If you grew up in Malaysia, chances are your school recess time was never complete without a colourful stash of snacks tucked inside your pencil case or pocket money spent at the school canteen. Long before boba teas and Korean treats took over convenience stores, the snack aisles were ruled by simpler delights. We had candies wrapped in shiny foil, wafer sticks filled with chocolate, and mysterious sweets that somehow cost less than 50 sen. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and rediscover some of the most iconic Malaysian childhood snacks that shaped our sweet (and sometimes sour) memories.

Haw Flakes – The Pink Paper Snack of Simplicity

Image credits: snackhawaii

Taste: Sweet with a mild tang
Price: Around RM0.50 to RM1.00 per roll
Where to get it: Most traditional sundry shops, Chinese medicine halls, and online marketplaces

Haw Flakes — those small pinkish discs stacked neatly in a cylindrical paper wrap — are perhaps the most nostalgic of all. Made from the hawthorn fruit, they carry a lightly sweet and tangy taste that made kids feel oddly “healthy” while munching on candy. Many of us remember peeling each flake carefully, one by one, sharing them during class (or secretly munching under the table).

Originally from China, Haw Flakes were also used by parents to accompany bitter herbal medicine, making them the unofficial “reward” for brave kids.Today, you can still find them in Chinese grocery stores and local markets, though the packaging now comes in both the classic paper roll and a newer plastic wrap version.

White Rabbit – The Creamy Candy with an Edible Wrapper

Image credits: wholesale unlimited

Taste: Milky, creamy, and chewy
Price: RM0.10–RM0.20 per piece or RM3–RM5 per pack
Where to get it: Major supermarkets, convenience stores, Shopee, Lazada

White Rabbit Creamy Candy remains one of the most famous nostalgic sweets to ever come out of Asia.Each piece is wrapped first in wax paper, then in a thin, edible rice paper that melts in your mouth. It’s a discovery that left many kids both amazed and confused the first time.

Its rich, milky flavour and chewy texture were simple yet irresistible, making it a lunchbox favourite and a reward after school.Over time, White Rabbit evolved into many spin-offs — from milk drinks to ice cream — but nothing quite beats the joy of unwrapping that original piece of candy and watching the rice paper slowly disappear on your tongue.

Choki Choki – The Chocolate Tube of Pure Happiness

Image credits: shopee.com

Taste: Sweet, rich chocolate paste
Price: Around RM0.50–RM1.20 per stick
Where to get it: Mini markets, 7-Eleven, MyNews, and most grocery stores

Few snacks bring back memories as instantly as Choki Choki.Packed in a slim plastic tube, this chocolate paste was both a treat and a toy — the fun part was squeezing it from the bottom, bit by bit, and trying not to spill a drop. Made from real chocolate, it had a smooth, cocoa-rich taste that made you feel like you were eating dessert straight from the tube. During school recess, kids would trade Choki Choki like prized possessions, or compete to see who could eat it the slowest. Decades later, the brand is still alive and kicking, with new versions like Choki Choki Cashew and Hazelnut spreads, but the original remains unbeatable.

Nyam Nyam – The Dippable Snack That Made Us Feel Fancy

Image credits: redtick.com

Taste: Creamy chocolate with crispy rice bits
Price: RM1.20–RM1.80 per cup
Where to get it: Convenience stores, supermarkets, and petrol station marts

Nyam Nyam was the ultimate treat for kids who loved a little interactivity. The plastic cup came with two compartments — one filled with chocolate dip, the other with crunchy biscuit sticks or rice balls. The act of dipping each stick into the creamy chocolate felt almost luxurious, like we were tiny dessert connoisseurs. It wasn’t just the taste that won our hearts.  It was the fun of assembling your own mini snack. Today, Nyam Nyam still holds a spot in the snack aisle, often sitting beside modern contenders, but nothing beats the nostalgia of opening that little cup after school.

Nano Nano – The Candy That Confused (and Delighted) Everyone

Image credits: lazada.com

Taste: Sweet, sour, and salty all at once
Price: Around RM0.50–RM1.00 per pack
Where to get it: Mini markets, selected supermarkets, and online

Before “flavour fusion” was a thing, Nano Nano already mastered it.This Indonesian candy was famous for its tagline — “It’s sweet, it’s sour, it’s salty!” — and it truly delivered that unexpected punch in every piece. For many Malaysian kids in the ‘90s and early 2000s, Nano Nano was both strange and addictive; you’d pop one into your mouth and instantly go from grimacing to grinning. It came in colourful packs with cartoonish designs, often shared among classmates who wanted to test each other’s “tolerance” for its wild flavour. Even today, that unique taste remains a symbol of how adventurous our childhood snacking habits were.

Honourable Mentions

Other snacks that deserve a mention include Tora and Ding Dang (comes with toy surprises), Super Ring (for its neon orange cheese fingers), Mamee Monster, and Apollo chocolate wafers. All classics that shaped recess culture across Malaysian schools.

So what are you waiting for? Grab a pack of Haw Flakes, unwrap that White Rabbit, or squeeze out a Choki Choki — and let the sweet nostalgia begin. Because there’s always room for one more bite of childhood.

Don’t forget to tag us @citykaki.life in your #SnackMemories moments!

Also read: Sweet Chaos: The Dessert Fusions Taking Over KL & PJ