These sugar butterflies are also known as bowties or dansan. They’re a Chinese pastry from Hong Kong that became popular in Southern California thanks to Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown. This sugar butterfly recipe is a dessert hack based on the Phoenix Bakery pastries, so you can easily make some at home!
What are Sugar Butterflies a.k.a. Bowties a.k.a. Dansan?
Sugar butterflies, also called bowties or dansan, are a Chinese pastry made from fried dough and covered in a thick, sweet syrup. I’m personally familiar with the butterflies from Phoenix Bakery in Chinatown Los Angeles, which is extremely well known among the Southern California Chinese community. I’ve actually never had these pastries outside of LA, so I can’t say for sure whether these are an accurate representation of the Hong Kong pastry, or even if they can still be found in places outside of California. I showed the butterflies to my husband, who’s Cantonese American born and raised in Seattle, and he said he’s never seen them before.
At Phoenix Bakery, these butterflies are advertised as covered in honey-flavored sugar syrup (it’s not just honey; I also can’t actually say that I taste the honey when I eat them?). I’ve also seen many other Chinese pastries covered in “golden syrup,” which is like a thick, amber corn syrup. However, I have also seen recipes online for bowties dusted with cinnamon and sugar.
In any case, I based this recipe based on the flavor and textures that I remember from my childhood in SoCal. Now that I’m in Seattle, I can’t find these pastries anywhere (or maybe I’m just not looking in the right bakeries?). So if you’re in the same boat as me, maybe give these a try when you’re feeling nostalgic!
Chinese Pastry Hack – Deep Fried Wontons
Look, I could’ve developed a recipe for Chinese pastry from scratch. But I didn’t. Because I knew I wouldn’t ever want to make them from scratch again, and I’m betting that you don’t either. I’ve got things to do!
Instead, this recipe works JUST FINE with a little recipe hack: using store bought wonton wrappers. Just like you can deep fry cut up wonton wrappers to make little crunchies for salads, you can also deep fry twisted wonton wrappers for the base of these butterflies!
And if you’re not feeling like getting out your deep fry tools, you can also AIR FRY! The butterfly pastries you see in these photos were air fried. They turn out nice and crispy, although not super evenly browned. I have to say, deep frying definitely tastes better overall, but air frying is good enough.
Honestly, I’m all about good enough. There are select times where I want to go the extra mile. And then there is the other 99% of my day as a working mom. You pick your battles.
Chinese Sugar Syrup Recipe
For this recipe, you need a thick, sweet syrup that does NOT harden or get crunchy. Many Chinese desserts use a “golden syrup,” but this can be a difficult ingredient to procure if you don’t live near an Asian market. I tried to make my recipe using ingredients commonly found in baking aisles of most American grocery stores.
The ingredients are just sugar, water, corn syrup, and oil. The corn syrup is necessary in that it prevents the sugar from crystallizing as you cook the syrup. If you are really against corn syrup, you can try substituting something acidic, like lemon juice, instead. Similarly, for the oil, you can substitute butter if you’d like.
If you’re trying to get a honey syrup, a la Phoenix Bakery (again, I don’t actually taste much honey in it??), feel free to add a tbsp of honey. Honey DOES crystallize, though, so I would make sure you have corn syrup to prevent a crunchy syrup.
More Chinese Recipes
If you like this recipe, you may like these other Chinese recipes inspired by my childhood!
- Chinese bakery sponge cake
- Instant Pot char siu ribs
- Char siu bao
- 5 minute Chinese vegetables
- Easy Chinese steamed fish
Phoenix Bakery Inspired Butterfly Recipe (a.k.a. Bowties or Dan San)
Ingredients
- 20 won ton wrappers
- 200 g sugar about 1 cup
- 50 mL water about 3 1/2 tbsp
- 15 g corn syrup about 1 tbsp
- 15 g canola oil about 1 tbsp
- more oil for brushing
Instructions
- Layer two wonton wrappers on top of each other. Slice the stack down the middle. Then cut a slice lengthwise going down the center of each set of rectangles, leaving about a 1/2 inch border at the top and bottom. Take the short end of the rectangle and push both layers through the center hole. Repeat for all the wonton wrappers.
- Brush each twist of wonton wrappers with oil. Deep fry in oil at 350 degrees F for a couple minutes or air fry in a preheated air fryer at 350 degrees F for four minutes until wrappers are browned and crispy.
- In a pot, combine sugar, water, corn syrup, and oil. Heat just until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbling. Take off the heat, transfer to a heat proof bowl, and let cool in the fridge for 10 minutes or until mixture thickens to a syrup consistency.
- Dip cooked wonton twists in the bowl of sugar syrup until evenly coated. Let excess syrup drip off and serve immediately. Butterflies are best eaten the day they are made.
Video
Notes
- Butter can be substituted for the oil in the sugar syrup.
- Corn syrup helps keep the syrup from crystallizing, so I don’t recommend using substitutions, but you if you’re really against corn syrup, you can substitute an equal amount of lemon juice.
- A tbsp of honey can also be added to the syrup if you like a honey flavor.