Peanut Butter Honey Miso Cookies

Sometimes all you really want is a cookie.

Right up there with Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip and Gingersnap, there is nothing quite like a good Peanut Butter cookie.  Just add a glass of cold milk.

This is a recipe for that peanut butter cookie.  No other flavours to mess with the peanut butter.  Just sweet enough thanks to the earthy sweetness of honey and light brown sugar.  No chocolate to vie for attention. This is all about that salty sweetness of peanut butter and cookie brought together.

Peanut Butter Cookies are the Epitome of Cookie Umami-ness

But I want to be totally honest: that very special salty sweet flavour is enhanced in this cookie.  With Miso.  Miso takes the umami flavour of this cookie to the next level.  It doesn’t compete with the peanut butter, but it does elevate it.  In the end, you know that you have eaten a very special cookie.  You may say that this makes these cookies the adult version.  But I really don’t think kids will be put off by the miso, it really doesn’t stand out at all. Especially since it works best with white miso, the least intense of the miso pastes. And the only texture that this cookie needs is roasted chopped peanuts.  Because, peanuts!

Definition of Umami:

“Umami translates to “pleasant savory taste” and has been described as brothy or meaty. You can taste umami in foods that contain a high level of the amino acid glutamate, like Parmesan cheese, seaweed, miso, and mushrooms” See this article over at The Spruce Eats for a full understanding of What Umami Tastes Like.

The other way to make this a most special cookie, is the sugar coating that the cookie balls get rolled in before going into the oven.  Instead of just granulated sugar, you will love what raw, turbinado or demerara sugar bring to the table.  Combining the sugar with coarse salt in a shallow bowl are the perfect finishing touch to a cookie that celebrates sweet and salty together.

The cookie dough does well with a good time chilling.  Don’t be in a rush to make these.  In fact, make the dough in the evening and pop it into the fridge to roll and bake the next day.  This is a dough that is easy to turn gluten free.  Just substitute your favourite gf cup for cup flour blend, it will work great.  These cookies will last for a few days at room temperature, but they also freeze great.

In the end, this is a cookie with a crispy exterior and nicely chewy tender interior.  But of course, if after a couple of days you think they are a little crisp, that is just the cookie evolving into the dunking cookie of your dreams.

If you are craving a peanut butter cookie with a bit of chocolate, you will love the cookie that Jim loves, my Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

Love Jen

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Peanut Butter Honey Miso Cookies

The epitome of the peanut butter cookie. Honey's earthy sweetness, and the umami presence of miso elevate the flavour of this simple cookie to the next level. Crispy and chewy at the same time.

Course Baking

Cuisine American

Keyword cookies, honey, miso, peanut butter

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes

Chilling Time 2 hours

Servings 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup plus 3 tbsp raw peanuts or 170 grams
• 2 cups flour or 260 grams
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp light brown sugar or 200 grams
• 1/2 cup butter at room temperature or 115 grams
• 1/2 cup peanut butter or 115 grams
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 2 tsp white miso
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract or paste

Sugar Coating

• 1/2 cup turbinado or raw sugar or 100 grams
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Make the dough and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread the peanuts out evenly on the sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, till fragrant and the skin is turning golden brown.
3. Allow the peanuts to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Once cooled, transfer the peanuts to a large tea towel. Wrap the towel around all the peanuts and give them a good rubbing to loosen the skins. Transfer the peanuts to a cutting board and chop them coarsely. Set aside 1/4 cup of the chopped peanuts to garnish the tops of the cookies before baking.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, honey and miso. Use the paddle attachment to cream them all till smooth, at medium speed for about 1 minute.
5. Add the egg and mix again on low speed. Add the egg yolk and mix again. Scrape down the sides as needed.
6. Add the milk and vanilla and mix again.
7. Add the flour mixture and peanuts and mix on low speed till well blended.
8. Transfer the dough to a bowl that will fit into the fridge. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid. Chill for at least 2 hours or ideally till the next day.
9. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Blend the turbinado sugar and salt in a small shallow bowl.
10. Using a tablespoon or scoop, make 1 inch balls with the dough. Roll these in the sugar mixture and transfer to the baking sheet. Space them at least 1 1/2 inches (3.25 cm) apart. Sprinkle a few of the chopped peanuts on top of each cookie. Use a fork to flatten the cookies slightly, in either a cross hatch or single pressing pattern.
11. Bake until the edges are crisp and golden brown but the centres are soft, about 11 minutes, depending on your oven. Make sure to rotate the sheets from side to side, and back to front halfway through the baking time.
12. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for about 10 minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack. They will keep in an airtight container for 3-5 days, or can be stored in the freezer for a month or so.

Recipe Notes

Feel free to swap out gluten free cup for cup flour blend for the AP flour in this recipe.
This recipe was inspired by a cookie found in the 'Tartine, A Classic Revisited' cookbook.