8 Servings | 45 minutes
    JWC x GochujangRecipe

Gochujang Caramel Cookies

Spicy and sweet, with the perfect chewy-to-hard ratio. Based on the popular NYT Cooking recipe.

The Recipe

Ingredients

½ cup or 115 grams softened unsalted butter
2 packed tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 heaping tablespoon Bowlcut x Ji Won Choi gochujang sauce
1 cup or 200 grams granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ cups or 185 grams all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon butter, the brown sugar, and Bowlcut x Ji Won Choi gochujang sauce until smooth. Set aside for later, at room temperature.
  2. In a large bowl, by hand, whisk together the remaining 7 tablespoons butter, granulated sugar, egg, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla until smooth. About 1 minute.
  3. Switch to a flexible spatula and stir in the baking soda. Add the flour and gently stir to combine.
  4. Place mixture in the refrigerator until the dough is less sticky but still soft and pliable, 15 to 20 minutes.
  5. While the dough is chilling, heat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large sheet pans with parchment.
  6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. In 3 to 4 separately spaced out blobs, spoon the gochujang mixture over the cookie dough. Moving in long circular strokes, swirl the gochujang mixture into the cookie dough until you see even streaks of orange-red rippled throughout the beige. Be sure not to overmix at this stage, as you want wide, distinct strips of gochujang.
  7. Use an ice cream scoop to plop ¼-cup rounds spaced at least 3 inches apart on the sheet pans. (You should get 4 to 5 cookies per pan.)
  8. Bake until lightly golden at the edges and dry and set in the center, 11 to 13 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.
  9. Let cool completely on the sheet pan; the cookies will flatten slightly and continue cooking as they cool.
  10. Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.