This recipe by YAM Pastry Chef of the Year Kimberley Vy of the Inn at Laurel Point is a modified version of a traditional Korean confection known as yakgwa (yuck-GWA), only baked rather than deep-fried. The sweet was typically offered in a jesa (ancestral rite) and enjoyed on festive days such as chuseok (mid-autumn harvest festival). In modern South Korea, it’s also served as dessert.
Note that you can make these into sandwich cookies, fill them or simply dust with icing sugar and serve as is.
Makes about 2 dozen filled ox-eye cookies and 18 sablé sandwiches
Candied peel garnish:
- Peel of 1 orange
- 300 g (1 cup) simple syrup, 1:1 ratio (see note)
- Berry sugar, as needed
Soaking syrup:
- 180 g (½ cup) orange marmalade
- 130 g (6 Tbsp + ½ tsp) honey
- 220 g ( cup) maple syrup
- 100 g (7 Tbsp) water
- 20 g (1½ Tbsp) orange or mandarin juice
Citrus yakgwa sablés:
- 246 g (2 cups) pastry flour, sifted
- 2 g (½ tsp) salt
- 100 g (½ cup or 1 stick) cold butter
- 2 g (1 tsp) grated fresh ginger root
- 20 g (1 Tbsp) honey
- 20 g (1 Tbsp) orange marmalade
- 20 g (2 Tbsp) finely grated orange zest
- 14 g (1 Tbsp) sesame oil
- 14 g (1 Tbsp) canola oil
- 20 g (4 tsp) cold water
- 10 g (1 Tbsp) diced preserved lemon peel
Chestnut filling:
- 100 g (½ cup) chestnut paste, at room temperature
- 30 g (2 Tbsp + ½ tsp) butter, preferably grass fed and 82% butterfat, at room temperature
- Icing sugar to taste
Assembly:
- Icing sugar for dusting
Make the candied peel garnish: Peel segments of orange rind, making sure there is no pith. Cut peel into pieces about an inch long and julienne as finely as you can. Place them into a small pot with simple syrup. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Allow to cool completely and strain. Toss zest with berry sugar, then arrange on a wire rack to dry. (Leftover syrup can be used as a cake syrup or in cocktails.)
Make the soaking syrup: In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to a boil. Set aside and keep warm.
Make the citrus yakgwa sablé dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the pastry flour, salt and cold butter.
Add the ginger, honey, orange marmalade and zest, sesame and canola oils, and cold water. Begin to mix on low speed. When the dough starts to come together, add the diced preserved lemon and mix until just combined.
To shape and bake the ox-eye shaped cookies: Divide dough into two portions and place between two silicone mats or sheets of parchment. Roll out each portion to 0.4 cm (-inch) thick. Set aside in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm the dough.
First portion: Cut out using a 3 cm fluted round cutter. Place on 13×18-inch baking sheet(s) lined with parchment or, preferably, a perforated silicone baking mat.
Second portion: Cut out using a 3 cm fluted round cutter, then cut centres in each using a round 1 cm cutter.
Place second dough portion pieces (with the circle in the centre) on top of the first dough portion, taking care to line up the edges and create an ox-eye cookie. Return the cookies to the refrigerator to chill for 20 minutes before baking.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F.
Transfer baking sheets to oven and bake cookies for 10 minutes. Rotate sheets back to front and top to bottom, then bake for an additional 5 minutes, for 15 minutes total, until deep golden on the edges and tops.
To shape and bake the sablé sandwiches: Roll out each portion to 0.4 cm (-inch) thick. Cut out using a 4 cm fluted round cutter, then follow a similar process to the one above.
Chill for 20 minutes on a silicone- or parchment-lined baking sheet, then bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes, rotate the baking sheet(s) and bake for an additional 3 minutes, or 13 minutes total, until deep golden on the edges and tops.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then place cookies into warm soaking syrup. Soak for 5 minutes, then remove cookies and place on a rack to dry and mature.
Make the chestnut filling: In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add chestnut purée and butter, then mix on medium speed until smooth and lighter in colour, occasionally scraping sides and bottom of bowl. Transfer into a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip.
For the ox-eye cookies: Pipe about 1 tsp of filling in the centre of each ox eye and garnish with two pieces of the candied orange zest.
For the sablé sandwiches: Pipe about ¾ tsp of filling between 2 sablé cookies, with perforated side facing out. Garnish with two pieces of candied orange zest. If you like, dust the top cookie with icing sugar.
Note: To make 1:1 simple syrup, place 1 cup each sugar and water in a small pot and bring just to a simmer, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and cool; will keep for about two weeks in a clean glass container in the refrigerator.
Photo of Kimberley Vy by Jeffrey Bosdet