What’s Raya without Ketupat? Ketupat is such a symbolic part of Hari Raya with woven coconut leaves leaves, packed with rice, shared with family over long, laughter-filled meals.

So I thought… what if we reimagined ketupat into something sweet?

These Pandan Ketupat Cookies are buttery, melt in your mouth checkerboard cookies made with fragrant pandan and classic vanilla. Slice into them and you will reveal a little edible ketupat surprise inside!

They’re festive, nostalgic and honestly, such a conversation starter on your Raya table!

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

  • Eggless recipe (great for those who prefer it, or due to dietary requirements)
  • Fragrant pandan flavour
  • Buttery and crispy texture
  • Perfect for gifting
  • Visually stunning when sliced

These Pandan Ketupat Cookies are perfect for those who love traditional flavours, with a modern twist!

The Concept

Instead of weaving coconut leaves like traditional ketupat, we’re “weaving” the dough! You will start with a simple eggless cookie base and then divided into two batters, one vanilla and one flavoured with pandan.

We then chill and cut into strips (chilling is very important if you’re living in a hot and humid country like I am). Then comes the fun part, assembling them in alternating colours to create that iconic checkerboard pattern.

Once sliced, each cookie reveals a neat pandan-vanilla grid that resembles a ketupat pattern. It’s surprisingly manageable and doable once you understand the structure.

I’ve included a video for learning, and feel free to let me know if you’ve other questions!

without further ado, the recipe.

Pandan Ketupat Cookies
by Javier Tan February-25-2026

These Pandan Ketupat Cookies are buttery, melt in your mouth and are sure to be a fun conversation starter at your Raya table!

Ingredients (Vanilla)

  • 1/3 Cup or 85g of Butter, Softened at Room Temp
  • 1/3 Cup or 35g of Icing Sugar
  • 1/2 Tsp or 2.5ml of Vanilla Essence
  • 2/3 Cup + 2 Tbsp or 110g of Plain Flour

Ingredients (Pandan)

  • 1/3 Cup or 85g of Butter, Softened at Room Temp
  • 1/3 Cup or 35g of Icing Sugar
  • 1/2 Tsp or 2.5ml of Vanilla Essence
  • Approx 1 Tsp or 5ml of Pandan Extract
  • 1 Cup + 1 Tbsp or 130g of Plain Flour

Instructions

  1. Firstly, cream together all the butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy, approx 2 minutes.
  2. Then, whisk in the vanilla.
  3. Separate the dough into two halves, one pandan and one vanilla. For the pandan batter, add in the pandan extract. Then, fold in the flour separately until a dough is formed taking note that the pandan dough requires more flour.
  4. Wrap each dough between two sheets of parchment paper, and shape into a thick rectangle.
  5. Then, refrigerate both dough for 30 minutes to solidfy, before measuring and slicing into strips.
  6. Assemble the strips into a checkerboard pattern (alternate vanilla and pandan). Refrigerate 5 mins before slicing using a sharp knife.
  7. Bake at 160C for 12 – 14 minutes till nicely golden brown (Adjust accordingly based on size)
  8. Serve and enjoy!

Details

  • Prep time: 1 hour
  • Cook time: 20 mins
  • Total time: 1 hours 20 mins
  • Yield: Makes at least 32 – 38 Pandan Ketupat Cookies (depends on size)

Notes:

  1. If you would like to be updated for more recipes which I strive to create to perfection for sharing and for free, do check out my Instagram, Facebook Page, or YouTube 🙂 Thank you so much for all of your support! Feel free to tag me or link back here!
  2. Stores well at room temperature for up to 3 weeks, best consumed within the first couple of weeks.
  3. Please do not copy and paste the recipe without my permission, but feel free to link back here!

Enjoy!
– Bakeomaniac, Javier Tan