoying it by yourself for a few days.
Aside from hot taro sago, the catering company also has a ginataan series where you can choose between ginataang halo-halo (P250), monggo (P200), or mais (P220) to help keep you warm and satisfied.
Kunafa
For cheese and nut lovers, kunafa (P580+) (alternatively spelled as knafeh or knefe) is the sweet treat you’re definitely missing out on. This Middle Eastern and Mediterranean dessert is made with a semolina dough crust layered with white cheese, then soaked with a sweet syrup and topped with pistachios. Kunafa is typically served warm out of the oven—or toaster, we don’t judge—so the cheese is deliciously ooey-gooey when you grab yourself a slice.
Aside from kunafa, Mediterranean Sweets also carries a variety of—well—Mediterranean sweets on its menu. They offer Arabic, Turkish, and Ashta baklava (P650+), atayef (P1,080+), halawa (P550+), and maamoul (P960+).