Daryl — who launched his home-baking business last December with friends Cornelius Sng, 29, and Glenndon Toh, 23 — is up to his neck in orders for Chinese New Year. The trio bake out of Daryl’s kitchen, which is stocked with four stand mixers and four ovens to cope with demand.

Over 1,800 boxes of goodies have been ordered since Absolutely Batter’s CNY menu launched on Jan 11, with a new order coming in every 20 minutes or so, Daryl estimates. Family and friends drop by at all hours of the day to help pack and deliver orders.

To fulfill order volumes, Daryl only sleeps about three to four hours a day, and is so busy baking, he’s turned down four offers to shoot photography campaigns this month.

Baking gives me a different sort of fulfilment from being an influencer,” he says. “I like the struggle – it’s fulfilling when I get the recipe right. When customers message me to tell me that they loved the bakes, and that they’re planning to order more, it’s satisfying. I feel happy in the kitchen... no one is picking me apart, and I’m just in my own little bubble satisfying people’s taste buds.”

Baking is the career change Daryl never saw coming. The self-taught baker confesses that he has had limited experience in the kitchen prior to starting Absolutely Batter, as his mother (who he calls a ‘clean freak’) did not appreciate him dirtying the family’s kitchen. Instead, he would head to friends’ houses to whip up goodies together.

The business began by accident, after Daryl was seized by a strong craving during the Circuit Breaker period (when there were less photography jobs) for unique strawberry cookies he previously bought from a street stall in Tokyo. 

He decided to try making them at home, but struggled to replicate the taste. Roping in his two friends, the three hit on a winning recipe after five months, which they thought good enough to sell. (“Sickass Strawberry Crumbs” is currently out of stock on Absolutely Batter’s site until after CNY.)

Daryl had planned to keep the business “small and hobby-like”, and take orders via direct messages on Instagram. But BFF Drea Chong convinced him to evolve it into a full-fledged brand, and he put his photography chops to use, shooting professional images of the bakes for the online shop. Then, he decided to add more products. “Our ambition and vision just kept getting bigger and bigger,” he says.

Thanks to Daryl’s online reach and a helping hand from friends such as influencers Xiaxue, Yeoh Mong Chin and Fiona Fussi, business is booming for the fledgeling bakery.

Daryl has dreams of opening a physical store next, but admits he is “wary of the hype dying down”. Nevertheless, if demand stays consistent this year, he is keen on scouting out potential store locations and hiring staff next year to help with baking, so he can resume creative work. “I don’t want to be baking out of my home forever,” he laughs.

The bundle Daryl sends us comprises eight boxes – one of everything on Absolutely Batter’s Chinese New Year menu, which is on sale until Feb 8. There will be a second order window between Feb 15 and 23, with pre-orders starting on Feb 10.

Absolutely Batter is also offering the following:

●      Batter Bundle, $88 for 4 boxes of snacks

●      Even Batter Bundle, $128 for 6 boxes of snacks

●      Nutella & Peanut Butter Bundle, $52 for a box each of Nutella Hazelnut Cookies and Peanut Butter Peanut Cookies

Daryl modified his winning “Strawberry Crumbs” recipe to create a Chinese New Year version that took three months to perfect and requires 20 different ingredients. The result is a butter-based cookie with the soul of a pineapple tart, but none of the jam. Opening the pack unleashes a buttery-sweet smell with tangy notes reminiscent of fresh-cut pineapple. Biting into the firm, slightly chewy crumb results in a mouth of pineapple-infused dough that’s only lightly sweetened, yet super flavourful. The secret? Leaving fried pineapple pieces to “marinate” overnight with the batter, he reveals. Yummy. 

These tarts are based off Cornelius’ grandmother’s traditional recipe, Daryl says. Fresh pineapple pulp is cooked down with spices for hours, then encased in a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth crust for a result that’s light on the palate, but lacks zing. Sadly, the hefty tarts we receive — each about the length of a thumb — suffer from an overly soft dough, with cracks running up the sides.

Traditional peanut cookies get a bit of an upgrade with a dollop of peanut butter. With edges that taste more wet sand than cookie, we suspect this batch might be slightly under-baked — what with Absolutely Batter’s order volume — but the portion of the cookie that’s crisp contrasts beautifully with the sticky peanut butter for a layered mouthfeel.

More Christmas than CNY, this snack is definitely for the less traditional: pink and blue marshmallows sandwiched between two chewy cookies generously adorned with big chocolate chips and a scattering of sea salt. A minute or so in the oven fails to revive the gooeyness of the marshmallows, but elevates the cookies to warm and melty.

The texture of ground hazelnuts sings in the cookie base, while the combination of Nutella and hazelnut is strongly reminiscent of another well-loved festive favourite: Ferrero Rocher. What brings this cookie together is the salt in the dough, which counterbalances the richness of the nuts and emphasises the chocolate notes, making it hard to stop at one.

Absolutely Batter’s version of seaweed crackers is made from sheets of toasted Japanese nori and spring roll pastry. We can barely detect the seaweed in the original version, but the mala one benefits greatly from fiery seasoning and a harder, more substantial bite — the result of a thicker batter to “grip” the seasoning, Daryl says. Crunchy, salty and spicy, with a numbing tickle at the back of the mouth, this is truly one shiok snack.

The folks at Absolutely Batter have hit on a genius combination of crispy, salty-sweet fried beancurd skin and on-trend mala seasoning. Scent-wise, the mala seasoning packs a punch, but is lighter on the palate than it looks. Crunchy and moreish, the original version is just as addictive, and basically what we’d binge on at the vegetarian bee hoon stall if we weren’t watching our waistlines.

Be warned: despite its wholesome appearance, this sugary snack proves surprisingly addictive. Comprising almond flakes, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, melon seeds, raisins and fine coconut flakes cemented with a caramelised sugar lattice, the caramel notes, crunchy nuts and sticky raisins kept us coming back for more. A good snack option for older folks because of all that fibre in there.

With the proliferation of home-based food businesses, options are aplenty for those looking to buy homemade CNY snacks. And while Absolutely Batter's traditional offerings are decent, what we'd order again is the unique, less sweet but delicious alternative to pineapple tarts: the Pineapple Crumbs Cookie (we'd love to try the strawberry version next time). Also worth getting — the Mala Seaweed Strips and Zai’Er Crisps, designed to suit local tastes.

Place orders at https://absolutelybatter.com. Delivery costs $7 for orders under $88 during the Chinese New Year period. Self collection is available from 2pm to 9pm daily.

Photos: Absolutely Batter