Miso Chocolate Chunk Cookies

This recipe puts a small twist on the classic chocolate chip cookie with one of my favorite fridge staples: miso paste!

Perfectly crispy on the edges with an exceptionally chewy, gooey center, these cookies have an unexpected savory and subtly nutty flavor.

Some Tips for the Bake

• I use chopped chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips! Chocolate chips tend to be more waxy and less flavorful, and I love how there are parts of the cookie that are very very chocolate-y. My favorite for baking is a combination of Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate and milk chocolate Pound Plus bars.

• If you want a big pool of chocolate on the top of your cookies, save a bit of extra chocolate to press into the top of the cookies before you bake them. I find that the dark chocolate pools very well, while milk chocolate will typically retain its form.

• To make perfectly circular cookies, I take a cup or mug that is slightly larger than the cookies and gently swirl the soft cookies in a circular motion. This only works when you have just taken the cookies out of the oven, since they haven’t finished baking yet!

• If you want to save cookies in the freezer, just freeze them on a baking tray until solid and transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. They keep well for several months: just bake them from frozen at 325° for 16-18 minutes.

Miso Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Prep Time: 20 mins

Inactive Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 12 mins

Yield: 12-16 cookies

Ingredients

• 200 g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 220 g chocolate, from chocolate bar (I use half dark, half milk)
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 100 g light brown sugar
• 100 g white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• 30 g white miso paste
• flaky seasalt for finishing (optional)

Directions

1. Combine flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside.
2. Roughly chop chocolate into chip-sized chunks and set aside.
3. Cream together butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium high speed for about 5 minutes until fluffy.
4. Add the egg, vanilla, and miso paste. Mix on medium speed until completely combined, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bowl as needed.
5. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined.
6. Stir in the chopped chocolate chunks until combined.
7. Pre-heat the oven to 350° F.
8. While waiting for the oven to pre-heat, place the cookie dough in the refrigerator to chill for 20-30 minutes and prepare cookie trays with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
9. Once the dough has chilled, scoop out heaping tablespoon-sized balls of dough and arrange them on the baking sheet with space to spread out.
10. Optional: Press an extra chunk of chocolate into the top of each cookie dough ball to achieve the "pooled" chocolate look on top of the cookies.
11. Bake cookies in pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges turn golden brown and the center is puffy.
12. Remove cookies from oven and tap the tray on the table to deflate the cookies.
13. Optional: Sprinkle the cookies with a bit of flaky sea salt.
14. Allow the cookies to rest on the tray for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.