Now that states are beginning to lift stay-at-home restrictions, it’s time to look back at the most eccentric recipes to come from the 2020 sheltering-in-place period. These recipes came across peoples’ social media feeds during this period where everyone was at home cooking to pass the time. Platforms such as Tik Tok, Instagram and Facebook spread these unusual recipes worldwide, making them overnight sensations. Featured below are a few dishes that became popular.

Dalgona Coffee (Whipped Coffee)

Recipe from Jessica, the author, cook and photographer behind Jessica in the Kitchen.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of instant coffee
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons of boiling water
• a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
• 1 cup milk of choice (I’ve tried it with soy milk, almond and oat milk)

Steps

1. Add the coffee, sugar and boiling water in a bowl (you can easily double or triple this recipe). Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip on one of the higher speeds.
2. Whip the entire mixture for about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and whip any bits that didn’t get whipped.
3. Taste (it’ll be very strong! But of course, it will taste better or less strong with the diluted milk) and add more sugar IF desired. Jessica has seen some people add another tablespoon of sugar, but it was fine for her as is. Remember, it’ll be diluted with the milk!
4. Add the coffee to a tall glass (about 8 ounces/1 cup) of your favorite milk. Jessica has tried it with soy milk, almond and oat milk. If you’re doing iced, first add a few ice cubes, then add the milk and lastly spoon the whipped coffee on top. If using hot, just add it to the glass.
5. Using your spoon or straw, stir vigorously to swirl it into your milk.
6. Sip and enjoy it! 

“Whipped Coffee is the BEST thing ever! It’s a fluffy and incredibly delicious way to make your morning coffee, and takes only 5 minutes with a hand mixer! You can make it hot or cold!”

Jessica, the chef behind this recipe, states.

Mini Pancake Cereal

Recipe from I am a Food Blog, an award-winning recipe and travel blog written by husband-and-wife team Mike and Steph. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1/2 tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of buttermilk, you can use milk too
• 1.5 tbsp of whisked egg
• Oil for the pan

Steps

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar. Add the whisked egg and buttermilk to the bowl and gently combine with a fork, being careful not to over-mix, but mixing out all the large lumps.
2. Pour the pancake batter into a squeeze bottle or Ziploc bag with a tiny corner cut off. You can also use a teaspoon to scoop it out.
3. Heat up a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Brush a thin layer of oil onto your pan. Squeeze out a mini pancake (or drop the batter by the teaspoon) and cook until the pancakes start to bubble. When you flip them, they should be golden brown. Continue cooking for another 30 seconds or 1 minute, or until golden brown. Scoop the pancakes out into a bowl.
4. Serve with a pat of butter and drizzle with syrup! Milk is optional.

“I love all mini things, especially mini food. I’ve had a thing for mini pancakes for a while, so when I started seeing a huge amount of pancake cereal TikToks, I knew I had to make some! Trust me when I say that pancakes taste better when they’re mini. 10/10 would recommend.”

Stephanie, chef and blogger behind this recipe, explains.

Fluffy Cloud Bread

Recipe from Trisha Haas, professional food blogger at Salty Side Dish.

Ingredients

• 9 tablespoons of liquid egg whites
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of corn starch
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of white sugar
• OPTIONAL: a drop of vanilla, a drop or two of food coloring

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 300° and place a piece of parchment paper flat on a sheet pan.  Spray parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.
2. The key to making cloud bread is getting your egg whites into stiff peaks to bake. Start by adding 9 tablespoons of liquid egg whites into a bowl. Whisk (or mix on high in a mixer) until the egg whites start to bubble up in mini bubbles (about 2-3 minutes). 
3. Add corn starch and white sugar. Combine with a spatula. 
4. Now mix until egg whites are stiff peaks. You can do this by hand or with a stand mixer. My stand mixer (on high) takes about 10-12 minutes of mixing until ready and Trisha recommends using a stand mixer as it does take a bit for it to mix properly. 
5. Optional: add a drop or two of flavor, like vanilla, and a drop or two of coloring at this stage if you would like colored cloud bread. 
6. Once egg whites are fluffy and stiff (stand on their own), shape them into a round loaf and add to a sheet pan covered in parchment paper.
7. Place in oven at 300° for 25-26 minutes.
8. When done, the top will be lightly browned (no matter what color you make the bread) and will be firm to the touch. 
9. Peel slowly from the parchment paper.

“This recipe IS loads of fun, so thanks to TikTok for this […] it’s so easy to make that you should give this TikTok cloud bread recipe a real shot!”

Trisha, the professional food blogger behind this recipe, states.

Even when COVID-19 restrictions lift, there’s no need to put an end to these fun recipes! Let’s give thanks to these funky creations — they brought many bored cooks some much-needed fun during this quarantine.