Gochujang caramel cookies

Gochujang caramel mixture: mix brown sugar, soft butter and gochujang with a spoon to a paste; set aside.

Cookie dough: combine white sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla extract, one large room-temperature egg and soft room-temperature butter.

Mix with a spatula (or a whisk) and whip to a light, fluffy mixture.

Add the all purpose flour and mix in slowly and carefully at first so it does not fly out of the bowl; stop once the sides of the bowl are clean and no flour shows.

Flatten the surface of the dough, roughen it slightly, and spread small dollops of the gochujang mixture over the top.

Fold the dough up over the dollops with the spatula without over-mixing, so defined streaks of chili remain.

Refrigerate 15 to 20 minutes to firm the dough.

Scoop eight portions onto a parchment-lined sheet pan in a 2-1-2-1-2 layout.

Bake in the center of a 350 degree oven about 13 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges.

Cool on the pan a few minutes until firm, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Variation: press the dough into a rectangle on parchment and refrigerate until firm; spread the gochujang mixture over the top.

Variation: roll it up into a log for a spiral, refrigerate about 20 minutes, unwrap, cut in half and each half into four portions.

Variation: bake at the same temperature about 16 or 17 minutes, as the portions are bigger.