Beautiful Sangtu-gwaja (Korean Almond Cookies) Made Without Special Piping Skills
Flower Bean Paste Cookies: Sangtu-gwaja & Flower Bean Paste Cookies
Introducing our final item in the Chuseok gift series: beautiful Sangtu-gwaja! These flower bean paste cookies allow you to create delicate floral designs without needing special flower piping tips. This recipe makes it easy for anyone to bake gorgeous cookies. Enjoy the subtle sweetness and nutty flavor of these homemade Sangtu-gwaja and share your heartfelt gifts with loved ones.
Basic Ingredients- 500g white bean paste
- 1 egg yolk
- 50g finely ground almond flour
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s prepare the base for the dough. In a large bowl, lightly beat one egg yolk with a fork. Add 500g of white bean paste to the bowl and mix until smooth and free of lumps. If the bean paste is too stiff, you can use your hands or a spatula to mash it until it becomes smooth. Finally, sift 50g of finely ground almond flour (sifted 2-3 times for best results) into the mixture. Mix everything together until well combined. Kneading the dough with your hands will help achieve a smooth and supple texture. (Tip: For more vibrant colors, you can divide the dough into four portions and mix in small amounts of ingredients like prickly pear powder, matcha powder, or pumpkin powder to create beautiful colors. Prepare each colored dough separately.)
Step 2
Now, let’s get the bean paste ready for piping. Fit your piping bag with a piping tip (I used a ‘cherry blossom’ tip, but a regular round tip works well too!) and fill it with the prepared bean paste. If you’re using multiple colors, a great trick is to pipe colored bands of bean paste along the inside walls of the piping bag. This way, the colors will blend naturally as you pipe, creating stunning floral patterns.
Step 3
Before piping, preheat your oven to 170°C (340°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using the piping bag, pipe the bean paste mixture onto the prepared sheet. If you’re using a flower-shaped tip like the cherry blossom one, you can create various designs, from petal shapes to round flowers, depending on how you pipe and the direction you squeeze. Simply squeezing the bag will naturally form a flower shape. Piping in a circular motion creates a cute flower. Feel free to get creative with your designs!
Step 4
Arrange the beautifully piped bean paste cookies evenly on the baking sheet. You’ll be amazed at how lovely the floral designs turn out, even without specialized flower piping techniques – the shape of the bean paste itself is enough! (Tip: For instance, mixing green and yellow bean paste before piping can create a refreshing look. Experimenting with different tips can also be fun.) Now, bake in the preheated 170°C (340°F) oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are lightly golden. Baking time may vary depending on your oven’s performance.
Step 5
Ta-da! Your delicious Sangtu-gwaja are finally complete! This is right out of the oven, and don’t they look absolutely appetizing and beautiful?
Step 6
The rest of the cookies are also perfectly baked. The taste is just like the familiar, wonderfully sweet, and nutty Sangtu-gwaja we all know and love!
Step 7
Here’s a close-up view! This was my first time making them, but they turned out to be a great success! They have a delightful slightly crisp exterior and a soft, melt-in-your-mouth interior. With the Chuseok gift series now complete – including mooncakes, manjoo, cookies, pineapple tarts, and these Sangtu-gwaja – everything is beautifully packaged and ready to be gifted to cherished friends and family. Have a wonderful holiday season filled with heartfelt, homemade gifts!
