Miso Peanut Butter Cookies
A pool party needs a dessert that doesn't melt, survives the walk poolside without spilling, and works for the kids and the adults both. That short list pointed me toward the classic cookie. But I wanted something a little left of normal, so I landed on Maggie Zhu's America’s Test Kitchen recipe built around miso.
For the first-ever Size Up, I made the Miso Peanut Butter Cookies — here's what worked, what I changed (bolded below), and how it played with the crew.
A few after-the-fire critiques: Yes, I'm the guy who always has miso in the fridge — usually a red and a white — and I'm raising my hand right now even though you can't see it. I get that it's not an everyday ingredient for most kitchens, but I'd argue it should be. I found it years ago, around the same time I fell in love with my favorite comfort food of all: ramen. Turns out it's not just the backbone of a good broth — it works in dressings, marinades, glazes, compound butter, rubbed straight onto proteins. I could keep going.
For this batch, I circled the white miso, given my crew's "delicate" palates, and I think it was the right call. I also cut the cookie size in half — small enough to eat before diving back in the pool — and surprisingly, the bake time barely moved. The one non-negotiable: the chopped peanuts. My wife and I ran a side-by-side, with and without, and it wasn't close. The peanuts tame the sugar and push the miso's nuttiness forward — exactly the balanced peanut butter cookie I was chasing.
Review:🔥🔥🔥🔥 (4 Alarms)
Fuel
1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (5¼ ounces/149 grams) light brown sugar
½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) granulated sugar
⅔ cup creamy peanut butter
⅓ cup white miso
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (I skipped this; my homemade vanilla was too strong)
½ cup unsalted peanuts, finely chopped
Tools
Rimmed baking sheets
Parchment Paper
Stand (preferred) or hand mixer
Medium bowl
Large plate
Scale (I weigh my baked goods)
Whisk
Tactics
Whisk 1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ¼ teaspoon baking soda together in a medium bowl. Using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat 12 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, ¾ cup (5¼ ounces) light brown sugar, and ½ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add ⅔ cup creamy peanut butter and ⅓ cup white miso and beat on medium speed until well incorporated, about 1 minute.
Scrape down the bowl, then add 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla and mix until incorporated, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and slowly add flour mixture until combined, about a third at a time, about 30 seconds. Cover dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours (I did 24+ hours).
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine ½ cup unsalted peanuts, finely chopped, and sprinkle evenly on a plate. Divide dough into 36 equal portions, about 1½ tablespoons or 25 grams each, and roll into balls. Working with a dozen at a time, roll 1 ball at a time, drop into peanut mixture, and press lightly into the chopped peanuts to coat 1 side of each dough ball to about the size of a silver dollar. Transfer to prepared baking sheets, peanut mixture side up, spacing 2 inches apart.
Bake cookies 1 sheet at a time, storing the second (and third if needed) sheet in the refrigerator, until edges are just set and beginning to brown, about 14 minutes (cooking times varied as the oven tried to maintain a consistent heat), rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Indulge!