Korean Fried Honey Cakes
These sticky-sweet, hard-crunchy cookies are popular throughout Korea, especially at teatime. Sometimes the dough is rolled thicker and cut into chrysanthemum shapes, but I like these little bows best.
Ingredients
At a glance
Shaped, molded and pressed cookies
Makes
36 to 40 cookies
- 1 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons rice wine, sake, or dry sherry
- 1/2 teaspoon dark (Asian-style) sesame oil (optional)
- 1 to 4 teaspoons water, as needed
- Corn or peanut oil for deep-frying
- Toasted sesame seeds
Steps
Combine the honey and water in a shallow
saucepan. Cook over low heat until it comes to a boil; stir. Remove from heat and set aside.
Mix flour and sugar. Stir in rice wine and sesame oil, adding water as necessary to make a fairly soft, workable dough. Knead for 2 or 3 minutes, until smooth and pliable. Dough will be slightly sticky.
On a lightly floured board or pastry cloth, roll dough out to a rectangle between 1/16 and 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges, then with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into rectangles about 3/4 to 1 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Cut a lengthwise slit 3/4 to 1 inch long in the center of each rectangle. Pull one end of the dough through the slit to make a kind of keyhole or bow shape.
In a heavy skillet or saucepan, heat about 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees F. Deep-fry the cookies, a few at a time, turning once, until they are a nice golden brown. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. After a brief draining--cookies should still be warm--drop the hot cookies into the honey mixture, turning to coat. Let them stand in the honey for at least 5 minutes. Remove from the honey with a fork and place on a waxed paper-lined plate. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Mix flour and sugar. Stir in rice wine and sesame oil, adding water as necessary to make a fairly soft, workable dough. Knead for 2 or 3 minutes, until smooth and pliable. Dough will be slightly sticky.
On a lightly floured board or pastry cloth, roll dough out to a rectangle between 1/16 and 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges, then with a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into rectangles about 3/4 to 1 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Cut a lengthwise slit 3/4 to 1 inch long in the center of each rectangle. Pull one end of the dough through the slit to make a kind of keyhole or bow shape.
In a heavy skillet or saucepan, heat about 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees F. Deep-fry the cookies, a few at a time, turning once, until they are a nice golden brown. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon. After a brief draining--cookies should still be warm--drop the hot cookies into the honey mixture, turning to coat. Let them stand in the honey for at least 5 minutes. Remove from the honey with a fork and place on a waxed paper-lined plate. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Additional tips
Store: On a plate, loosely wrapped with foil. They should be eaten as soon as possible.
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