Don't burst crackers, just eat them now

Lucknow, Oct 25: Crackers, rockets and "Sutli bombs" that you can eat and not ignite, cash notes that you can give but not preserve and playing cards that you can snack on but not play.

Bakers, sweet shops and even private entrepreneurs have come up with a new range of designer snacks and sweets that are healthy and low on calories apart from being attractive.

"We have tried to innovate with our designs this year. The 'sutli bomb', made with white chocolate is filled with toffees and looks amazingly real. In fact, a few of our customers thought that we have started selling crackers in our shop too. The 'phuljhari' is also made of chocolate and wrapped in silver foil," said Krishna Ahirwar who makes sweets and bakery items on order.

These edible crackers are a favourite with the children and are selling at a premium.

The sutli bombs are priced at Rs 85 each and the phuljhari comes at Rs 40 per piece.

Some bakers have even come up with cookies that look like counters used in casinos and poker chips.

These edible crackers are now being used for corporate gifting.

"Instead of gifting the usual 'Kaju katli', we felt that this would be more attractive and also has a longer shelf life," said the head of a communication company.

More than the edible items, it is the attractive packing that is bringing in customers. 'Phuljharis' and rockets are available in designer bottles while cookies are available in stained glass jars. Tiny teddy bears are perched on the packing to attract children.

The sellers have also made sure that they cater to the demands of health conscious customers.

"We have a whole range of goodies made with sugar free chocolate and even those that have low sugar content. This has been done on the specific request of some customers who are health conscious and/or suffer from diabetes," said Mannu Agarwal who runs a bakery.