Recipe: Bangin’ Miso Chocolate Chip Cookies

Love chewy cookies? Miso keeps these cookies moist, while a firm bang on the table halfway through baking ensures a chewy, rather than cakey, texture.

Miso plays nicely in sweet recipes, as well as savory ones. These bangin’ miso chocolate chunk cookies are made with a moderate amount of fermented soybean paste for extra umami that complements the toastiness of brown butter. Grab your baking sheets and bang ‘em on your counter for a flatter, chewier cookie and rippled edge.  

Miso, while full of health benefits, also gives cookies a textural advantage: extra moisture that helps keep them chewy. When fresh from the oven, these cookies have a crispy edge and soft center; with savoriness from the miso, subtle nuttiness from the brown butter and richness from the chocolate. 

© Photo by Rika Hoffman

Ingredients

• 155 grams (½ cup plus 3 tablespoons) of unsalted butter 
• 50 grams (2 ¾ tablespoons) reduced salt miso paste*
• 140 grams (⅔ cup) of granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• Dash of vanilla extract
• 1 large egg 
• 160 grams (1 ⅓ cup) of all-purpose flour
• 110 grams (⅔ cup) milk or white chocolate chips/chunks
• Flaky sea salt for finishing (optional)

Makes about a dozen cookies.

*Tips on selecting miso: Note that some miso contains dashi (Japanese soup stock). Avoid the phrase だし入り (dashi-iri meaning “contains dashi”) when selecting miso for this recipe. If you’re concerned about your salt intake, use reduced sodium miso. Reduced salt shio koji miso was used during the development of this recipe.

© Photo by Rika Hoffman

Instructions

1. To make the brown butter, add unsalted butter to a pot over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. The mixture may start to foam—not to worry, just lower the heat and keep stirring. When the butter turns a golden-brown color and smells like toffee (nutty and a bit sweet), you’ll know it’s done. 
2. Cut the heat and allow the brown butter to cool until it is no longer scalding. 
3. In the pot of slightly warm (but not hot) brown butter, whisk in the miso, sugar and vanilla. 
4. Add the egg after the mixture is cool enough (We’re not making scrambled eggs here!).
5. Mix in the baking soda and flour.
6. Stir in about ¾ of your chocolate chips or chunks, reserving the rest for topping the cookies.
7. Cover the pot and let the cookie dough rest in the fridge for at least 40 minutes to firm up.
8. Preheat oven to 180C (356F). 
9. Form the chilled cookie dough into balls (around 50 grams or 2.5 tablespoons is ideal), topping with pieces of the remaining chocolate.
10. Place cookie dough balls onto a baking tray to bake immediately, or freeze for longer storage.
11. In total, the cookies will bake for around 10-12 minutes. After the first 7 minutes, take out the tray and drop it onto a flat surface (counter or floor) that’s covered by a thick towel. Do this 2-3 times to deflate the cookies, from a height of 5 or 6 inches. Return the cookies to the oven to bake until golden brown. This will give the cookies a rippled edge and a denser, chewier texture. Sprinkle the cookies with flaky salt if desired and return the cookies to the oven to bake until golden brown.
12. The cookies are delicate when they first come out of the oven, so resist gobbling them up right away. Transfer them to a cooling rack and let them set for a few minutes before digging in. 

© Photo by Rika Hoffman

This miso cookie dough freezes marvelously. Portion it into balls, add them to your emergency freezer cookie dough stash and you’ll be less than 15 minutes away from chocolatey comfort at all times.

Using this recipe? Share your photos with us via Facebook or #savvytokyo on Instagram. Enjoy!