Here’s a fun twist on the classic sangtugwaja, Korea’s favorite bean paste cookies: Rose Shaped White Bean Paste Cookies (here's my original post)

What are sangtugwaja? These piped cookies are somewhat of a rarity; let’s just say they’re one of those secrets only people in Korea know about. Really, the cookies don’t even have a wiki page. Well, that’s precisely why I’m happy to share what I know about them with you.
It all starts with red or white bean paste; here, I’m using white Shiroan for its smooth, creamy texture and addictive mild sweetness. You mix the paste with milk, honey, coconut flour and egg yolk, and you get a silken paste, which you can taint with your favorite coloring.
Once you have the dough, you pipe the cookies straight into the baking tray. Bake them for a few minutes, and you get a Michelin-quality batch of cookies. Isn’t that special?
Let me tell you, these make excellent gifts, not only because they’re gorgeous, but because they’re also delicious!
Ingredients Used to Make This
**I've linked some of these ingredients to amazon.com to give you an idea of what they are, but you should also be able to find them in your local grocery store (usually, the natural & organic food section). They are also affiliate links, which means that I earn a commission as an Amazon Associate if you decide to purchase the items. The price will be the same for you, link or no link 🙂
- Sweetened White Bean Paste (a.k.a. Shiro An): I eat this stuff by spoonfuls! It's a versatile ingredient that goes inside my sweet rice mochi recipe as well my tofu mochi recipe, but it's also used as fillings inside sweet breads, pancakes, cookies and more. While some asian grocery stores carry them, I usually buy them in bulk directly from a Korean bakery. You can also find Sweetened White Bean paste online (just look up Shiro An on Amazon). Or make your own. I recommend this recipe from Just One Cookbook.
- Milk - milk of your choice. I used almond milk since that was what I had at home.
- Sugar – I like using light-colored sweeteners such as raw cane sugar in this recipe because it doesn't affect the color of the final product. Coconut, date, and maple sugars are less processed, more natural granulated sugars, but it results in a browner, darker donut so I don't recommend them here.
- Almond Flour - I used blanched Almond Flour ; sifted
- Tapioca Flour
- Pink Gel food coloring
Equipment
Rose Piping Tips
How to Make
How to Make Rose Shaped White Bean Paste Cookies
STEP 1
In a medium sized bowl, mix sweetened white bean paste with milk, almond flour, tapioca flour and sugar.
STEP 2
Add pink gel food coloring. Use a toothpick to dab just a drop or two of food coloring into the batter so you don't over-color. Mix together until smooth
STEP 3
Prepare a piping bag with a rose piping tip and fill with cookie batter. Attach a small square piece of parchment to the flower nail with a bit of batter.
STEP 4
Pipe roses by squeezing the batter onto the parchment square - create the rose base, the center, and then layer a row of petals. See Wilton's tutorial post and video here
STEP 5
Bake
STEP 6
Carefully remove the cookies when cool enough to handle
Recipe Variations and Optional Add Ins:
- You can color the cookie batter to whatever color you like before piping if you don't have pink.
- Add natural flavoring / extracts. You can add a teaspoon of vanilla extract (I didn't feel like it was essential so I left it out in this recipe), or other flavorings or extracts, such as almond extract.
How to Store
- You can store these cookies in an airtight container - in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze up to 4 months.
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Rose-shaped White Bean Paste Cookies
Ingredients
- 500 g sweetened white bean paste (shiro an)
- 1 Tbsp tapioca flour
- 2 Tbsp milk of choice
- 4 Tbsp almond flour
- 1 Tbsp sugar of choice
- pink food coloring as needed
Instructions
- In a clean bowl, mix sweetened white bean paste with milk, tapioca flour, almond flour and sugar.
- Add pink gel food coloring. Use a toothpick to dab just a drop or two of food coloring into the batter so you don't over-color. Mix together until smooth.
- Prepare a piping bag with a rose piping tip and fill with cookie batter
- Attach a small square piece of parchment to the flower nail with a bit of batter. Pipe roses by squeezing the batter onto the parchment square - create the rose base, the center, and then layer a row of petals. See Wilton's tutorial post and video here
- Bake in a 350F preheated oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are dry.
- Carefully remove the cookies when cool enough to handle.
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