SMiLes by Meg

Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

I’ve had these cookies on my list for months. Originally they were going to go in my Christmas cookie boxes, but we had red miso, not white miso, in the fridge, and I like to follow recipes exactly (much to Erik’s general dismay). But now that I’m back in the baking game, I needed to give them a go, especially because they seemed like a perfect cookie to bring with us on our mini vacation this week.

I made these cookies last night right before we were going to try an at-home fancy 5 course meal where the restaurant sends you everything you need and you plate the dishes yourselves. I highly recommend doing this if you’re looking for a fun date night in COVID times for a special occasion – we ordered from Seven Reasons, which is just down the street from our apartment, and had a great time.

However, because I was making these cookies in the late afternoon, Elwynn was very distressed. He gets upset if I’m in the kitchen between 4pm and 6pm and not making food for him. In his distress, he often flops wherever he thinks I will need to step over him the most:

This is between the kitchen island, where I do all of my prep, and the oven, where the cookies need to bake. He is good at this game.

Anyways, the cookies themselves came together quickly. I made most of them last night with minimum chilling time, but then made one batch this morning with the recommended resting time. We plan to do a taste test of the difference at some point today (just not for breakfast).

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy – about 5 minutes.

Scrape down the sides and add the peanut butter and miso paste. Beat for another minute to incorporate.

Scrape down the sides again and beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

Add the flour mixture in three additions, beating well after each addition.

Scoop the dough out by about the rounded tablespoon. Roll between your hands, then roll in the Demerara (or turbinado if you can’t find Demerara) sugar to coat. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper about 2 inches apart.

Pop in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours or overnight. As I said, I actually only chilled the dough for 15 minutes or so, but did save some for an overnight chill. The idea is that the longer the cookies chill, the more melded the flavor gets.

When ready, bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and give the cookie sheet a sharp bang on the counter to flatten the cookies. Return to oven for another 5 minutes. Remove and give cookie sheet another sharp bang on the counter. Allow cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

I LOVE what coating cookies in Demerara sugar does. Makes them nice and crispy in the best way, while still being soft and chewy inside.

Store these in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Miso Cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups (225 grams) flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup (220 grams) light brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/3 cup white miso paste
  • 1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Demerara sugar

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the white miso paste and peanut butter and beat to combine, about another minute.
  4. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
  5. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  6. Scoop dough by the rounded tablespoon and roll between your hands. Roll in Demerara sugar to coat. Place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  7. Chill for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
  8. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and sharply tap baking sheet on counter to flatten cookies. Return to oven for 5 additional minutes. Remove from oven and again sharply tap on counter. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.