Are you all ready for Christmas? Each Christmas Eve, I find myself busy with last minute gifts and preparations. I’ll have to make this post very short and get going! I want to wish you and your family a wonderful Christmas, and share my recipe for a Korean holiday treat. Variations of sesame crunch are eaten all over the world. Korean sesame crunch is called kkae gangjeong (깨강정). It is a variety of Korean traditional sweet treats, and it is served during holidays such as New Year’s Day and Chuseok (Korean harvest festival). I decided to make it for my wonderful neighbors this Christmas!
It’s commonly made only with sesame seeds, but the addition of some nuts makes it even tastier. I liked how the combination of pumpkin seeds and pine nuts turned out. You can use any of your favorite nuts (peanuts, almonds, pistachios, etc). I hope this recipe will become a family favorite during the holiday season. You’d be very surprised how easy it is to make. It’s nutty, crunchy and much healthier than most holiday cookies!
Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas, filled with love and happiness!!
Kkagangjeong (Sesame crunch)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup roasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 cup any roasted nuts
- Parchment paper
Instructions
- Add the honey, sugar, salt and water to a pan. Stir to mix over medium low heat. Let it bubble up. Continue to cook, without stirring, until it turns light golden brown, 2 - 3 minutes.
- Stir in the sesame seeds and nuts. Stir well until everything is well coated with the syrup.
- Place the mixture between two pieces of parchment paper. Let cool for a minute. Press it down to flatten it. Roll it out with a rolling pin to make a 1/4 to 1/2-thick rectangle. Using a side of a knife, push in the rough sides to make straight lines. Roll it again to a even thickness, as necessary.
- When the crunch is hardened but still slightly warm, cut with a sharp knife into desired sizes.
I’ve made this a few times and found that 3 minutes is not enough boil time for the syrup, and the candy doesn’t harden enough. 3 1/2 minutes works out just about perfect for me. I’ve also been adding dried cranberries, raisins, or dried cherries, without exceeding 1 1/4 cups for the seed mix overall. This is easy to make and a big hit with my Korean co-workers, who think I’m very talented, LoL.
Can this be made using Splenda or Stevia instead of sugar and honey?
You need to rename this korean crack. Just made it and it’s wonderful. Mine isn’t cool yet but I loved it gooey, as well. This stuff needs a warning label! 🙂
Ha ha! That good? I’m thrilled to hear that. Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Hyosun – I have tried 2 other (messy and wet) unsuccessful attempts using other recipes but finally with your recipe I have success!! Thank you so much!
That’s awesome! You just made my day. Enjoy!
Well, it’s not Christmas, but I’ve just made it. – I used sesame seeds, whole cane sugar as sugar and roasted peanuts as nuts. It’s perfect! Also, I thought not, but the pan was easy to clean. Now, I don’t need to buy it anymore; I’ll do it by myself. – Many thanks!
That sounds great! Of course this is good any time of the year. I should make it again soon.
Love them! Simply delicious! Used pumpkin, sunflower, flax seeds and almonds and they turned out great! Who needs candied pecans on their salad when these are around?
Thanks for making this so easy!
Sounds great! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Hyosun 🙂 Your sesame crunch looks lovely. My grandmother used to love nibbling on a very similar snack, when she was still around. Don’t know how she managed to…. she was toothless for as long as I knew here LOL
Hope your Christmas was lovely and that you and your family will have a wonderful New Year filled with peace. blessings and joy!
Mama loves this stuff…can’t wait to try it out very soon. Lovely blog =) Happy (belated) Christmas!!
Never thought these would be so easy to make! Have to try!
THANK YOU for posting this recipe!! I did not realize these were so easy to make. These are a great low-carb treat for the low-carb eater! I made a batch tonight, but mine never hardened. I’m thinking I did not boil the honey and sugar long enough to make a true syrup. I’m a novice at that stuff. 😡
Hi Leah – It’s really easy. I’ve made about 10 batches over the last couple of days to share with friends and relatives. I think you figured out the problem yourself. I timed it, and it takes a couple of minutes from the point it starts to bubble up. I’ve added the time to the recipe. Try it again. You can whip up this yummy snack in a few minutes. Thanks for the feedback! Happy holidays!!
Those look fantastic and very delicious! I wish you and your family Merry Christmas!