I’ve been dating a man who measures taste in Scoville units. The kind who qualifies flavour as having a numb tongue. So, one afternoon, I decided I wanted to surprise him. That’s how I ended up standing in my kitchen, sugar in one hand, gochujang in the other.
Enter: Gochujang Caramel Cookies.
Yes, gochujang is crashing the dessert party. And honestly? She’s the life of it. Let’s be honest, the world doesn’t need another chocolate chip cookie (unless it’s from M&S, in which case… carry on, legend). But what it does need is a cookie that’s got layers.
What You’ll Need
For the Gochujang Caramel Swirl
· 28g unsalted butter
· 50g brown sugar
· 50g gochujang
For the Cookie Dough
· 320g all-purpose flour
· 2 tsp baking powder
· 1 tsp salt
· ½ tsp cinnamon (for autumn vibes)
· 198g unsalted butter
· 250g granulated sugar
· 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
· 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
1. Make your spicy caramel
In a bowl, mix together your butter, brown sugar, and gochujang. Set it aside to chill, and we’ll swirl it in later.
2. Dry mix
Next, whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. This is your cookie backbone, no weak dough allowed.
3. Cream it, queen
In a bigger bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until it’s light, fluffy. This takes around 3 minutes, or, if you’re like me, one full round of Nicki Minaj’s “Va Va Voom.”
4. Eggs & vanilla
Add in the egg, the extra yolk (for that chewy goodness), and vanilla. Mix it up until it’s glossy and smooth.
5. Combine & chill (both you and the dough)
Add your dry mix to the wet, stir until it all comes together, then pop the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. It needs a little alone time to reflect on its spicy destiny.
6. Swirl like you mean it
Once chilled, drop spoonfuls of our gochujang caramel into the dough and give it a few lazy swirls with a spatula. Not too much – we’re going for a marbled effect, not a total mash-up.
7. Bake, baby, bake
Scoop the dough onto baking paper-lined trays, leaving generous space between them. Bake at 180°C for 11–13 minutes, until the edges turn golden and the centres look soft.
8. Nomnomnom…
Let them cool (or don’t, I support all impulsive cookie behaviour).
9. Get talking
Bake them, brag about them, and don’t forget to tell everyone, “Oh, it’s just a little something I whipped up.”
So, if you’ve got a spice addict in your life (or just want to flirt via baked goods), these Gochujang Caramel Cookies are the move.