Honey Ginger Ribbon Cookies
Quick answer
- Total time
- 55 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 9
About this dish
Maejakgwa are traditional Korean ribbon cookies made from a firm dough of wheat flour, sesame oil, and ginger juice, rolled to 2 mm thickness, slit lengthwise through the center, and twisted through the opening into a knot shape before frying.
Read more
Slow-frying at 160 degrees Celsius turns them light golden and crisp all the way through without darkening the surface unevenly. A warm coating of honey blended with rice syrup is applied while the cookies are still hot, adding a glossy, sweet shell that sets as it cools. The ginger lends a subtle warm bite that sits behind the nuttiness of sesame oil rather than announcing itself upfront, and a final dusting of pine nut powder contributes a soft, buttery fragrance that completes the layering of flavor. Each piece shatters lightly when bitten, yet the syrup-soaked sections at the twisted edges carry a slight chewiness that gives the cookie a layered texture unusual for a fried dough confection. Maejakgwa appear regularly on ritual food tables at memorial ceremonies and are commonly prepared for Lunar New Year and Chuseok.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Combine 250g flour, 2g salt, 15ml sesame oil, 20ml ginger juice, and 80ml water in a bowl, bring together into a firm dough, wrap in cling film, and rest for 20 minutes.
- 2Prep
Roll the dough to a 2mm thickness with a rolling pin, cut into 3x7cm rectangles, then make a 2cm lengthwise slit in the center of each piece.
- 3Step
Push one end of each rectangle through the center slit and pull gently to form the characteristic butterfly or ribbon shape of maejakgwa.
- 4Heat
Fry slowly in 160C oil for 3 to 4 minutes until a pale golden color forms, then lift out and drain on a wire rack.
- 5Control
In a small pan warm 90g honey and 50g corn syrup over low heat until loosened, add the fried cookies, and toss until every surface is evenly coated with the glossy syrup.
- 6Step
Sprinkle 8g pine nut powder over the top, transfer to a cooling rack, and cool until the syrup hardens completely, then store in an airtight container.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Maejakgwa honey ginger ribbon cookies are rubbed with sesame oil for a flaky, brittle, knot-shaped snap.
- Finish cue
- In a small pan warm 90g honey and 50g corn syrup over low heat until loosened, add the fried cookies, and toss until every surface is evenly coated with the glossy syrup.
- Avoid this
- Do not boil the syrup; coat while it is just warm and fluid.
- Storage and reheating
- Sprinkle 8g pine nut powder over the top, transfer to a cooling rack, and cool until the syrup hardens completely, then store in an airtight container.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
55min, 9 ingredients
Category median
45min, 6 ingredients
Based on 144 recipes
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