Pepero (Korean Fried Honey Sticks)
November 11 is celebrated in South Korea as Pepero Day because “11/11” is said to look like pepero sticks, but I think these cookies are great year round!
1 C flour, sifted
3 tbsp sesame seed oil
2 tbsp ginger juice
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp rice wine
Syrup
1 C sugar
1½ tsp ground ginger
1 C water
2 tbsp honey
½ tsp cinnamon
4 C vegetable oil for frying
Mix flour and sesame seed oil together thoroughly. In a separate bowl, combine liquids and add to the flour. Knead to dough-like consistency. Flatten dough into a square ½ inch thick and cut into long thin strips, then cut each strip into three even portions. Use a fork to poke holes into the sticks.
In a separate pan, make syrup by mixing sugar and water and boiling to reduce volume to 1 C. Cool slightly and add honey, cinnamon, and ground ginger.
Heat oil to 350–375 degrees. Deep fry dough until golden brown. Dip the cookies into the honey syrup, allowing it to soak through. Sprinkle with chopped pine nuts before serving.
Note: If you don’t have ginger juice on hand, peel and grate fresh or frozen ginger root. Squeeze grated ginger through cheesecloth or a garlic press to extract the juice.
