gochujang caramel cookies
I love gochujang: it’s probably one of my favourite ingredients. But I’d never even thought of using it in a sweet dish until I came across a recipe by Eric Kim on NYT Cooking that had over 8000 5-star reviews. One bake later, I was hooked.
There’s something magical about these cookies: the gentle heat, the slight tang the gochujang brings to an otherwise rich, buttery cookie. It’s chewy, caramelised, sweet, salty and just a little bit spicy. It’s everything I love in a single bite.
I’ve tweaked the recipe to suit my own taste. Just a little less gochujang to soften the kick, and a little more salt to tie it all together.
This cookie isn’t for everyone, but if you’re ever craving something that feels just a little bit different, this is definitely the cookie to make.
for the cookies
115 g unsalted butter, softened
150 g light brown sugar
50 g granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp gochujang
1 tsp vanilla extract
185 g plain flour
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp fine sea salt
Flaky sea salt, for finishing
method
Make the gochujang caramel
In a small bowl, mix together 15 g of the butter, the brown sugar and the gochujang until smooth and combined. Set aside at room temperature as you'll swirl this through your cookie dough later.
Prepare the cookie dough
In a large bowl, whisk the remaining 100g butter with the granulated sugar, light brown sugar, egg, salt, cinnamon and vanilla until smooth. This should take about a minute or two by hand. Switch to a spatula, stir in the bicarbonate of soda, then gently fold in the flour until just combined. Try not to overwork so you get a nice chewy cookie.
Chill the dough slightly
Pop the bowl into the fridge for 15–20 minutes, just until the dough firms up a little but is still soft and easy to work with.
Preheat the oven
While the dough chills, heat the oven to 180°C and line two or three large baking trays with parchment paper.
Swirl in the caramel
Take the dough out of the fridge. Dollop the gochujang mixture across the dough in 3–4 separate blobs. Using a spatula or knife, gently swirl it through the dough with big sweeping motions, creating bold ripples of caramel. Be careful not to overmix as you want thick, distinct streaks of red.
Scoop and bake
Using an ice cream scoop or by hand, scoop out large rounds of dough (about 50-60g each), spacing them at least 8 cm apart on the trays (you’ll fit about 4–6 per tray). You’ll make about 8-12 cookies, so make sure you have the right amount of trays, or are ok to bake in batches. Bake for 11–13 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through, until the edges are lightly golden and the centres look just set.
Cool and finish
Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt, then leave the cookies to cool completely on the trays (they’ll settle and firm up as they cool). Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days (if they last that long).
