White miso isn't a novelty here — it's doing the same job salt does in any good cookie, just with more depth. Brown butter brings a nutty backbone, dark chocolate keeps things from tipping too sweet, and a sesame-crusted top adds the crunch these cookies are built around. A long chill is non-negotiable: rush it and you lose the chew.
Ingredients
- Dry
- 220 g Plain flour
- 0.5 tsp (3g) Bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp (3g) Cornflour
- 0.5 tsp (3g) Fine sea salt
- Wet
- 150 g Butter
- 120 g Light brown sugar
- 80 g Caster sugar
- 1 Eggs
- 1 Eggs, yolk only
- 1 tsp (5g) Vanilla extract
- 40 g White miso
- Add-ins
- 100 g Dark chocolate (70%), chopped into chunks
- 1 tbsp (9g) Sesame seeds, untoasted
Equipment
- Light-coloured saucepan
- Digital kitchen scale
Melt the butter in a light-coloured saucepan over a medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty — about 5–7 minutes.
Pour into a heatproof bowl and leave to cool until just warm to the touch.
Add the light brown sugar and caster sugar to the warm browned butter and whisk until glossy and fully combined.
Add the white miso and whisk until completely dissolved into the butter and sugar mixture, with no lumps remaining.
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the mixture and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated.
Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cornflour, and salt to the wet mixture. Mix until just combined, with no streaks of flour remaining.
Add the chopped dark chocolate and fold through until evenly distributed.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. For the best result, chill for 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), or 160°C fan. Portion the chilled dough into 65g balls. Press the top of each ball into a bowl of sesame seeds to coat.
Place the dough balls sesame-side up on a lined baking tray, spaced well apart. Bake for about 13 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centres still look soft and slightly underbaked.
Leave the cookies on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Notes & Substitutions
Miso: White (shiro) miso is the right choice here — mild, slightly sweet, and less assertive than red or brown miso, which would push the savoury note too far. Don’t substitute a darker miso without expecting a more pronounced result.
Chocolate: A 70% dark chocolate balances the sweetness of the dough well. A lower percentage will tip the cookie sweeter overall, which works against the savoury edge from the miso.
Make-ahead: The dough freezes well once portioned into balls — freeze on a tray until solid, then transfer to a bag. Bake from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes to the bake time.
Storage: Baked cookies keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days, though the texture is at its best within the first 2.
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Dark Chocolate and Miso Cookies
COOKED
PROPERLY
Ingredients
- 220 g Plain flour
- 0.5 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp Cornflour
- 0.5 tsp Fine sea salt
- 150 g Butter
- 120 g Light brown sugar
- 80 g Caster sugar
- 1 Eggs
- 1 Eggs (yolk only)
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 40 g White miso
- 100 g Dark chocolate (70%) (chopped into chunks)
- 1 tbsp Sesame seeds (untoasted)
Equipment
- Light-coloured saucepan
- Digital kitchen scale
Method
Brown the butter
150 g Butter
Melt the butter in a light-coloured saucepan over a medium heat. Continue cooking, swirling occasionally, until the milk solids turn golden brown and the butter smells nutty — about 5–7 minutes.
Pour into a heatproof bowl and leave to cool until just warm to the touch.
Use a light-coloured pan rather than dark or non-stick — it’s the only way to actually see the milk solids change colour and catch the moment just before they burn.
Whisk butter and sugars
120 g Light brown sugar · 80 g Caster sugar
Add the light brown sugar and caster sugar to the warm browned butter and whisk until glossy and fully combined.
Mix in the miso
40 g White miso
Add the white miso and whisk until completely dissolved into the butter and sugar mixture, with no lumps remaining.
Miso doesn’t dissolve as readily as sugar — break it up with the whisk against the side of the bowl first if it’s clumping, rather than relying on whisking alone to disperse it.
Add the eggs
1 Eggs · 1 Eggs · 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract to the mixture and whisk until smooth and fully incorporated.
Mix in the dry ingredients
220 g Plain flour · 0.5 tsp Bicarbonate of soda · 1 tsp Cornflour · 0.5 tsp Fine sea salt
Add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cornflour, and salt to the wet mixture. Mix until just combined, with no streaks of flour remaining.
Stop as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing at this stage develops gluten and pushes the finished cookie towards tough and bready rather than soft and chewy.
Mix in the chocolate
100 g Dark chocolate (70%)
Add the chopped dark chocolate and fold through until evenly distributed.
Chill the dough
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. For the best result, chill for 24 hours.
The 24-hour chill is worth planning for. Dough rested overnight bakes up with a noticeably deeper flavour and a chewier centre than dough used after the minimum 2 hours — the flour has more time to hydrate and the flavours have longer to develop.
Portion and coat
1 tbsp Sesame seeds
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), or 160°C fan. Portion the chilled dough into 65g balls. Press the top of each ball into a bowl of sesame seeds to coat.
Bake
Place the dough balls sesame-side up on a lined baking tray, spaced well apart. Bake for about 13 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden but the centres still look soft and slightly underbaked.
Pull these while the centre still looks underdone — they firm up considerably as they cool, and a cookie that looks fully baked in the oven will be dry and overbaked once cool.
Cool
Leave the cookies on the tray for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Don’t skip the tray rest. The cookies are too fragile to move straight from the oven and will hold together properly once they’ve had a few minutes to set on the tray.
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