From Eric Kim and NYTcooking, my favorite cookie this past year! Gochujang Caramel Cookies
Prep Time20 minutesmins
Cook Time11 minutesmins
Course: cookies, Dessert
Cuisine: Asian-American, Korean-American
Keyword: gochujang, Gochujang Caramel Cookie, holiday cookies
Ingredients
Gochujang Butter
1tablespoonunsalted butter very soft
2tablespoonspacked dark brown sugar
1tablespoon gochujang pasteheaping
Creamed Mixture
7tablespoonsunsalted butter, softened
1cupgranulated sugar (200 grams)
1large eggat room temperature
½teaspooncoarse kosher salt (Morton's) or ¾ teaspoon if using Diamond Crystal
¼teaspoonground cinnamon
1teaspoonvanilla extract
Dry Stuff
½teaspoonbaking soda
1½cupsall-purpose flour 185 grams
Instructions
In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon butter, the brown sugar and gochujang until smooth. Set aside for later, at room temperature.
In a large bowl, by hand, whisk together the remaining 7 tablespoons butter, the granulated sugar, egg, salt, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth, about 1 minute. Switch to a flexible spatula and stir in the baking soda. Add the flour and gently stir to combine. Place this large bowl in the refrigerator until the dough is less sticky but still soft and pliable, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the dough is chilling, heat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. In 3 to 4 separately spaced out blobs, spoon the gochujang mixture over the cookie dough. Moving in long circular strokes, swirl the gochujang mixture into the cookie dough so you have streaks of orange-red rippled throughout the beige. Be sure not to overmix at this stage, as you want wide, distinct strips of gochujang.
Use an ice cream scoop to plop out ¼-cup rounds spaced at least 3 inches apart on the sheet pans. (You should get 4 to 5 cookies per pan.) Bake until lightly golden at the edges and dry and set in the center, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Let cool completely on the sheet pan; the cookies will flatten slightly and continue cooking as they cool. *See post for making smaller cookies. I used a #40 scoop which is just shy of an ounce. 1/4 cup is 2 ounces for comparison.
The cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
Mixing this dough by hand is highly recommended for the most defined crinkles and the chewiest texture.