Borahae Vittles

Yakgwa (Air Fryer)

Makes about 20-24 cookies

Dipping Syrup:

1/4 cup chopped or grated ginger

1 cup rice syrup (or corn syrup)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Wrap the ginger in a double thickness of cheesecloth and squeeze over a saucepan.  Discard the spent ginger.  Add the rice syrup, sugar, and 1 cup water to the saucepan.  Cook uncovered over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes until small bubbles pop up and cover about ½ of the surface.  Remove from heat and set aside. The consistency of the syrup should still be runny.

Cookie Dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

4 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 

1/4 cup chopped or grated ginger

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soju 

Combine the flour, cinnamon, and sesame oil in a bowl.  Rub handfuls of the mixture briskly between your palms to distribute the oil evenly.   You can use a rice scoop (or a wooden spoon) to mix the oil in with the flour until well blended.  To get rid of the larger lumps, gently rub the flour between your both hands, a little bit at at time, breaking up the lumps. Keep doing it until the big lumps are gone and the flour is well blended with the oil. Sift the seasoned flour into a bowl.  

Wrap the ginger in a double thickness of cheese cloth and squeeze over a bowl.  Discard the spent ginger.  Add the honey, soju, and 1/4 cup of water.  Mix well with a wooden spoon until the honey is dissolved.   Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and mix until the dough comes together.   Use a wooden spoon (or a rice scoop) in a chopping motion to mix it up, as opposed to kneading it in like bread or noodles. Eventually it will look like crumbled dough but it will form roughly into one lump.  Wrap in plastic wrap and set aside for 10 minutes. 

Put the dough on your large cutting board or workspace.  Press and gently grab the dough with both hands to shape it up a bit, without kneading.  Use your roller to shape and beat it into a rectangle about 9 x 12 inches and 1/4 inch thick. Fold in half and then roll it out into a rectangle again. Do this two more times to give the cookies some nice layers.  Cut the dough into about 1 inch squares or use a cookie cutter to create some fun shapes.  Using a chopstick, poke some holes in the middle of the cookies so the dough cooks evenly.  Make sure the holes go all the way through.  Lightly brush oil on the top of the cookies.

Preheat the Air Fryer to 360 F for 2 minutes. Lay a single layer of cookies in the bottom of the air fryer oil side down.  Brush the top with oil. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.  

Putting them together:

Once baked, add the cookies to the coating syrup in the pan (or pour the syrup into a long deep pan and add the cookies).  You should hear a hissing sound.  Flip several times and and let them sit at least 3 to 4 hours up to overnight, turning them over a couple of times now and then to soak them evenly.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the cookies from the pan.  Either eat immediately or store in an air-tight container at room temp for up to 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.  Yakgwa can also be frozen .