Cookie gifts

Assorted cookies from the Tea Box and Nuts Talk

Buttery cookies are the new passion in Hong Kong. Donna Mah takes a bite.

Every time I hear the word "cookie", I think of being a kid and getting a cookie as a treat. As children, my siblings and I spent a lot of time peering into a big blue tin of Danish butter cookies.

In our family, cookies were associated with gift-giving and gatherings. A box of cookies usually had something for everyone - some with chocolate, some with nuts and some with raisins.

Though they may be an occasional treat for some, they are a passion for others. "Cookies are like a symphony for the taste buds," says Joseph Wong, managing director of Cookie Galerie.

"Cookies are art. My background is in classical music where we strive for artistic perfection. We strive for the same perfection in our cookies."

Wong quit the Hong Kong Philharmonic to go into the business mainly because he saw a need in the market and he loves to eat.

The cookies at Cookie Galerie are made from organic flour, Australian butter and high-quality ingredients. According to Wong, they are suited to Asian tastes and are not too oily or sweet. I planned to taste a little bit of each cookie and ended up eating about half a dozen.

Cookie Galerie's chocolate cookie, made with 70 percent cacao Belgian chocolate, is crisp and light with a hint of bitterness. The coffee cookie has a

similar texture and a wonderfully rich full-bodied flavor. Both are available in a six-flavor tin called the Tea Box.

There is also a box called Nuts Talk, with cookies made with nuts. They also have a series of butterfly-shaped flaky palmiers, including the new savory spicy hot flossy pork palmiers, which pack a nice spicy kick.

A long time Hong Kong favorite, the Jenny Bakery shop in Causeway Bay is on the first floor in a non-descript little mall.

It's a small shop, but has plenty of customers. It is famous for its pineapple roll cookies, which have a buttery, shortbread-like outer layer with a soft, sweet, slightly gooey pineapple center.

They also sell a mixed box of cookies that is full of crunchy, buttery goodness. If you're planning on starting a new diet, don't stop here on your home because you will not make it through the day without eating a few of these cookies.

If you are longing for a cookie-fix while traveling on the subway in Hong Kong, you can always pick-up soft and chewy Mrs. Field's cookies from one of the chain's many shops in the subway stations.

They have an excellent selection, including double chocolate, milk chocolate and macadamia nut, and oatmeal raisin.