As the popularity of the "Dubai jjondeuk cookie" (hereafter Dubai jjondeuk cookie) continues into the new year, so-called "unofficial Dubai jjondeuk cookie recipes" are spreading. With the prices of key ingredients such as pistachios and kadaif surging and the price of a single Dubai jjondeuk cookie soaring to around 10,000 won, it appears consumers are eager to try something similar.
According to the industry on the 14th, more consumers are seeking products used in "unofficial Dubai jjondeuk cookie recipes," such as Chaltteok Pie (LOTTE Wellfood), Choco Pie (Orion), and pistachio spread. According to BGF Retail, which operates convenience store CU, from November last year through the day before, sales of Chaltteok Pie rose 90.1% from a year earlier. During the same period, sales of Choco Pie (12-pack) also increased 21.1%.
According to GS Retail, which operates the GS25 convenience store chain, sales of Chaltteok Pie and Choco Pie from Jan. 1-12 this year rose 13.3% from a year earlier. During the same period, E-MART saw pistachio sales jump 187.2%, while sales of marshmallows and cocoa powder rose 253.1% and 98%, respectively. At 7-Eleven, sales of related items such as Chaltteok Pie, Choco Pie, and marshmallows increased 40%.
Rising Dubai jjondeuk cookie prices are behind this trend. The international price of pistachios, a key ingredient in Dubai jjondeuk cookies, has climbed about 1.5 times over the past year to around $12 per pound for U.S.-grown nuts (about 17,600 won). The consumer price of a 400g bag of shelled pistachios at a major supermarket rose 20% from 20,000 won last year to 24,000 won this year. Prices of kadaif used as an ingredient also went up due to a stronger dollar (weaker won) and surging demand. In some stores in Seoul and the surrounding metropolitan area, a single Dubai jjondeuk cookie costs 8,000-10,000 won.
As prices climbed, consumers' choices shifted. On social media (SNS), a shared sentiment of "curious about the taste, but it's too expensive" took hold, and "unofficial Dubai jjondeuk cookie recipes" began to spread. To preserve the key elements of Dubai jjondeuk cookies—the chewy texture and the chocolate-pistachio pairing—people are adding pistachio spread to Chaltteok Pie or Choco Pie and freezing them to add a crispy bite. On TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, videos and content titled "Dubai jjondeuk cookie in 5 minutes" and "cost-effective Dubai jjondeuk cookie recipe" keep appearing.
Office worker Nam Ji-soo, 32, who tried the recipe, said, "It's a nationwide craze, so I was curious about the taste, but I didn't want to pay 10,000 won for one, so I made it myself," adding, "It may not be exactly the same as the original Dubai jjondeuk cookie, but it felt like eating a premium dessert, so I was satisfied."
The industry views this as a form of "re-creation consumption." In the past, when popular products got expensive, consumption typically fell or trends shifted to something else, but recently the consumer mindset of "let's at least recreate it" has grown stronger.
A distribution industry official said, "The timing when unofficial Dubai jjondeuk cookie recipes were being shared on SNS overlaps with the period when sales of ingredients and products for making Dubai jjondeuk cookies, including Chaltteok Pie and Choco Pie, increased," adding, "Rather than completely missing the trend, demand has flocked to ways to enjoy it while reducing the expense burden."
Seo Yong-gu, a professor in the School of Business at Sookmyung Women's University, said, "The more economic uncertainty rises or inflation weighs on households, the more people tend to cut big expenditure while clinging to small purchases that bring emotional satisfaction," adding, "What matters then is participation rather than price. The consumer mindset is to follow the trend, even if only roughly, to gain a sense of belonging—'I'm part of that wave.'"