Dubai Chocolate-Inspired Dessert Sparks Frenzy in South Korea

Published: 14 January 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

A dessert inspired by the viral Dubai chocolate bar has taken South Korea by storm, turning pistachio cream, knafeh pastry and marshmallow chocolate into the country’s most sought-after sweet treat. Known locally as the “Dubai chewy cookie,” the dessert has become a nationwide sensation, selling out within minutes of appearing on shop counters and triggering price surges, ingredient shortages and even copycat products.

The original Dubai chocolate, famous for its rich pistachio filling, tahini base and crisp shreds of knafeh pastry encased in chocolate, first gained international attention through social media. Its indulgent texture and eye-catching cross-section made it a global food trend, embraced by influencers, chefs and dessert lovers across continents. South Korea has now adapted that luxury confection into a form that reflects local tastes, transforming it into a dense, chewy dessert that blurs the line between a cookie and a rice cake.

Despite its name, the Dubai chewy cookie bears little resemblance to a traditional baked cookie. Instead, it has a soft, elastic texture similar to Korean rice cakes, created by wrapping pistachio cream and knafeh shreds inside a chocolate-coated marshmallow base. The result is a thick, weighty dessert designed to be visually overwhelming and intensely rich, characteristics that have proven irresistible to Korean consumers.

The trend first gained momentum in September last year, when Jang Won-young, a member of the hugely popular K-pop girl group Ive, shared a photograph of the chewy cookie on Instagram. Her post quickly went viral, sending fans scrambling to locate the dessert and fuelling widespread curiosity. Within days, queues began forming outside dessert shops in Seoul, and the phenomenon soon spread nationwide.

Since then, demand has surged to extraordinary levels. Bakeries and dessert cafés report selling hundreds of cookies within minutes of opening, while customers often wait hours for restocks. The craze has spilled far beyond specialist dessert shops, with restaurants that traditionally do not serve sweets, including sushi bars and cold-noodle eateries, adding the Dubai chewy cookie to their menus in an attempt to capitalise on the trend.

Convenience store giant CU entered the market in October with its own version, branded as a Dubai chewy rice cake. The company says it has sold approximately 1.8 million units in just a few months. A spokesperson told Yonhap News that production facilities are struggling to keep up with demand, highlighting the scale of the dessert’s popularity.

The obsession has become so intense that a tech-savvy fan created an online map tracking shops that sell the cookie, complete with real-time stock updates. Customers rely on the map to plan their purchases, while some stores have begun limiting the number of cookies each customer can buy in an effort to manage supply. Social media platforms are filled with videos of buyers celebrating successful purchases or lamenting sold-out shelves.

As demand continues to rise, prices have followed suit. Dubai chewy cookies currently sell for between 5,000 and 10,000 won, roughly £2.50 to £5, but analysts expect prices to increase further as ingredient costs climb. Pistachios, a key component of the dessert, have become particularly expensive. Local media report that one major supermarket chain has raised pistachio prices by 20% this year, attributing the hike partly to the cookie craze.

The trend has also sparked humour and debate online. According to The Korea Herald, gig workers have jokingly discussed whether hardware stores, cleaning companies and other unrelated businesses should also start selling Dubai chewy cookies to cash in on the hype. The dessert has become a cultural talking point, symbolising both South Korea’s enthusiasm for food trends and the powerful influence of celebrity endorsements.

With popularity has come controversy. Counterfeit versions of the cookie have begun appearing on the market, disappointing customers who feel misled by inferior products. Online reviews frequently call out sellers for omitting knafeh shreds or substituting cheaper fillings. One disgruntled buyer wrote in a review quoted by The Chosun Daily that they paid 11,000 won for two cookies only to find no knafeh and a texture that was not marshmallow-based. “It’s heartbreaking,” the reviewer said.

Food critics suggest that the success of the Dubai chewy cookie reflects deeper cultural preferences. Lee Yong-jae, a prominent food critic, told The Chosun Daily that Korean diners are often drawn to foods that are visually striking and generously portioned. He argued that the dessert’s thick, dense appearance aligns with a food culture that values abundance and impact over subtlety or balance.

The craze also highlights South Korea’s ability to reinterpret global trends through a local lens. While the original Dubai chocolate emphasises layered flavours and crisp textures, the Korean adaptation prioritises chewiness and visual drama. This approach has previously been seen with other international desserts that have been modified to suit local palates, often becoming trends in their own right.

Industry experts note that the Dubai chewy cookie phenomenon mirrors past food crazes in South Korea, such as honey butter chips and croffles, which combined novelty, social media exposure and scarcity to drive demand. In each case, the frenzy eventually subsided, but not before reshaping consumer habits and boosting sales for brands that moved quickly.

For now, however, there is little sign of the Dubai chewy cookie losing momentum. New variations continue to appear, including versions with extra pistachio filling, darker chocolate coatings and premium packaging aimed at gift buyers. Some cafés have begun offering limited-edition flavours, further fuelling demand and encouraging repeat purchases.

As South Korea’s dessert scene continues to evolve, the Dubai chewy cookie stands as a striking example of how global food trends can be transformed into local phenomena. What began as a luxury chocolate bar from the Middle East has become a nationwide obsession thousands of kilometres away, reshaped by Korean tastes, celebrity influence and the power of social media.

Whether the trend will endure or fade remains uncertain, but for now, pistachio cream, knafeh shreds and chocolate marshmallow continue to dominate display cases across South Korea, as consumers eagerly chase the next bite of the country’s most talked-about dessert.