Dalgona Latte with Honeycomb Toffee Candy

tall glass filled with Dalgona latte topped with honeycomb toffee

5 from 1 vote

Dalgona Latte with Honeycomb Toffee Candy

Creamy and so delicious -- try a Dalgona Latte with Honeycomb Toffee Candy! Big chunks of crisp, crunchy honeycomb toffee are added to cold milk. A shot of espresso combined with the melting toffee chunks makes for a delightful coffee treat. Enjoy the refreshing and incredibly addictive flavors of this popular South Korean cafe drink!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Cooling Time15

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: Dalgona, Honeycomb Toffee, Latte

Servings:

Calories: 150kcal

Author: The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

Equipment

Heavy bottomed medium saucepan
Silpat Silicone Mat or Parchment paper
Silicone Spatula
Food scale
fine mesh sifter

Ingredients

Honeycomb Toffee Candy:

1 cup / 200 grams white sugar
1/4 cup/ 50grams water
2 tsp/ 8 grams baking soda
1 Tbsp/ 30 grams corn syrup *optional but will ensure crystal-free toffee, especially on hot and humid days

Dalgona Latte Drink:

1 cup milk whole milk preferred but 2%, 1%, and skim milk also work; for plant-based options, oat milk, almond milk, or soy milk are all nice options
ice cubes
1 shot (1 ounce) espresso optional, coffee or cold brew can also be added for less intense coffee flavor
1/2 cup (or more) honeycomb toffee candy chunks + crumbs

Instructions

To make the Dalgona Honeycomb Toffee:

Prep Silpat. Add a silpat or silicone mat to a rimmed baking sheet. Place next to the stove.
Weigh the sugar and water. To weigh the sugar and water directly in the saucepan, add the saucepan to the food scale and turn ON. The weight should be 0. Add 200 grams of sugar, making sure it's in an even layer and not mounded in the middle. Press the on button again and tare the scale so it goes back to 0. Gently pour in 50 grams of water. The water will look like it's not enough but do not stir or shake the pan to move around the water. This will encourage crystals to form and ruin the caramel. Instead, gently set the pan aside -- the water will continue to absorb into the sugar and cover it completely.
Add corn syrup. If using corn syrup, add to the sugar and water in a thin drizzle. The corn syrup is optional but ensures an easier Dalgona-making process as it will prevent crystalization.
Weigh the baking soda. Add a small bowl to the food scale. Press the ON button and tare the scale so the weight is 0. Gently add baking soda to a fine mesh strainer until the scale shows 10 grams. Set aside.
Cook caramel. Transfer the saucepan to the stove. Cook on medium heat until light yellow in color with multiple bubbles coming to the surface.
Note: While the sugar and water cook, do not touch! Do not disturb! The entire cooking process can take anywhere from 5-11 minutes, depending on the intensity of the heat.
Add baking soda. Once the color of the sugar and water is light yellow, remove from heat. Add baking soda and using a silicone spatula, mix vigorously to fully combine, about 30-60 seconds. The caramel and baking soda together will puff up and rise dramatically. Be careful when mixing as the liquid is very hot!
Transfer to Silpat. Once the baking soda is fully incorporated and the mixture is puffy and voluminous, transfer immediately to a Silpat. Scrape every last bit onto a puffy mound in the middle, patting and shaping to to create an even layer that's 1-2 inches thick.
Cool. Cool undisturbed for 15 minutes. If the honeycomb toffee is thicker than 2 inches, it may need a longer time to cool. The candy is ready when it's cool to the touch and no longer sticky.
Crack into pieces. Using a rolling pin, tap the honeycomb toffee in several places until it cracks and smashes into different sized pieces. It's okay to create large, medium, and small pieces and not just uniformly cracked pieces.
Transfer to container. To store long term, transfer all the pieces of toffee candy to a glass container or ziplock baggie. Make sure to add all the small bits as well as the powder. Add 2 silica packets from Roasted Seaweed Snack packages (Gim) and it should stay fresh and crisp for up to 2 weeks. Do not cover until COMPLETELY COOL.

To make a Dalgona Latte:

Add ice cubes. In a large tall glass, add crushed ice cubes about halfway up.
Add milk. Pour milk directly on top. The milk should fill about 80% of the glass but leave room at the top for adding the toffee candy.
Add Dalgona Honeycomb Toffee. Add big pieces of Dalgona Toffee directly on top of the milk until completely filled. Add 1-2 spoonfuls of the crushed toffee bits and powder.
Optional: Add espresso. If desired, add 1 shot of espresso on top. Try to pour into a corner so all the pieces of toffee are not soaked. For a less intense coffee flavor, add regular hot coffee or cold brew coffee instead.
Serve. Serve immediately and enjoy! If you'd like, wait a few minutes for the toffee pieces to melt a little.

Video

Notes

Tips:

Sift baking soda. To avoid clumpy chunks of baking soda, run it through a fine mesh sifter. Biting into a chunk of baking soda is a very unpleasant experience!

Leave caramel undisturbed during the cooking process. When cooking the sugar into caramel, it's best to leave it undisturbed. Stirring or shaking the pan can form crystals and ruin the caramel. Once the sugar turns light yellow, it's safe to handle.

Be careful! The Toffee is very hot -- do not touch! Be careful that it doesn't come into contact with skin! Use metal or silicone tools (not plastic, as they will melt). Be especially careful when mixing in the baking soda so the caramel does not splash onto skin.

Prep the silpat in advance. The cooking time is very fast and you'll need to transfer to the silpat immediately -- the longer the toffee sits in the cooking pot, the more likely it will burn. Set it up in advance for ease and convenience.

Soak the saucepan in water. To remove the hardened leftover toffee from the cooking pot, simply fill with water. After a few minutes, the toffee will melt away.

Nutrition