Yak Kwa Korean Ginger Cookies Recipes

KOREAN HONEY PASTRY (YAKGWA OR YAKWA)

Steps:

• Prepare oil for frying. Note for Yakgwa, we want to start frying at a low temperature.
• Make syrup by mixing rice syrup, honey and water in a sauce pan or frying pan. Heat on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it boils, turn the heat off and add the chopped ginger, mix and set it aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, add flour (add salt - optional) and then sesame oil. Mix the flour with the oil by rubbing the mixture thoroughly with your hands, until you feel the oil is all blended in with the flour.
• Mix the Soju and honey in a separate cup/bowl until the honey is all dissolved.
• Pour soju/honey mixture into the flour mixture and gently press the dough to form a ball.
• Divide dough in half. Roll out one half of the dough into 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick rectangular shape. Cut the dough into 1 inch wide strips and then cut the strips at an angle to make diamond shapes.
• Yakgwa is fried in 2 different temperatures and this what makes it tricky. For the first part, oil should be around 265° F (130°C). Yakwa will slowly rise to the top.
• For the second part, when all the pieces have risen to the top, raise the heat to medium high to reach normal frying temperature . Continue frying until Yakgwa turns rich brown in color.
• When Yakgwa pieces turn rich dark brown, removec from oil and let oil drain in a colander lined with paper towel.
• Soak fried Yakgwa in prepared ginger honey syrup.
• Leave for few min until it has soaked up all the syrup, take it out of the syrup and place onto a plate.
• Sprinkle top with chopped pine nuts while it is still wet so the nuts will stick to it.

YAKGWA: KOREAN HONEY COOKIES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the flour in a large bowl.
• Add sesame oil and mix by hand, rubbing the flour between your hands and fingers to combine.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the honey, sake, and water together.
• Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and knead gently with your hands to form a dough.
• Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 30 minutes.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/2-inch thick.
• Cut the dough into 1-inch strips to make diamond or rectangle shapes. Or cut into a flower shape if you have at hand a yakgwa-pan exclusively made to shape these cookies.
• With the help of a fork or toothpick, pierce a small hole in the center of each cookie. Set aside.
• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the rice malt syrup, honey, and ginger in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Bring to a simmer and then remove immediately from heat.
• Carefully pour into a rectangular dish or glass baking pan large enough to hold the cookies in a single layer.
• Place a sturdy, flat-bottomed fryer or saucepan onto the stove. Add enough oil for frying, at least 2 to 3 inches.
• Heat over medium heat until the oil temperature is 212 F.
• In small batches, drop pastries in oil and fry, gently turning them until they puff and float, about 4 to 5 minutes.
• Raise the heat of the oil to about 300 F and continue frying until the yakgwa turns golden brown.
• With the help of a slotted spoon, remove the yakgwa from the oil and place them into the ginger syrup. Repeat the frying process with the remaining cookies, being careful to allow all cookies to go through the 2 oil temperature stages. When you're done frying one batch, you need to allow the oil to come back down to 212 F.
• When all of the yakgwa have been placed in the syrup, turn each one over once so they are coated.
• Soak in the syrup for 2 to 3 hours. Remove with a slotted spoon onto another dish lined with parchment paper.
• Sprinkle with pine nuts and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

PIPARKAKUT - FINNISH GINGER COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine butter, sugar, corn syrup and spices in a saucepan.
• Over low-medium heat, stir ingredients constantly until ingredients look like they are about to boil.
• Remove from heat and transfer to a mixing bowl.
• Allow sugar mixture to cool to room temperature.
• Stirring occasionally might help speed up this process.
• Stir eggs into cooled sugar mixture.
• Sift flour and baking soda together and add to sugar mixture.
• Mix well.
• Roll dough into a ball.
• Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours or overnight.
• Split dough into 2 parts; Roll dough about 1/4-inch thick on a clean, floured surface.
• Cut into desired shapes.
• Bake in preheated oven at 350°F for about 10-15 minutes, or until firm to the touch.
• Cookies can be left plain, or decorated with pipped icing.
• NOTE: This makes a crisp cookie, if a softer cookie is desired you may substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar.

GINGER COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 190oC or 375oF Gas 5. Grease a baking sheet.
• Cream together the sugar, margarine, salt and vanilla essence until very soft and light.
• Work in the flour, cocoa and ginger, adding a little milk, if necessary, to bind the mixture. Knead lightly on a floured surface until smooth.
• Roll out the dough to about 5 mm or 1/4 inch thick. Stamp out shapes using floured biscuit cutters and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake the cookies for 10 - 15 minutes. Leave to cool on the baking sheets until firm, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Decorate with glace icing and pieces of glace cherries.

MUSTARD AND GINGER COOKIES

Steps:

• In bowl, cream Crisco and brown sugar. Beat in molasses and egg.
• Combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, pepper, mustard, cardamom, salt and cloves.
• Gradually add to creamed mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until easy to handle.
• Roll into 1-inch balls and then roll in additional sugar.
• Bake at 375°F till surface cracks or about 10-12 minutes.
• Cool on wire rack completely.

TAKU GLACIER LODGE GINGER COOKIES

Steps:

• Space oven racks evenly; preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cream butter and sugars together until fluffy.
• Beat in eggs and molasses.
• Mix flour, baking soda, spices and salt; add to above, just until blended.
• Using a small ice cream scoop, form walnut sized dough and dip into raw sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet with sugar side up.
• Bake 10-12 minutes for softer cookies, longer for crispier cookies; cookies will crack on top.
• Excellent served warm!

SOFT GINGER COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter till softened.
• Beat in sugar till light and fluffy.
• Beat in molasses, eggs-1 at a time- beating well after each addition, and salt.
• Sift dry ingredients, mix two together well.
• Form into 1 inch balls with sugar coated hands, roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake at 350* 11-13 minutes.
• Do not overbake.
• Take out when center looks a little underdone.
• Cool.

JUMBO GINGER COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine the butter, shortening and sugar in a LARGE mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until creamy.
• Add the eggs and continue beating, the add the molasses. Mix well.
• Add the spices and flour a bit at a time, using the low speed on your mixer. As the dough thickens, you'll have to increase this to medium and possibly high speed. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. The dough is quite stiff and it tries to crawl out of the bowl.
• Moisten your hands and roll the dough lightly into one inch balls.
• Place on an ungreased baking sheet about 2-inches apart. Flatten the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness with an egg flipper or your fingers. (Personally, I skip this step as the cookies flatten and spread out themselves so it saves some time).
• Bake at 375° for six to eight minutes. Remove cookies from sheet and cool on a wire rack. Count quickly!