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. You need only 7 pantry ingredients!
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
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.
Other Delicious Cookies on Just One Cookbook
- Cherry Blossom Cookies
- Green Tea Cookies
- Black Sesame Cookies
- Meyer Lemon Sable Cookies
- Chinese Almond Cookie
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Miso Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick; at room temperature)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp miso (I use mild and mellow white miso; a different miso type will give a slightly different taste and color; reduce the amount if you‘re using saltier red miso or dashi-included miso)
- 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) (at room temperature)
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour (weigh your flour or use the “fluff and sprinkle“ method and level it off)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds
- 3 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds
Instructions
- Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale for this recipe. Click on the “Metric“ button at the top of the recipe to convert the ingredient measurements to metric. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the “fluff and sprinkle“ method: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more flour than you need.
To Make the Dough
- In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature) for 30 seconds. Tip: To bring cold butter to room temperature, microwave a cold stick of butter for 5 seconds on each side for 20 seconds total.
- Add ½ cup sugar and 2 Tbsp miso.
- Beat everything together on medium-high speed until smooth, light, and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Crack 1 large egg (50 g each w/o shell) at room temperature and whisk in a small bowl. (If the egg is cold, soak it in warm water to bring to room temperature.) 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 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour and 1 tsp baking powder and mix with a fork. I do this extra step so the 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.
To Roll the Dough Logs
- Sprinkle a small amount of flour on the working surface and transfer the dough. If the dough is very soft, chill it 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 it in 2 pieces. Note: This recipe can be used for cutout cookies: Form the dough into a disc, wrap and chill, roll out to ¼–½ inch thickness, cut, and bake.
- Roll the dough into 2 long logs.
- Each log should be 10 inches (25 cm) long with a 1-inch (2.5-cm) diameter.
- Cut the long logs in half; now you have 4 logs that are each 5 inches (12.5 cm) long.
- Prepare a small flat container (or baking sheet) and add 3 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds (save the black ones for later). Moist a sheet of paper towel with water and wrap around a log so the dough is moistened.
- Roll 2 moistened logs 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 logs on a bed of raw rice.
- Roll the other 2 moistened logs in 3 Tbsp toasted black sesame seeds and wrap in parchment paper or plastic.
To Slice and Bake the Cookies
- 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. Tip: I highly encourage you to use an aluminum baking sheet and check your oven‘s temperature using an oven thermometer; see the Notes section below for more details.
- Once the dough is chilled, use a sharp knife to cut one dough log 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. Tip: Closely monitor the cookies in the oven and be ready to adjust the bake time if needed, especially if you‘re not using an aluminum baking sheet.
- 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.
I made them 2 days ago and my toddler loved too much so I had to hide. He doesn’t usually eat sweet stuff but since these aren’t very sweet he loved it ! I love them too I don’t really eat a lot of sweets either but these cookies are amazing
Arigato gosaimas Nami-San
Hi HyeMi,
Thank you so much for trying this recipe and for your kind feedback.
We’re so glad to hear you and your family enjoyed the cookies!
Arigato~ ☺️
Cookie taste good. Using white miso, but the bottom of the cookie get browned ( dark) easily May need double tray ?
Hi Carrina,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe! We’re glad to hear that cookie’s taste was good!
Did you use the baking sheet lined with parchment paper? We will recommend doubling the parchment paper first instead of a tray.
I hope this helps.😊
Amazing! These turned out beautifully. I used 1 tbsp of red miso and followed the rest of the recipe as is. I’ve made your miso butter pasta and mentaiko pasta both were delicious. Thank you for yet another wonderful recipe.
Hi Seila! Aww thanks so much for trying those recipes! I’m so happy you enjoyed them. 🙂 You made my day!
Hello, thanks Nami for the recipe! Unfortnately, these did not turn out as I hoped. Was hoping for a nutty flavour from the miso but couldn’t taste the miso flavour and the sesame was overpowering. The cookies also become very soft the next day. Anything I can do differently for next time? Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lyd! Thank you for trying this recipe!
1) Maybe increase the amount of miso to be more prominent? But be careful with the saltiness you’re adding in. You may like different type of miso too as white miso is mellow.
2) Reduce the amount of sesame seeds. I like the taste, but you may want to skip or sprinkle little or roll on sugar etc.
3) You can toast the cookies, which we always do when I eat homemade cookies the next day. As moisture gets sucked back into the cookies, it’s helpful to toast/bake it again.
reduced the miso by half as I always do with your miso recipes due to the difference in salt content. turned out great. the sweetness and the buttery-ness is just right.
Hi N! Glad to haer you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your feedback!
I’m afraid these were a miss for me. I found that the sesame overpowered most of the cookie’s flavour, even though mine were less thoroughly coated than the (immaculate) pictures, and while I like sesame it’s not what I was hoping for here. 20 minutes at 350F was also way too long for me, and I had to throw out a couple of the cookies that were too overcooked.
