Calling all dorm-dwelling, mini fridge-utilizing, late-night snack-creating college students: At long last, there’s a viral recipe that can *actually* be made in a dorm room, with no extra equipment needed. If you ever felt FOMO from watching videos of recipes like Turkish pasta or Tini’s mac and cheese because you couldn’t make it within the confines of your dorm room (or your college student budget), trust me, you’re not alone. But not only can the current internet-favorite recipe be made in a college dorm room — it’s actually so simple that it feels like it was made specifically for college dorm rooms. So, if you haven’t yet been introduced to the Japanese cheesecake recipe that’s currently taking over TikTok, please allow me to do the honors.
Believe it or not, Japanese cheesecake isn’t actually cheesecake — and, even better, you don’t have to go all the way to Japan to get your hands on it (even though, let’s be honest, I’m still looking for a way to get a trip to Kyoto off my vision board and into my real life). Japanese cheesecake is actually a sweet and surprisingly protein-packed snack that only requires two — very accessible — ingredients: yogurt and Biscoff cookies. When you add the cookies into a container of yogurt (most creators seem to prefer the thicker consistency of Greek yogurt) and then let it sit overnight (or a few hours, if you’re impatient), the consistency and flavor resemble that of cheesecake… which is to say, it’s delicious!
Don’t let the recipe’s name fool you: If you went to a bakery in Japan and ordered cheesecake, this is not what you’d be given. The name is actually in reference to where this food trend originated — in Japan, as Japanese influencers made videos about their snack hack using yogurt and sablĂ© cookies (which are buttery French cookies). As the trend spread, other creators swapped in Biscoff cookies, whose flavor even more closely resembles the graham cracker crust most cheesecakes have. And yes, that means if you can’t find Biscoff cookies, graham crackers would be a great substitution.
Although this recipe only needs two ingredients, that doesn’t mean you’re limited to just two ingredients. Once you nail the simple recipe, you can play around with other ingredients to make your own variation. You could mix in fruit (strawberry or blueberry cheesecake, anyone?), drizzle on chocolate or peanut butter, or try different types and flavors of yogurt to really make it your own.
The best part? You can do this all from the comfort of your teeny-tiny dorm room. Dessert for one (or two, if you like your roommate), coming right up!