Peanut Butter Miso Cookies
If I love a recipe so much that I made it 4 times in a week, I take that as a sign it’s time to share it with you. These Peanut Butter Miso Cookies may be the best cookies I have ever had, and are definitely the best peanut butter cookies. They have a perfectly chewy texture and the perfect sweet and salty flavor thanks to the addition of key ingredient: creamy white miso.
They are:
- Both sweet & salty with a hard to describe umami flavor from the addition of white miso paste in the cookie dough
- Easy to make and ready to bake in 10 minutes. (Though you can chill or freeze the dough to bake later as well!)
- The most perfect textured cookies with crispy edges and unbelievably chewy middles that only get better the next day.
What is Miso anyway?
Miso is a fermented soybean paste, a salty, slightly sweet and just a tad funky ingredient used often in Japanese cuisine. I love adding it to salad dressings and glazes, but it is exceptional in these cookies as well! When mixed with creamy, salty peanut butter the miso paste creates the most perfect flavor and texture that only gets more pronounced as the cookies sit.
Do I need to chill the dough before baking?
Well, the original recipe from the New York Times suggests chilling the dough for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight so the flavors can marry and become more pronounced. But I am telling you I tried a variety of combos of “aging” the dough in the 4 times I made these last week, and I truly didn’t notice much of a difference from the dough that sat in the fridge overnight or the dough I baked right away.
The chilled cookie dough balls may have resulted in a slightly thicker cookie, but the texture of the cookies when baking right away was also a 10/10 so I can’t say one way is better than the other. I’d say even 15-20 minutes of refrigerator time is helpful!
Ingredients you need for Miso Peanut Butter Cookies:
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Creamy Peanut Butter
- White Miso Paste
- Vanilla extract
- Egg
- Flour
- Baking powder/soda
- White sugar for rolling (raw sugar also works)
Change in sugar: The original recipe has an additional 1/2 cup of white sugar that I felt was way too much. After making them a few times with the full amount of sugar, I tested it without and find the sweetness to be perfect.
Supplies needed for Peanut Butter Miso Cookies:
- Large Bowl
- Cookie Sheet
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
- Small bowl for sugar
- Cooling rack
- Cookie scoop
- Parchment paper or silicone liner
The Process:
In a large mixing bowl cream mix butter, peanut butter, and miso paste together. Add the brown sugar, egg and vanilla extract. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda in another small bowl. Add the dry ingredients in and mix until dough is well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Use a cookie scoop to portion dough balls on a prepared cookie sheet. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.
What type of miso do I need for this recipe:
I like using white miso paste, but you could use red miso or yellow miso as well.
Does it matter what type of brown sugar I use?
Brown sugar is basically just white sugar with molasses added. It makes cookies have a richer flavor and adds a nice chewy texture. I would probably choose dark brown sugar in this recipe, but light brown sugar works if that’s what you have on hand.
Can I use Chunky Peanut Butter?
Again, the original recipe calls for crunchy peanut butter but I don’t use that and generally don’t prefer the texture of nuts in my baked goods, so I stuck with creamy natural peanut butter and I love them. If you want the subtle crunch of peanuts feel free to use crunchy.
Can these be made with vegan butter/oil/shortening?
I don’t have a lot of experience baking with butter alternatives, and I really don’t recommend making changes that could greatly alter the texture of these. There were some reviews of the original recipe that had luck with gluten free flour though!
How do I get my cookies to have those crinkles on top?
These cookies have always gotten crinkles just on their own, but one tip from the original recipe that I love doing with my cookies is giving the pan a good bang in then oven about 2-3 mins before they are done. You can usually tell it’s time because they have expanded and begun to puff up. The bang creates some nice deep crinkles, and then I give one more after removing them from the oven.
How to Store Peanut Butter Miso Cookies:
Cookies will last in an airtight container on the counter for about 3 days.
Peanut Butter Miso Cookies
The best peanut butter cookies you'll ever have, they are chewy, sweet & salty perfection!
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups (225 grams) all purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 stick (115 grams,) of unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (220 grams) of brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) creamy peanut butter*
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) white miso paste*
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) white sugar for rolling
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder & baking soda. Set aside
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, (or stand mixer with paddle attachment,) cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth and fluffy.
- Add in the peanut butter and miso paste, mixing in medium high speed until well combined.
- Add the egg and vanilla and continue to mix until smooth, scraping the bowl down as needed.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture on top of the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until the dough comes together with no dry spots or clumps. (But don't over-mix!)
- Scoop the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls (18-20,) and roll in the white sugar.
- Either chill the cookie dough ball in the fridge or freezer to bake later, or bake right away at 350F. These cookies take about 10-12 minutes total to bake in my oven , but after 9 minutes I open the oven and give the pan a good bang which helps create the crackly top, then continue to bake for about 2 minutes more. Once the edges feel set, take the cookies out and give the pan one more good bang.
Notes
*I prefer creamy peanut butter, but crunchy is also great to use if you want a little extra texture.
*Reviews of the original recipe said using red miso paste has also resulted in great cookies, but I prefer white miso.
Recipe adapted from the NYT Food
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 130
The New York Times recipe calls for 1/2 cup granulated sugar added along with the brown sugar. (In addition to the 1/2 sugar for rolling.) Wonder if you left that out on purpose? We made this recipe for a cookie contest party (with the 1/2 cup sugar) and won first place! We agree that it’s a wonderful recipe.
Hi! Yes I intentionally cut 1/2 cup of sugar because I just found them a bit too sweet. I tested the recipe several times with less and less sugar and just 1 cup was my sweet spot. Many reviews on the original NYT recipe also cut the 1/2 cup sugar. Try it next time- I feel like without as much sugar the miso really shines.
I love these but can never get them to flatten out as much as desired. In your 4 tries did you reach any conclusions to that end?
Hi! Do you weigh your ingredients? That’s the only thing I can think of that would be potentially preventing flatness. Or butter temperature. I have never had these not flatten! I do sometimes pat the top with a spatula to encourage the cracks!
This is a great recipe! I made the original NYT recipe, and I have to say next time I will reduce the sugar like yours. I think the miso will shine more. And I made the cookies with vegan butter and a flax egg and they turned out delish. They were chewy in the middle with a great crinkle.
For some toppings I rolled in sesame seeds or I did sugar with a dark chocolate square in the middle.
Thanks for this adaptation!
Thanks so much for letting me know!
OMG – Just made these for the first time. I will never be able to make peanut butter cookies any other way.
I made this recipe yesterday as I had every ingredient on hand and it is such a winner. Not too sweet, not salty. Mine didn’t flatten out even when banging on the pan at 9 minutes, but they came out crispy on the outside, chewy soft on the inside, which was a crowd pleaser. Thank you so much!
Oh boy, these are awesome. No changes cept I rolled them in turbinado sugar. I banged the pan multiple times at 9 minutes and again at 12…..worked great
Thanks so much for the review! :)
I initially found your recipe cause I have some miso in the fridge, that I’m looking for new ways to use. Only issue is that it’s brown miso, and the internet is telling me it’s impossible to substitute with brown miso.
I’m just curious to whether you think so too? If I cut down on the amount of miso, or up the amount of sugar or butter, would you think it would work? :)
Thank you!
I think it’s no problem to use brown miso but I wouldn’t change the other ingredients.