Korean Honey Cookies (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ For the Dough
01 -
1/4 cup water
02 -
1/4 cup sake
03 -
3 cups plain flour
04 -
1/4 cup honey
05 -
1/4 cup sesame oil
→ For the Sweet Syrup
06 -
1 cup honey
07 -
Half a cup of rice malt syrup
08 -
A small piece of peeled ginger, sliced thinly
→ For Cooking
09 -
Around 3 cups of vegetable oil or enough for deep frying
→ For Topping
10 -
1 tablespoon of sesame seeds, lightly toasted
11 -
1/4 cup pine nuts, chopped
# Instructions:
01 -
Grab a big mixing bowl and add the flour. Slowly rub in the sesame oil using your hands until mixed well. Stir together water, honey, and sake in another small bowl. Pour this wet mixture into the flour gradually, kneading gently. Once it's a dough, cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit for half an hour.
02 -
Roll out the dough on a floured countertop until it's about half an inch thick. Slice strips about an inch wide, then shape them as diamonds, rectangles, or flowers—whatever you like. Poke a small hole in the center of each with a toothpick or fork. Put them aside.
03 -
Put honey, rice malt syrup, and sliced ginger into a pot over medium heat. Heat until it starts to simmer, then take it off immediately. Pour the syrup into a wide, shallow dish where you can later fit all the cookies in one layer.
04 -
Heat up the vegetable oil in a heavy pot or deep fryer to about 212°F (100°C). Drop in a few cookies and fry gently, flipping occasionally, until each cookie puffs and floats on top of the oil.
05 -
Raise the oil heat to about 300°F (150°C) and fry the cookies again till they're brownish-golden. Scoop them straight from the oil into the syrup using a slotted spoon.
06 -
Repeat both frying steps until all the cookies are cooked and coated in syrup. Remember to fry each batch first at the lower and then the higher temperature.
07 -
Flip cookies around in the syrup so they all get covered. Let them sit for a couple of hours (2-3) to soak up all the sweet goodness.
08 -
Move the syrup-soaked cookies to a parchment-lined tray using the slotted spoon. Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds and pine nuts for decoration.
09 -
Serve these delicious honeyed treats after a meal or with tea. They have a gorgeous sesame flavor.
# Notes:
01 -
This classic Korean dessert is popular during festive seasons and meaningful events.
02 -
Frying the cookies twice—a low temperature first, high later—is what makes them both soft and crispy.
03 -
The flavors get even better with time. Store them in a sealed container for up to 14 days.