Korean Honey Coated Cookies (Yakgwa)

Ingredients

• 2 cups AP flour
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 egg yolk
• pinch salt
• pinch freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed ginger juice
• 2 tablespoons rice wine
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons pine nuts, coarsely chopped or toasted sesame seeds

Method

• Sift the flour into a large bowl. Make a well in the center. Add sesame oil and egg yolk to well mix until a cornmeal-like consistency. Add the salt and pepper and sift once more.
• In another small bowl, combine ginger juice, rice wine, honey. Mix and stir into the flour mixture, 1 spoonful at a time. Knead lightly into a soft dough (but not too much maintaining the cookie's light and crunchy texture...like piecrust).
• Form into balls the size of golf balls, making about 20 balls. Use a cookie press to form an impression on the cookie. On the underside, poke with a fork a few times to help with even cooking.
• In a deep frying pan, heat the canola oil until very hot. Drop the balls, 5-6 at a time, into the oil. Fry for about 2 1/2 minutes, turning them once and fry for about 2 1/2 minutes more until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Cool on a rack. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle the cinnamon and pine nuts on top.

Notes

• Description:
• "Translated to "medicinal cookies" because of the health benefits of
• the ingredients. The wooden molds in the Korean kitchens are called
• yakgwa tul but a cookie press will work."
• Source:
• "Growing Up in a Korean Kitchen"
• Yield:
• "20 cookies"SOURCE: Hi Soo Shin Hepinstall