South Korea's Butter Chewy Tteok Sparks Global Dessert Trend

A new dessert trend is taking hold in South Korea as a Chinese-style treat called butter chewy tteok, or butter mochi, gains social-media attention even as Dubai-inspired sweets wane. The dish originates in Shanghai and is made from a dough of glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch, mixed with milk and butter, then baked to a texture that is crisp on the outside and chewy inside.

Industry sources say SPC Group’s bakery brand Fashion Five released its version of butter chewy tteok on the 13th, using Échiré butter to emphasize the butter flavor. A five-piece set is priced at 9,600 won, highlighting a premium positioning aimed at dessert enthusiasts.

Meanwhile, Ediya Coffee began selling a variant dubbed “condensed milk drizzled butter chewy mochi” late last month. The item quickly drew strong demand, with initial shortages reported. It is sold for about 2,500 won per piece.

Industry watchers expect continued interest to spur further product launches across bakery franchises and convenience stores. In the past, when the Dubai chewy cookie trend was popular, chains such as Paris Baguette, Dunkin’, Starbucks and Tous Les Jours released related items, and convenience stores CU and GS25 offered Dubai-inspired desserts that drew large crowds.

Public reaction online shows signs of fatigue, with comments that trends move too quickly and that retailers and influencers may be colluding to push new fads. Some observers say the rapid churn makes it hard for any single product to become a lasting hit.

For U.S. readers, the story illustrates how social media can rapidly propagate taste trends from Asia into broader markets, shaping product development, marketing strategies, and potential supply chains for premium ingredients like Échiré butter. It also underscores how quickly cross-border snack ideas can move from Korean bakeries to global consumer culture.

Context for non-Korean readers: Fashion Five is a bakery brand operated by SPC Group, a major South Korean food conglomerate that runs brands such as Paris Baguette. Ediya Coffee is a prominent domestic coffee chain, and CU and GS25 are Korea’s leading convenience-store chains. The butter tteok trend follows earlier viral desserts that spread through social platforms and influencer-driven campaigns, prompting quick market responses from large food and retail players.