Dubai Chewy Cookie (두바이쫀득쿠키) is Korea’s latest viral dessert sensation that’s breaking the internet in 2025.
This unique fusion dessert combines the flavors of viral Dubai chocolate with Korea’s signature chewy texture, creating a treat that has people lining up for hours in freezing weather.
If you’ve been following Korean food trends lately, you’ve probably seen this mysterious brown ball covered in cocoa powder flooding your social media feeds.
People are waiting 50 minutes just to buy one. It’s selling out everywhere, and Korean celebrities are posting about it non-stop.
Welcome to the world of Dubai Chewy Cookie, affectionately nicknamed “Dujjonku” (두쫀쿠) – the dessert obsession that’s taking the nation by storm.
What Exactly Is Dubai Chewy Cookie?
Dubai Chewy Cookie combines two viral dessert trends: Dubai chocolate and chewy cookies. But here’s the twist – despite its name, this dessert doesn’t actually exist in Dubai. It’s a purely Korean creation that brilliantly fuses international flavors with local dessert-making techniques.
The dessert consists of pistachio spread and crispy kadayif (Middle Eastern shredded pastry) wrapped in a melted marshmallow coating, then rolled in cocoa powder. Think of it as a mochi-textured dumpling filled with the ingredients that made Dubai chocolate famous worldwide.
The exterior has a soft, chewy texture similar to Korean rice cakes or Japanese mochi, while the inside surprises you with crunchy kadayif and rich pistachio cream. It’s this contrasting texture – soft and bouncy on the outside, crispy and nutty on the inside – that has dessert lovers completely hooked.
The Dubai Chocolate Connection
To understand Dubai Chewy Cookie, you need to know about its parent trend: Dubai chocolate. Dubai chocolate is a chocolate bar filled with kadayif, pistachio, and tahini cream, created in 2021 by Fix Dessert Chocolatier in Dubai. It went viral globally in 2024 when Dubai influencer Maria Vehera’s mukbang video garnered hundreds of millions of views on TikTok.
In Korea, Dubai chocolate became so popular that people were paying double the price to import it, and YouTubers started recreating it at home. The high cost and limited availability created the perfect conditions for Korean dessert makers to get creative.
How Korea Reinvented the Trend
Korean dessert makers developed Dubai Chewy Cookie by wrapping Dubai chocolate’s filling ingredients in a marshmallow-based dough. According to Montcookie, one of the first brands to create it, they came up with the idea of using melted marshmallow as a wrapper, similar to making dumplings.
This innovation made the dessert easier to produce than traditional Dubai chocolate while adding a uniquely Korean twist. Interestingly, it contains no flour at all – so despite being called a “cookie,” it’s technically not a cookie in the traditional sense.
The Viral Explosion
The numbers tell an incredible story. In December 2024 alone, “Dubai Chewy Cookie” was searched 1.13 million times on Naver, a 251% increase from November. Delivery app search volume skyrocketed by about 1,500 times.
Even in -13°C weather, people lined up before stores opened, with some waiting 50 minutes just to purchase. The frenzy is reminiscent of Korea’s previous dessert crazes like macarons and Yoajeong, but this one hit even harder.
Celebrity Fuel
The Economics of a Trend
Prices range from 7,000-8,000 won per cookie, with some premium versions exceeding 10,000 won (around $7-8 USD). Each cookie contains 240-320 calories, making it quite the indulgent treat.
The high price is justified by expensive imported ingredients. Pistachio spread and kadayif are imported ingredients with high production costs, and the Dubai Chewy Cookie trend caused pistachio spread prices to jump from around 10,000 won to 40,000 won for the same quantity.
Major convenience store chains quickly jumped on the trend, with CU selling 460,000 units of their Dubai sticky rice cakes and GS25 reporting double the sales of Dubai chocolate products compared to January.
Why Is Dubai Chewy Cookie So Popular?
Several factors explain the phenomenon:
Perfect Timing: It arrived when people were already familiar with Dubai chocolate but couldn’t easily access the original product.
Instagrammable Appeal: The half-cut cross-section revealing bright green pistachio filling against dark chocolate coating is incredibly photogenic.
FOMO Culture: Consumer psychology expert Lee Eun-hee from Inha University explains that Korean consumers are highly sensitive to trends and have a strong desire to experience things firsthand, combined with a fear of being left behind.
Accessibility: Unlike luxury goods, it’s affordable enough for anyone to try at least once, democratizing the trend experience.
Sensory Adventure: The unexpected textural contrast creates a memorable eating experience worth sharing on social media.
Making Dubai Chewy Cookie at Home
A Uniquely Korean Phenomenon
What makes Dubai Chewy Cookie fascinating is how it represents Korea’s ability to take global trends and completely reimagine them. Like jumbo-sized macarons, Hawaiian pizza (created in Canada), or Napolitan spaghetti (created in Japan), Dubai Chewy Cookie is a localized creation that transformed its inspiration into something entirely new.
The trend has brought much-needed vitality to Korea’s sluggish cafe and dessert market, with shop owners reporting daily inquiries and significant sales increases.
The Future of Dujjonku
Like all viral food trends, the question is: will Dubai Chewy Cookie have staying power, or will it be replaced by the next big thing? Korea’s dessert trend cycle moves incredibly fast. New products typically last only three to four months before the next trend takes over. This year alone saw Swedish jellies, towel cakes, and Dubai chocolate variations come and go.
But for now, Dubai Chewy Cookie reigns supreme, creating its own cultural moment complete with online challenges, brand collaborations, and even inspiring international attention as Korean Wave (Hallyu) content spreads globally.
Where to Try Dubai Chewy Cookie
If you’re in Korea, you’ll find Dubai Chewy Cookie at:
- Specialty dessert shops (often requiring early morning queuing)
- Convenience stores like CU and GS25 (more accessible options)
- Online delivery apps (though popular items sell out quickly)
- Cafes that have jumped on the trend
Or channel your inner Korean home baker and try making them yourself – after all, half the fun of food trends is sharing your creation on social media!
Have you tried Dubai Chewy Cookie yet? What do you think of Korea’s latest dessert obsession?
Share your thoughts in the comments!
