Vegan and gluten free gochujang cookies inspired by Eric Kim's NYT Cooking recipe. These plant-based gochujang cookies have the look of sugar cookies.

When Eric Kim’s NYT cooking recipe for Gochujang Caramel Cookies came out late last year filling my social media feed with beautiful cookies tinted a redish hue, I knew I’d have to adapt the recipe one day! Understandably, his recipe is not vegan. That means I’ve never tried the original, unfortunately, but I think this variation checks the most important box that is, the mixture of sweet-heat lended so perfectly by gochujang.

This fermented red chilli paste, which can be attributed to Korean culinary traditions is everything good and wonderful: savoury, spicy, and sweet combined in a beautiful balance. Though it’s not usually a dessert additive, the idea to add it to something sweet like a cookie is nothing short of brilliant!

I think this cookie will be well loved, especially by folks like me who don’t have the biggest sweet tooth and/or enjoy sweets that include savoury elements… and welcome a bit of heat.

A note on ingredients

This month is the first time that I’m really coming up against some of the specific challenges of recipe writing, particularly the challenges related to writing a gluten free and vegan recipe that calls for specific brand-name ingredients.

While ingredients will always vary from brand to brand, even from location to location, gluten free and vegan products present unique challenges in that the variations between different gluten free flours, or different vegan butters, for example, can be astronomical.

Depending on the brand, “all purpose” gluten free flour blends are going to differ. Some brands will use grain-based flours, others will use nuts, others legumes and others still will blend different flours in varying quantities to produce their own proprietary blend. Some vegan butter alternatives will be made almost entirely with oils while other might have a cultured cashew base. Some will contain soy, others will not, some will be very soft, others firm. Each will interact differently with the other ingredients in a recipe maybe in a teeny amount, or maybe catastrophically.

While you’re unlikely to experience catastrophe in your cookies if you use Earth Balance vegan butter in the place of the unsalted Becel Plant-Based sticks that I call for, it is worth noting that there’s a possibility. I tested these recipes with the ingredients I call for below. I call for these not because I swear by them or think they’re the best things ever (though I do love that Bob’s is employee-owned) or that I think other blends wouldn’t work but because I tested the recipe with these ingredients in these quantities and I don’t want you to make these cookies and be disappointed or, worse, have to throw them out!

A note on access and method

This recipe can be made without a stand mixer or hand mixer. I like to use a hand mixer because I have one, but I tested the recipe multiple times with a hand mixer as well as a whisk and spoon. The cookies turned out on using all methods though I will say that using a whisk or spoon is obviously more taxing and requires hand, wrist and arm mobility.

If you choose to use a whisk, spoon, or other manual mixing utensil I recommend using room temperature vegan butter. The recipe was tested with both cold butter and room temp butter. Both worked but room temperature butter will lead to a stickier dough. Don’t be alarmed, but do be prepared for a bit of a gluey (though tasty) mess.

NOTE: The cookies pictured were made with room temperature butter.

A note on keeping cookies/dough

This recipe makes between 20-24 cookies. You can either bake all your cookies in two batches or bake one batch and store the remaining dough in the fridge for up to 4 days.

The cookies keep well on the counter wrapped tightly in aluminum foil or frozen.

Onto the recipe!

Gochujang Cookie (Vegan + Gluten Free)

Spicy and Sweet | Inspired by Eric Kim’s NYT Cooking cookie

Makes approximately 24 cookies| 20 minute prep + approx 15 minute bake time

Access printable copy here

Read at least once over before you begin

The things you’ll need (to clean up):

Hand blender or whisk or spoon or other mixing utensil
Large mixing bowl
1 cup, ½ cup, 1 tsp, ½ tsp measuring utensils
Small bowl (for flax egg)
Small-medium bowl/ container (for sugar coating)
Parchment paper
Baking sheet

Ingredients (Cookie)

½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup cane sugar
1 stick (approx ½ cup) of Becel Unsalted Plant-Based Butter
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 ½ - 2 tbsp gochujang *The more you add the spicier the cookie will be!
1 flax egg *This is a vegan egg substitute made by combining 1 ½ tbsp ground flaxseed to 3 tbsp water. Let sit for 5 minutes.
½ tsp xanthan gum *Food thickening and stabilizing agent commonly used in gluten free baked goods. This is an important ingredient that acts in the place of gluten as a binder.
½ tsp pink himalayan salt
1 tbsp tapioca flour
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Flour

Ingredients (Sugar Coating)

2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp cane sugar

Notes:

You can use cold or room temperature butter. Room temperature butter will lead to a stickier dough, will be harder to work with and messier over all.
With this recipe you have the option to 1) bake the dough right away once it has been prepared or 2) let the dough sit in the fridge for a few hours or overnight. Letting the dough sit will make it easier to work with, which will come in handy when it’s time to add the sugar coating.
You will likely have to bake the entire batch in two parts.

Method

Prepare your flax egg in a small bowl. Set aside for at least 5 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients. If you plan to bake cookies immediately you can also take this time to preheat the oven to 350 F.
In your large mixing bowl add your brown sugar, cane sugar, unsalted vegan butter, vanilla bean paste, and gochujang.
Mix mix mix until everything is well incorporated.
Add your flax egg to the mixture and mix again until everything is well incorporated.
Add your xanthan gum, salt, tapioca flour, ground cinnamon and baking soda and mix well. If you are using a whisk or spoon, add each of these ingredients individually and mix one at a time. After this step you will be left with a sticky orangy-red dough. See below for reference photo.
Add your gluten free flour slowly, while mixing, until the dough is thick and the ingredients are well incorporated. See below for reference photo.
If you are baking cookies immediately, line your baking sheet with parchment paper and scoop about 8-10 cookie blobs onto the sheet, leaving space between each. Wet the bottom of a drinking glass with water and press each cookie into an even disk. Mix your sugar coating in your small-medium bowl/ container. Press a generous helping of your sugar coating onto the flat surface of the cookie. Store the remaining dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, in the fridge until it is time to bake a second batch.
If you are baking your cookies later, transfer the dough onto plastic wrap, seal well and place in the fridge. When it comes time to bake, remove your dough, cut it in half, and return the other half to the fridge. With your first half, remove blobs of dough and form them into neat balls. Mix your sugar coating in your small-medium bowl/ container. Roll your cookie balls 2-3 at a time in your sugar coating. Transfer to your baking sheet and press into even disks. See below for reference photo.
Bake cookies on the middle rack at 350 F for 13-17 minutes or until desired doneness. Let cool for 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and baking off the second batch.
Once cooled, enjoy! Store uneaten cookies in aluminum foil on the counter for up to 2 days. Store unused dough in the fridge for up to 4 days.