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korean honey cookies - yakgwa

Northwestgal avatar
Recipe by
Vickie Parks
@Northwestgal
Renton, WA

Yakgwa (or sometimes spelled Yak-kwa) is a traditional sweet cookie from Korea. Instead of cutting the dough into diagonal-edged rectangles as covered in the recipe instructions below, some families prefer to roll the dough into a large circle and then use 1-inch cookie cutters to make round cookie shapes with decorative scalloped or flower-like edges. The title translates to 'medicinal confection' (as yak means medicine and gwa means confection), because earlier generations valued honey for its medicinal qualities, and many honey-based dishes were named 'yak'.

yield serving(s)
prep time 1 Hr
cook time 15 Min
method Deep Fry

Ingredients For korean honey cookies - yakgwa

  • 3 cups
    vegetable oil (for deep-frying)
  • HONEY COOKIES
  • 3 cups
    all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup
    sesame oil
  • 1/4 cup
    honey
  • 1/4 cup
    rice wine or sake
  • 1/4 cup
    water
  • GINGER-SPICED HONEY SYRUP
  • 1 cup
    honey
  • 1/2 cup
    rice syrup (substitute honey if you can't find rice syrup or rice malt syrup)
  • 1/2 cup
    water
  • 1 sm
    piece gresh ginger, sliced thinly (or you can use 1 to 2 tsp ground ginger)
  • TOPPING
  • 2 Tbsp
    sesame seeds
  • 1/4 cup
    pine nuts, finely chopped

How To Make korean honey cookies - yakgwa

  • 1
    Add flour and sesame oil to a medium-size mixing bowl, and mix together with your hands. Rub the flour between your hands and fingers until well combined.
  • 2
    In another bowl, whisk together the honey, rice wine (or sake) and water together. Add the flour mixture to the honey mixture, and knead gently with your hands until a dough forms. It should be the consistency and texture of a pie crust. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, and set aside for 30 minutes.
  • 3
    After 30 minutes, roll dough on a lightly floured a flat surface into a square about 1/2-inch thick. Cut dough into 1-inch strips. Then with a knife, cut strips to make 1-inch rectangles with diagonal edges (sort of diamond-shaped). Or if preferred, use 1-inch cookie cutters with scalloped edges to cut flower-shaped circles. Using the tip of a fork, pierce holes into center of the tops of each cookie.
  • 4
    MAKE GINGERED-HONEY SYRUP: Place rice syrup, honey and ginger in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, and them immediately remove from heat. Transfer syrup to a baking dish large enough to hold all the cookies at once, and set aside.
  • 5
    Heat oil in a saucepan to 300°F.
  • 6
    Working in small batches, place cookies in oil, and let deep-fry about 4 to 5 minutes or until puffy and all cookies are floating on the top, gently turning occasionally for even frying.
  • 7
    Remove cookies from oil, and place in Gingered-Honey Syrup for a few minutes (to allow syrup to be absorbed), turning at least once to allow even coating.
  • 8
    Using a slotted spoon, remove cookies from syrup and place on strip of parchment paper. Sprinkle a pinch of sesame seeds and pine nuts on top of each cookie.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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