To make these sweet & spicy caramel Gochujang Cookies gluten-free, I made a few tweaks to the very popular NYT recipe, and wow. As in 'you are gonna wow all your friends with the toffee sweetness of these umami-specked cookies. They come together in just 10 minutes, with a full batch done in less than half an hour!
For other spicy recipes with gochujang flavor, try my easy gochujang eggs and gochujang sauce.
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About this recipe
Use Up Gochujang: for those of you looking for a way to use up leftover gochujang, this is an unusual but very delicious way to use up gochujang in a sweet recipe.
Okay for Beginner Bakers: these gochujang cookies make for an unusual flavor combination, but that doesn't mean that they're hard to make. My boyfriend helped me work thorugh the recipe and had no rpoblem following along, so I know it's easy & detailed enough to follow whether you're a beginner or a trained pastry chef.
Korean-Inspired Dessert: while this isn't a traditional Korean dessert, its flavor combination of the sweet, the savory, and the fermented is practically a signature of Korean cusine. This is a delectable example of such a balance of tastes.
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Flour & Binder: I use a blend of cassava flour, chestnut flour, almond flour, and arrowroot starch to keep it grain-free, but this would work with white flour or any commercial gluten-free flour blend. I also use 4 teaspoons of psyllium husk (a binder to replace gluten) mixed into the flour, and you'd need to adjust the amount of psyllium husk if batching the recipe (see notes).
Unsalted Butter: use a very soft butter, room temperature if possible, and if you only have salted butter then you'll want to use half the called-for salt.
Dark Brown Sugar: the original recipe calls for mainly white sugar, but I liked the version with brown sugar better, as it makes the cookies chewy and even meltier (though feel free to opt for 1 cup of white sugar or palm sugar).
Gochujang: this hot ingredient is the key to great kimchi as well as spicy Korean BBQ, and in these cookies it's the addictive spice which balances out the other strong flavors in this Korean dessert.
Ground Cinnamon & Vanilla: both of these spices add to the background complexity of the heat, marrying beautifully with the umami in the gochujang.
Baking Soda: rather than baking powder, this mildly basic leavener helps to make sure the gochujang cookies rise in the oven.
Step 1. Set aside the gochujang, 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of butter. Then cream the other cup of brown sugar and the other 7 tablespoons of butter.
Step 2. Add the egg, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon to your butter mixture, and stir everything well.
Step 3. Finally stir in the flour & psyllium husk mixture as well as the baking soda, and then refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.
Step 4. While the dough is hardening in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and put together the gochujang caramel. For the sweet gochujang ribbon, merely mix together the gochujang, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and tablespoon of butter until well-combined.
Step 5. Once 15 minutes have passed, take your gochujang cookie dough from the fridge and pour on the caramel mixture, barely swirling it through, mixing the dough no more than twice. If your dough is too cold for even that, just form your 16 cookie dough balls and dab the gochujang caramel onto each one.
Step 6. Then place all 16 on two separate large cookie sheets, lined with either silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes, until just starting to brown on the edges, then take them out and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before (separating and) enjoying.
Recipe notes & tips
Swirling the Caramel: since the gochujang caramel calls for so many moist ingredients, for the best chance at a workable caramel, use softened room temperature butter and add the caramel mixture in globs if needed, to ensure it's evenly-distributed.
Batching Gochujang Cookies: following this gochujang cookie recipe to a T will garner you 16 cookies, and I highly recommend making 8 cookies on two different cookie sheets since they spread so much. But if you want to batch these cookies, your best bet is to refrigerate the remaining douch with the caramel already glommed on.
Then you'll need to bake the next round once the first two trays can be removed form the oven (be sure to bake the cookies on parchment or wax paper if batching, because you'll want to be able to quickly remove it to reuse the sheets).
Gochujang Alternatives: if you're out of gochujang, there's not really a great alternative that's as balanced spicy & funky as gochujang. But your closest bets that aren't overpoweringly vinegary or garlic-heavy are red chili paste or a careful combination of gochugaru and oil.
Freezing the Cookies: To freeze these, I recommend portioning leftovers into plastic tupperwares and freezing once they reach room temp. They'll keep for up to 6 months in the freezer, and microwave right up. Serve warmed with vanilla or salted caramel ice cream.
Other Swaps: I haven't tried it yet, but the next time I make these spicy grain-free cookies, I'm going to swap the regular sugar for allulose.
🌶️ Other Recipes Using Gochujang
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📖 Recipe
Chewy Gochujang Caramel Cookies (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter very soft
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar packed (divided)
- 1 tablespoon gochujang
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ teaspoon sea salt use ¼ teaspoon if gochujang contains salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder alt. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ cups gf flour I use a blend of cassava flour, chestnut flour, almond flour, and arrowroot starch
- 4 teaspoons psyllium husk mixed into the gf flour
Instructions
- Set aside the gochujang, 2 tablespoons of dark brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon of butter.
- Then cream the other cup of brown sugar and the other 7 tablespoons of butter.
- Add the egg, salt, vanilla, and cinnamon to your butter mixture, and stir everything well.
- Finally stir in the flour & psyllium husk mixture as well as the baking soda, and then refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes. While the dough is hardening in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and put together the gochujang caramel.
- For the sweet gochujang ribbon, merely mix together the gochujang, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, and tablespoon of butter until well-combined. Once 15 minutes have passed, take your gochujang cookie dough from the fridge and pour on the caramel mixture, barely swirling it through, mixing the dough no more than twice. If your dough is too cold for even that, just form your 16 cookie dough balls and dab the gochujang caramel onto each one.
- Then place all 16 on two separate large cookie sheets, lined with either silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Bake the cookies for 12-13 minutes, until just starting to brown on the edges, then take them out and let them cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before (separating and) enjoying.
Notes
Gochujang Alternatives: if you're out of gochujang, there's not really a great alternative that's as balanced spicy & funky as gochujang. But your closest bets that aren't overpoweringly vinegary or garlic-heavy are red chili paste or a careful combination of gochugaru and oil. Freezing the Cookies: To freeze these, I recommend portioning leftovers into plastic tupperwares and freezing once they reach room temp. They'll keep for up to 6 months in the freezer, and microwave right up. Serve warmed with vanilla or salted caramel ice cream.
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