Crisp, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth, these Miso Butter Cookies make the most insanely delicious afternoon treat! They hit the right notes with a serious depth of flavor. Only 7 pantry ingredients needed!
These Miso Butter Cookies (味噌バタークッキー) might not be your ordinary butter cookies, but I have to tell you they are dangerously addictive, especially if you enjoy a hint of salt in your sweets. They are light, crisp, and have the perfect balance of sweetness and saltiness. Go on, bake a batch, and get ready to be smitten today!
These Miso Butter Cookies Are:
- Made with 7 pantry ingredients!
- Just the right amount of sweetness.
- So buttery!
- Deliciously savory from miso
- Nutty and crunchy from sesame seeds.
- Crisp on the edges, with the perfect crumb of the cookie!
- Fairly quick, with just 30 minutes of chill time.
- A perfect sweet for an Asian-themed meal or parties!
7 Pantry-Friendly Ingredients for the Cookies:
- All-purpose (plain) flour
- Baking powder
- Unsalted butter*
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Miso – See the post below.
- Sesame seeds
* I only use unsalted butter because I can salt the recipe as I like, and not the other way around.
How to Make Miso Butter Cookies
These butter cookies are the simplest to make, even for a beginner! Or I should say especially, a beginner baker. You just need to follow these 3 easy steps:
- Beat wet ingredients, and add dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Roll the dough into logs* and chill for 30 minutes.
- Slice the dough into disks and bake!
* You can also make the recipe for cut out cookies. Form the dough into a disk, wrap and chill then roll out to ¼-½ inch, cut and bake.
3 Tips to Make Delicious Butter Cookies
1. Measure Flour Correctly
My #1 advice is to buy a kitchen scale (this small investment is so worth it and can avoid wasting ingredients due to mismeasurement). However, if you still prefer to measure flour with a cup, you must do it correctly. Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
2. Use Room Temperature Eggs and Butter
Did you forget to take out the eggs and butter from the refrigerator? Here are the quick tricks my daughter (a home baker in my family) taught me:
- Eggs: Soak the cold eggs in warm water for 10-15 minutes.
- Butter: Microwave 5 seconds for each long side of the stick and turn (total 20 seconds; our microwave is 1000W).
3. Chill the Cookie Dough
Chilling the dough intensifies the flavor of the dough and retains its shape in the oven. Hold tight for just 30 minutes. You can preheat the oven and clean up the kitchen during this time.
Use of Miso (Japanese Soybean Paste) in Sweets
Beyond miso soup and savory dishes, the Japanese fermented soybean paste has also been embraced by pastry chefs and home bakers alike as the secret ingredient. It adds an unexpected umami richness and balances the sugar in baked goods, in the best way possible.
For these Miso Butter Cookies, I used Organic White Miso from Hikari Miso®. The mild and mellow miso amps up the delicious buttery flavor in these cookies…but you wouldn’t even notice it’s there.
If you use a different type of miso, your cookies will have a slightly different taste and color. Reduce the amount if you’re using Dashi-Included Miso or Red Miso as they are saltier.
Where can I buy Hikari Miso® miso?
- Japanese grocery stores (Nijiya, Mitsuwa, Marukai, local mom and pop shops, etc)
- Asian grocery stores (including Chinese/Korean grocery stores)
- Amazon
Itadakimasu!
Enjoy the miso butter cookies with Hojija, Green Tea, or Buckwheat Tea (Sobacha)! They are the perfect afternoon treat.
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Miso Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick; softened to room temperature; you can microwave the cold stick of butter for 5 seconds each side, a total of 20 seconds)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp miso (I use mild and mellow white miso; If you use a different type of miso, your cookies will have a slightly different taste and color. Reduce the amount if you're using Dashi-Included Miso or Red Miso as they are saltier.)
- 1 large egg (50 g w/o shell) (at room temperature; you can soak the eggs in warm water to bring to room temp)
- 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour (if you use a measuring cup, fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off. Otherwise, your flour ends up with more than 200 g.)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 3 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 30 seconds.
- Add ½ cup sugar and 2 Tbsp miso.
- Beat everything together on medium-high speed until smooth, light, and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Crack the egg and whisk in a small bowl. Gradually add the egg to the butter mixture while mixing.
- Beat on high speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl and beat again as needed to combine in between.
- In a small bowl, combine 1 ⅔ cup all-purpose flour and 1 tsp baking powder and mix with a fork (I do this extra step so that baking powder is evenly distributed when sifting).
- With a fine-mesh sieve, sift the flour mixture over a medium bowl.
- Gradually add the flour mixture into the mixing bowl at low speed.
- Once you finish adding all the flour mixture, turn up to high speed and beat until incorporated.
- Sprinkle a small amount of flour on the working surface and transfer the dough. If the dough is too soft, chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. By chilling, the butter/fat will solidify and it'll be easier to work with.
- Roll the dough into a ball and cut in half. Note: This recipe can be used for cut out cookies. Form the dough into a disk, wrap and chill then roll out to ¼-½ inch, cut and bake.
- Roll the dough into 2 long logs.
- Each log should be 10 inches (25 cm) long with 1 inch (2.5 cm) diameter.
- Cut the long logs in half; now you have four 5-inch (12.5 cm) logs.
- Prepare a small flat container (or baking sheet) and add white sesame seeds (save the black one for later a time). Moist a sheet of paper towel with water and wrap around a log so the dough is moistened.
- Roll the moistened log in the sesame seeds and wrap in parchment paper or plastic.
- I've learned the best way to keep the dough from flattening out on the bottom is to place the dough on rice.
- Roll the other 2 logs in the black sesame seeds and wrap in parchment paper or plastic.
- Chill the cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Once the dough is chilled, use a sharp knife to cut dough into 8 slices of even thickness.
- Cut the rest of the cookie dough and transfer to the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. If the dough is no longer chilled, you can put the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes until the cookies are chilled and firm. Tip: If the cookie dough is chilled, they will not completely lose their shape.
- Bake the chilled cookies for 20-22 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
To Store:
- These cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. I usually reheat the cookies at 350ºF (180ºC) in the toaster oven (or oven) until toasty. To freeze the dough: Tightly wrap the logs in plastic wrap and put them into freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months. Let them thaw in the refrigerator for 2 hours before slicing.
