There’s always cuisine that reminds us of a time when things are tough. For example, during the great depression, casseroles and soup based dishes were very popular but as someone growing up during the pandemic, there is one thing that we all could agree on that Dalgona was the marker of that era.

To me, dalgona reminds me of those challenging times, cooped up inside a tiny room and struggling to even whisk this coffee. It was very popular online that I wanted to get into the train too. I didn’t have any whiskers, frother or even a good kitchen to start with. I was only with a strainer and did my best to whisk. Eventually, I mastered it at some point and has been one of my go-to when I crave for something deliciously creamy and caffeinated.

Just look at how I used to make it before and this was made when I was coming back home at the time.

@macchiata/reliving-coffee-moments-of-2020-2021

Somehow, these past few weeks urged me to be creative, to do something with coffee beyond the usual. We see coffee as just that beverage that perks us up but truthfully, there is more than just a liquid caffeine. We can do so much with it, the only thing that we should master is how to understand the ingredients.

If you have seen my failure in making the cookie cup dough, something really bothered me that today, I finally got back to my kitchen and made it again.

As much as I promised to stop baking, something really bothered me. The thing is, I wouldn’t be able to move on if I hadn't done it. So, after racking up my brain and trying to do the recipe that I found from the youtube here, I made a few modifications.

If I were to sell this, I would stick to this picture that was edited with AI, it looks cooler 🤣

Maybe I don’t need a paper cup but just anything that could be used as a mold and then hold the dough until it’s done. If you don’t have a paper cup of mold you can use ceramics and bake under 180C for about 60 minutes.

You only need Sugar, Flour and Margarine.

The base of the cookie dough is simple. Since I don’t have butter, I was simply using margarine used for cookies and cake. However, if you have butter, that’s even better. I added oats and that’s entirely optional. You see, you can make this too at home and all you need is 120 minutes of your day.

Before baking, you have to put the dough in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes.

The only challenging thing would be temperature and also the technique. You have to flip the ceramic after 50 minutes to ensure the inside of the cookie cooks properly. Then wait until it cools down before transferring into another surface, otherwise, they will be crumbling and I got one like that. So, learn from my lesson everyone haha

While waiting for the dough to cool down, you can whisk dalgona. You need 2 sachets of instant coffee and sugar. That’s all there is to it for this recipe.

Once it cools down, add milk into this cookie cup and add dalgona above it. Chill for about 5 minutes, completely optional but that would make dalgona a lot more chilled and nicer to drink. Serve and enjoy!

You can replace dalgona with any other coffee such as latte or cappuccino. Can you imagine a cappuccino and latte art served in this cookie dough? That would be even more heavenly.

I can assure you that this cookie holds liquid pretty well and it doesn’t easily soak the water. So, you won’t have to worry about it suddenly spilling all over your clothes.

This recipe is a way to remind you about that era but also, we can cherish those times in another way. For me personally, through this recipe, I can see how far I’ve come as a person. I am now a lot more creative and could finally have the patience and basics of cooking and baking.

Let me know if you’re going to try this recipe especially if you’re looking to spice up your ways to enjoy coffee.