The Amazing Collection Of Cambodian Cookies

When you think of Cambodian cooking, the first thing that comes to mind is never cookies. You probably think of noodle dishes, pepper filled crabs, maybe spiders (a food more common than you'd think), but you'd almost never think of cookies. If you ever come and visit Cambodia, and you miss out on the cookies, than you miss out on some truly amazing flavours and textures.

No one gave me a tip to try Cambodian cookies, it was never a topic of conversation at any point. I discovered them fairly organically over the last few months while living here. The first hint came about when I saw several street vendors selling cookies alongside other vendors selling the classic street food in the area (they also sell bread on the street as well). The smells coming off of these cookie vendors is always great, but I never actually thought of buying any.  Then one day while shopping, we were poking through the Cambodian local snack section (likely looking for banana chips) when we came across a fairly big selection of cookies.

We picked up a couple of bags to try them out, and since then we now make it a goal to try every variety of local cookie we can.  The thing I'm not sure about with many of these cookies is the origins.  These could be cookies that were designed in Cambodia, or they could be imported recipes from other parts of the world. If they are foreign, than the Cambodian people have brought them into their culture and made them their own as well.  I still have many different varieties to sample, but so far here's what we've tried. I was originally going to post a list of suggested cookies, but frankly there has yet to be one variety I wouldn't suggest (with one exception).

Sweet Crispy Fried Dough Twists

I imagine that the name in Khmer is far more creative than the English translation on the package, because this bland name is no way to describe what I like to call the best cookie I've eaten in many years. It's a very simple cookie, but it works so well. Everything is in perfect balance with this cookie, the sweet and savory flavour is matched perfectly. The texture is hard enough that they give your teeth a bit of a challenge, but not so hard as to make them difficult to eat. The shape is so much fun because it gives you a puzzle to break apart with your teeth. These were the cookies that convinced me to try more Cambodian cookies, and if you're ever here, these are a must have.

Num Krob

I'm not sure what that means in Khmer, but it sounds a lot less appealing than they taste. The thing about Num Krob is that they take a little getting used to. They may look like Corn Pops cereal, but they're a lot harder. They also have a strange flavour that might be a little off putting at first.  I thought the flavour was a little fishy even. The thing is, if you manage to get two or three of them down, you'll find that the strange flavour either adapts to your taste buds or disappears. The flavour that comes next is much easier to handle. The thing that makes these so great though is the texture and shape. They're so fun to crunch, and so easy to eat. You'll likely find that you've gone through a whole bag in minutes.

Sunflower Seed Cookies

These likely have a more formal name in Khmer, as it appears the English name is just a description. If you're a little nervous about trying "strange" foods, than these are the best cookies to start with. They're very much like regular cookies, a light short bread almost. The flavour however doesn't have the buttery flavour that short bread has, instead it's got a nutty, sun flower like flavour instead. It's amazing that a cookie could take on the flavours of a seed that has such a subtle flavour.

Num Thong Noun (coconut)

Of all of the cookies on this list, these seem to be the most common cookies found in Cambodia. Again, I don’t know if they’re native to this country, but you can find them just about everywhere. This was the first type of cookie I found for sale on the street, and also the most common cookie you can find in the Cambodian made cookie isle of any grocery store. The cookie itself is kind of like a crunchy crepe rolled into a cone, often flavoured with a local fruit like coconut or durian. The ones pictured here are coconut, the durian variety might make an appearance in a future episode of Chris, Why Would You Eat That?!!

Coconut Cookies

These are probably the most unique cookie that we've discovered in Cambodia. I'm not sure what they're really called because we bought them from a lady in a market that spoke almost no English at all. The only way to describe them is to say they're kind of like a really dense meringue. When you pop them in your mouth they melt into a sort of paste.  They also taste a little bit of coconut. I can't say that I love these cookies, but I do love how original they are.

Kum Kontrorm

These are in fact the only type of Cambodian cookie that I've tasted that I just don't like. Maybe it's the fact that I bought these at a grocery store, maybe a bakery or street vendor might have better versions of these. As far as I can tell, these are basically small stale donuts. They're not very sweet and not very flavorful either. The problem is I have a whole bag of these to get through, and it's not going to be easy.

CC