I have half the dough still in my freezer though, so perhaps after substituting the sesame for sugar like another commenter mentioned and reducing the cooking time, I’ll enjoy those more.
Hi Logan! Thank you for trying this recipe! I’m sorry these didn’t come out as you like. With the rest of dough, you can omit sesame seeds (bare) or add sugar crystals around too. The baking time may vary, but with this thickness (I like mine thick pieces like pictures), it was perfect at 22 minutes for my oven, which is why I wrote 20-22 minutes. Thank you for your feedback and I really appreciate it so others can check their doneness based on their oven.
I can’t seem to get the cookies to bake correctly. It starts getting brown right away and then I turn it over prolly 8-10 mins. in
and the cookies aren’t that crisp. I followed the recipe precisely (and I baked a ton of cookies!)
do you know what could be the problem?
Hi Christine! Thank you for trying this recipe! Do you use a convection oven (with a fan on)? My oven has a convection oven mode, but I use a conventional oven setting (no fan) because not everyone has a convection oven. If you use that, you have to reduce the temperature by 25 ºF. So that’s my first thought. And where do you place your baking sheet? I place it on the middle rack. When any cookies come out of the oven, they are soft. Which is why you have to leave it on the baking sheet to cool for 5-10 minutes before moving to a wire rack. Otherwise, the cookies may deform by moving or touching each other. As the cookies cool, they will become hart. These are iced boxed cookies, so they are shortbread style, not American cookies style. Hope this helps!
These cookies are delicious! I will definitely make again. I don’t like things to be super sweet so I usually adjust the sugar down by at least 1/3 in most recipes, but this recipe didn’t need any adjustments. It was perfectly sweet and delicious. Thanks always for your recipes.
Hi Susan! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! Japanese sweets are usually not too sweet (compared to western recipes), so you should be okay without adjusting much. I’m so glad you enjoy these cookies. Thank you for your feedback!
Hi Nami, I don’t have a mixer of any kind – could I make this by hand? 🙂 Thank you!
Hi Alison! Yes, you can. Hope you enjoy it!
Just made this! And ate 5 in one go once they had cooled down sufficiently. So goooood… Flavour profile kinda reminds me of mitarashi dango (if it were slathered with butter). Texture was great too, crispy and light.. Thanks for the recipe Nami 😀
Hi Yusra! I’m so happy to hear you liked the recipe! I ate more than 5… 😀 Savory and sweet combination is amazing. 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind feedback!
Hi! Do I have to bring the miso to room temperature like the butter and eggs? Thanks!
Hi Gg! I didn’t, and usually don’t, but it can be at room temperature. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I recently baked these cookies and they taste wonderful! The inclusion of miso makes these cookies taste much more complicated than regular butter cookies. They were rather soft and somewhat cakey (not that I mind; I really liked it). I have two questions that I was wondering about.
I was wondering what texture should the cookies be; should they be more like little cakes or should they be more like a denser cookie?
Additionally, would you recommend either using brown butter and/or toasted sugar as another twist?
Really love this recipe! Keep up the excellent work!
Much love from Indonesia
Hi Michael! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
1) Denser cookie – In Japan, most “cookies” are butter cookies, ice boxed cookies, shortbread cookies. Not soft chewy American style cookies.
2) Some reader told me she enjoyed it with sugar crystals around the cookies. Brown butter, sounds delicious, but not sure how to do it as you have to make brown butter (liquid) and we want the butter to be solid.
I made this recipe today for my family! It was very easy to follow and was really fun to do!
Hi Melody! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
These are AMAZING!!! We made them for the first time this week and gave them out as Mother’s day gifts and everyone loved them (even our family members who weren’t very familar with miso were amazed by them)! We used red miso in ours and only used 1.5 tbsp and it turned out great. We might try using a lil’ more the next time though, just to compare. Amazing recipe! Thank you 🙂
Hi Seo-Yeon! Thank you so much for trying this recipe! I’m really happy to hear your family enjoyed this recipe. Thanks so much for your kind feedback! 🙂
Hi Nami, I don’t have sesame seeds to roll the biscuits in – is there a good substitute? Would sugar work, or better to
leave without? Thanks!
Hi Sandra! Sesame gives nice flavors so try it with sesame one day. But for now, sugar works, I saw some make these with sugar on the edges too! Hope you enjoy!
I have the same issue Sandra has! But since water dissolves the sugar, should I avoid moistening the log?
Thank you!
Hi Claudia, Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
Yes. If you are using sugar, you would not need to moisten the log. For reference, Here is the cookie recipe that used white sparkling sugar on the cookie log. https://www.justonecookbook.com/meyer-lemon-cookies/
We hope this helps!