Dalgona Candy – aka The Squid Game Cookie (2 INGREDIENTS Only!)
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You’ve tried making dalgona candies after watching Squid Game? And never got those PERFECTLY ROUND-SHAPED dalgona candies? Follow these SIMPLE TIPS to make these Korean honeycomb toffee candies successfully!
What is Dalgona Candy?
Don’t mistake it for the popular dalgona coffee (latte topped up with coffee cream) which actually took its name after this dalgona candy due to its similar texture. Dalgona candy is a Korean candy made by melting sugar and puffing it by adding baking soda. It is then pressed down into a disc shape and imprinted with some symbol mold.
In Korean, the word 달고나 dalgona comes from 달구나 dalguna, a casual term meaning “it’s sweet”. Traditionally dalgona was made with glucose solids. This candy is also called ppopgi 뽑기 which means selecting or picking out and refers to the dalgona game which consists in carving out the pattern in the middle without breaking it. Ppopgi however is made with sugar. Therefore what is nowadays called dalgona should actually be called ppopgi. In English, dalgona is basically honeycomb toffee and tastes like caramel.
Dalgona candies used to be very popular in Korean streets, especially among kids. This year the popularity of this Korean candy has resurfaced on a more global scale with the series Squid Game that’s been trending all over the world on Netflix.
What is the Dalgona Candy challenge?
Traditionally street food vendors in Korea used to sell these candies, the challenge for kids was to eat/carve out candy without breaking the pattern in the middle. If successful, the vendor would gift another dalgona candy or some other prizes.
The latest Netflix series, Squid Game, reinvented the purpose of this challenge in which you would survive and earn money if you managed to carve out the pattern without breaking it. On the contrary, if you failed, you’d be instantly killed.
Has anyone managed this challenge? To be honest, I only succeeded with easy patterns such as hearts, circles or triangles. Umbrella and stars gave me a tough time!
Ingredients to make Dalgona Candy
- sugar – any sugar is fine but I like using white granulated sugar.
- baking soda – baking soda reacts with sugar making it foam and turning a light brown color. The “caramel” becomes airy and brittle. !!! DO NOT confuse/substitute with baking powder.
Do I need a Dalgona Candy Kit?
I purchased a dalgona candy kit on Amazon especially because I could not find any small pattern molds. I mainly had some big-sized cookie cutters in my pantry. Those molds were useful since they are designed to fit into a small-sized dalgona candy. The tool I found less useful in this kit was the metal cooling rack, despite my several attempts, the candy kept on sticking to it. So I just went back to using baking paper which works great, no need for oil or anything like that to avoid it from sticking.
That brings me to say, the dalgona candy kit is totally optional. If you have the below tools at home, they work great!
- ladle or small pan
- 1 metal measuring cup (or a glass with large, round and flat bottom)
- a cookie cutter (size a little larger than the measuring cup) – optional
- spatula
- chopsticks
- small cookie cutters
- baking paper
How to prepare Dalgona Candies?
- In a ladle/small pan or in the large spoon provided in the dalgona candy kit, add 2 tbsp sugar. Turn your heat on low, and start melting sugar. For gas stoves, turn the heat on to the lowest possible. For electric or induction stoves, you can turn your heat on medium-low since these are a little less powerful than gas stoves.
- Stir the sugar with some chopsticks. The sugar will first agglomerate and form some clumps before it starts melting.
- Make sure the sugar is melting as slowly as possible. We want to reach a light brown caramel color.
- As soon as all sugar has dissolved into a caramel, turn off the heat and quickly add the baking soda to the caramel.
- Stir vigorously for about 5 to 10 seconds or until your caramel becomes opaque and puffs up. In case the mixture already cooled down and started sticking, put it back on the heat for a few seconds so that it no longer sticks.
- Immediately transfer the mixture onto baking paper – to get this perfectly round dalgona candy, use a cookie cutter a little larger than your press tool and pour the mixture inside the cookie cutter (optional).
- Let it cool down for 30 seconds (if not, it will stick) then press it down until you obtain a thin disc – I use a metal measuring cup because I find it easier to use than any other press tool.
- Press your cookie cutter or dalgona candy kit shape onto the candy.
tips to make successful Dalgona Candies
- 1. Make sure to prepare all material in advance, since you need to work relatively quickly when making dalgona candy.
- 2. Use low heat not to burn the caramel.
- 3. Make sure all sugar is completely melted before adding in baking soda.
- 4. Stir the baking powder in the melted sugar vigorously. When the mixture has turned light brown, airy and doubled in size, transfer it immediately onto baking paper. Make sure that the mixture hasn’t started cooling down and sticking onto the bottom of your ladle/large spoon. If it has, pop it back for 2 seconds onto the heat.
- 5. Let the candy cool down for 30 seconds before pressing it into a disc, otherwise the candy will stick to your press tool.
- 6. Use baking paper, not the metal square tool provided in the dalgona candy set. I tried it several times and the candy definitely sticks to it. Coating with oil isn’t really a solution since your candy may get somewhat oily.
- 7. To get perfectly round dalgona candies, use a cookie cutter somewhat larger than your press tool. You will want to pour the mixture inside the cookie cutter then press down the candy. This way you’ll get that perfectly round shape. This is totally optional and just affects the aesthetic not the taste of the candy.
How to store Dalgona Candies?
Store dalgona candies in an airtight container and place them in your refrigerator for a few days. From my experience, leaving them at room temperature isn’t recommended, they start slightly melting within one day. Unless you live in a dry and cold environment.
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Dalgona Candy – Korean Honeycomb Toffee (2 INGREDIENTS ONLY!)
Equipment
- ladle or small pan
- 1 metal measuring cup (or a glass with large, round and flat bottom)
- a cookie cutter (size a little larger than the measuring cup) – optional
- spatula
- chopsticks
- small cookie cutters
- baking paper
- OR
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 baking soda pinch
Instructions
- In a ladle/small pan or in the large spoon provided in the dalgona candy kit, add 2 tbsp sugar. Turn your heat on low, and start melting sugar. For gas stoves, turn the heat to the lowest possible. For electric or induction stoves, you can turn your heat on medium-low since these are a little less powerful than gas stoves.
- Stir the sugar with some chopsticks. The sugar will first agglomerate and form some clumps before it starts melting.
- Make sure the sugar is melting as slowly as possible. We want to reach a light brown caramel color.
- As soon as all sugar has dissolved into a caramel, turn off the heat and quickly add the baking soda to the caramel.
- Stir vigorously for about 5 to 10 seconds or until your caramel becomes opaque and puffs up. In case the mixture already cooled down and starts sticking, put it back on the heat for a few seconds so that it no longer sticks.
- Immediately transfer the mixture onto baking paper – to get this perfectly round dalgona candy, use a cookie cutter a little larger than your press tool and pour the mixture inside the cookie cutter (optional).
- Let it cool down for 30 seconds (if not, it will stick) then press it down until you obtain a thin disc – I use a metal measuring cup because I find it easier to use than any other press tool.
- Press your cookie cutter or dalgona candy kit shape onto the candy.
