Moreish Hokkaido Snacks

When you leave Hokkaido, you can't resist hoarding back loads and loads of their goodies - snacks, produce etc.

After plowing through the load of snacks I brought back from this trip, below are my three favorites. They are also not too expensive and make for great gifts for your foodie friends, solving that headache of a question "What gifts do I buy back from Hokkaido?"

1. Melon Jelly Cups

There are jellies and then there is the Hori-brand Yubari Melon Jellies. The jelly simply bursts with the sheer intensity of melony sweetness with each bite. And if you come across the bigger-portioned palm-sized melon cup versions, grab them! Chill them in the fridge, peel off the cover and savor the jelly with a spoon. It's akin to scooping from a slice of the famed Yubari melon. Yummy!

In fact, you probably won't go wrong with any of the Yubari-melon flavoured products - melon gummies, melon chocolate, melon chocolate-coated melon gummies and melon flavoured ice cream cone (pity we can't lug this back).


2. Cream Cheese Cookie

One popular snack that folks like to bring back from their Hokkaido holidays, is the Shiroi Koibito Langue de Chat cookies, which consists of a layer of white chocolate sandwiched between two layers of biscuits. While I liked the crumbly biscuit of the Shiroi Koibito, I do find it a tad too sweet and unfortunately, I'm not a big fan of white chocolate. So I was pleasantly surprised when I came across this alternative version while doing some last minute shopping at Hakodate airport.

The red-box packaging reads "Regalo From Powdery Snow" (the intended meaning is probably lost in translation). This cookie resembles the Shiroi Kobito and has the same crumbly biscuits but instead of white chocolate filling, it sandwiches a layer of cream cheese. This speaks out to the cheese lover in me and being a savory filling, it balances well with the sweetness of the biscuits. For me, it was simply the perfect cookie, made in snack heaven!




3. Dried scallop with cheese

This snack to be honest, may be an acquired taste for some. It was for me. I bought this at the Hakodate Morning Market, from the dried goods store and found them among the plain dried scallops. Do note that there is a difference between the dried scallops that are meant to be cooked and those that are meant for snacking , straight from the packet. Better to check with the storekeepers like I did, if you are not certain.

It makes a nice, moreish, savoury snack when the salt binge hits you. Cheese with Scallop. No-brainer.