Squid Game Dalgona Honeycomb Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1/16 teaspoon baking soda small pinch
Instructions
- Prepare your workspace by laying out parchment paper or a silicone baking mat on a flat surface. Spray the bottom of a small cake pan with cooking spray and wipe with paper towel.
- Heat a small non-stick skillet over medium-low heat (setting 3-4 on most stoves). Allow the pan to warm up for about 1 minute.
- Add all the sugar to the center of the heated pan. Stir constantly with wooden chopsticks or a spatula, keeping the sugar concentrated in the middle to prevent burning.
- Continue stirring until the sugar completely melts and turns a beautiful amber color. This takes about 3-4 minutes. Do not let it get too dark or it will taste bitter.
- Remove the pan from heat immediately. Add the baking soda all at once and stir rapidly for 10 seconds. The mixture will foam up and double in size.
- Quickly pour the foamy mixture onto your prepared parchment paper. Wait 10-12 seconds for it to cool slightly before pressing.
- Use the greased bottom of your cake pan to gently press the candy flat until it's about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Remove the pressing tool.
- While still warm but not hot, press your cookie cutter about halfway into the candy to create the shape outline. Don't press too deep or it will break easily.
- Allow the dalgona candy to cool completely for about 5 minutes until hardened. Carefully remove from parchment paper.
- To play the Squid Game challenge, use a needle or toothpick to carefully carve out the embossed shape without breaking the candy.
When I first watched that nail-biting episode of Squid Game where contestants had to carefully extract shapes from delicate honeycomb candy, I knew I had to try making these myself. What started as curiosity about a TV show treat has become one of my favorite kitchen experiments to share with friends and family.
Making dalgona candy, also known as ppopgi in Korea, takes me back to simpler times when street vendors would create these golden treats right before your eyes. There’s something almost therapeutic about watching plain white sugar transform into bubbling, caramelized perfection. The process requires your full attention for just a few minutes, but the payoff is incredible.
I’ll be honest – my first attempt was a complete disaster. The sugar burned to a bitter crisp because I got distracted checking my phone. The second try, I added too much baking soda and ended up with what looked like volcanic foam erupting all over my counter. But by the third attempt, I understood the rhythm of this candy, and now I can make it with confidence.
The beauty of dalgona lies in its simplicity. Just two ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry can create something that tastes like a cross between peanut brittle and the crunchy topping on crème brûlée. The texture is light and airy thanks to the baking soda reaction, which creates tiny air bubbles throughout the candy.
What fascinated me most about this recipe is its history. During the Korean War, when ingredients were scarce, creative cooks discovered they could make a delightful treat using just sugar and baking soda. Street vendors in the 1970s and 80s would often challenge children to extract the stamped shapes without breaking the candy – if they succeeded, they’d get another piece for free. The stakes in Squid Game might be life and death, but in real life, this is just pure fun.
The key to success is understanding the sugar’s behavior. When it first hits the heat, nothing seems to happen. Then suddenly, it starts melting from the bottom up. You need to keep stirring constantly to prevent hot spots that could burn. The moment it turns that perfect amber color – not too light, not too dark – you have to move quickly. Remove it from heat, add the baking soda, and stir like your life depends on it.
I’ve learned that timing is everything with the pressing step too. If you press too early while the candy is still very hot, your pressing tool will stick and you’ll have a mess. Wait too long, and the candy hardens so much that pressing becomes impossible. That sweet spot of 10-12 seconds of cooling is crucial.
My kids absolutely love the challenge aspect of these cookies. We’ll make a batch on weekend afternoons, and then everyone gets to try extracting their shapes. The circle is definitely the easiest – I can usually get that one out intact. The star and umbrella shapes are much trickier. My daughter has become surprisingly good at the umbrella, using a gentle scratching motion with a sewing needle that she learned from watching Squid Game techniques online.
One thing I’ve discovered is that the humidity in your kitchen can affect the final texture. On particularly humid days, the candy tends to get slightly sticky on the surface, even when stored properly. I’ve found that adding a small packet of silica gel to the storage container helps keep them crisp.
The flavor is distinctly nostalgic, even if you didn’t grow up eating Korean street food. There’s something about that caramelized sugar taste that feels familiar and comforting. It’s sweet without being cloying, and the slight bitter notes from the caramelization balance beautifully with the pure sweetness.
I love serving these at parties because they’re such great conversation starters. Everyone wants to know about the show, the history, and inevitably wants to try the challenge themselves. I usually make extra because invariably someone breaks theirs on the first attempt and wants to try again.
For anyone nervous about trying this recipe, my advice is to embrace the learning curve. Keep your heat at medium-low, stir constantly, and don’t be discouraged if your first few attempts aren’t perfect. Even my “failed” batches still tasted delicious – they just didn’t look as pretty or work as well for the game.
The cleanup is easier than you might expect too. Hot water melts away any residual candy from your pan in seconds. I always soak my stirring utensils immediately after pouring the candy, and they clean up without any scrubbing.
These cookies have become my go-to treat when I want to make something impressive but don’t have a lot of time. Five minutes from start to finish, and you have something that looks and tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about mastering a technique that initially seemed impossible.
Whether you’re a Squid Game fan or just someone who appreciates unique homemade treats, dalgona candy offers a perfect blend of simplicity and excitement. Every batch is a small adventure, and every successful shape extraction feels like a tiny victory.
