I got an ad for this recipe and couldn’t resist. Weird combo, but if anyone’s going to like a gochujang dessert, it’d be me, right? Based on the ingredient list you might not expect it, but the brown sugar is probably the strongest flavor, with gochujang second, providing more of a spicy aftertaste. They’re unusual, but in a way I really enjoy! I gave one to a volunteer at work who seemed to take tasting it very seriously, and described it as crunchy and chewy, sweet but not too sweet, and with a spicy aftertaste. She liked it too!

Ingredients:

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft, divided (I just kept the stick in my pocket while I did other stuff around the house for an hour or two)
• 2 tightly packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 heaping tablespoon gochujang
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal (which is what I have)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups (185 grams) all-purpose flour

In a small dish, combine 1 tablespoon of the butter with all of the brown sugar and gochujang, stirring to combine well. Set aside at room temperature.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 7 tablespoons of butter with the sugar, egg, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla by hand.

Swap to a rubber spatula and stir in the baking soda, then the flour. Refrigerate 15-20 minutes, until still soft but less sticky.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment/silpats.

Remove the bowl of dough from the fridge. Place the gochujang mixture on top of the dough in 3-4 big blobs.

Gently swirl the gochujang mixture into the dough, using just a handful of swipes to create streaks through the dough, rather than stirring so much that it becomes evenly distributed.

Use an ice cream scoop to create 1/4 cup balls of dough, and space widely on your prepared pans, putting only 4-5 dough balls per pan.

Bake 11-13 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden at the edges and almost set in the center. Cookies will firm up as they cool on the pan. Store in an airtight container, and enjoy within the next few days.

Gochujang Caramel Cookies

From the NY Times Cooking section.

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft, divided (I just kept the stick in my pocket while I did other stuff around the house for an hour or two)
• 2 tightly packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 heaping tablespoon gochujang
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt such as Diamond Crystal (which is what I have)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups (185 grams) all-purpose flour

In a small dish, combine 1 tablespoon of the butter with all of the brown sugar and gochujang, stirring to combine well. Set aside at room temperature.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 7 tablespoons of butter with the sugar, egg, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla by hand. Swap to a rubber spatula and stir in the baking soda, then the flour. Refrigerate 15-20 minutes, until still soft but less sticky.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment/silpats.

Remove the bowl of dough from the fridge. Place the gochujang mixture on top of the dough in 3-4 big blobs. Gently swirl the gochujang mixture into the dough, using just a handful of swipes to create streaks through the dough, rather than stirring so much that it becomes evenly distributed.

Use an ice cream scoop to create 1/4 cup balls of dough, and space widely on your prepared pans, putting only 4-5 dough balls per pan. Bake 11-13 minutes, rotating halfway through, until golden at the edges and almost set in the center. Cookies will firm up as they cool on the pan. Store in an airtight container, and enjoy within the next few days.