This miso peanut butter chocolate chip cookies has crystallized ginger and dipped in black sesame seeds for a chewy salty sweet treat!

A white plate of miso peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with crystallized ginger and black sesame seeds next to a wire rack of more cookies.

Folks, there is SO. MUCH. GOING. ON. in these cookies. But in the best way possible. I’ve got peanut butter, crystallized ginger, and chocolate chips in the dough, with a dash of cinnamon and ground ginger as well to give complexity. Because you know, the flavor profile isn’t complex enough!

Then I roll it in a bit of black sesame to give it crunch as well as to make it all pretty. Sure you can use regular white sesame seeds. But the black sesame seeds is like giving it a tuxedo black tie look! But it’s the secret ingredient of white miso paste that gives them a deep rich and slightly salty flavor in them. The miso brings all the flavors together in an out-of-this-world combo. Don’t be scared of the miso in the cookie. I’ve used it before in my miso cranberry pistachio cookies, and it absolutely works in the best sort of way, binding all the flavors into one chewy, salty, sweet fabulous bite. This is my new favorite cookie for the holidays!

A hand reaching for a miso peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on a wire rack.

How do I make these miso peanut butter chocolate chip cookies cookies?

Though it sounds complicated, this cookie is as easy to make as my pumpkin snickerdoodles, my chocolate crackle cookies, my butterscotch triple chocolate cookies, my oatmeal blueberry ginger cookies or my hermit cookie bars.

First cream the butter with brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ground ginger, as well as the baking soda and the baking powder. Mix all of the ingredients together until creamy, uniform in color, and the sugar butter paste clings to the side of the bowl.

Then add the both the peanut butter and miso to the bowl and mix to incorporate. Add an egg and mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, mix in the flour until absorbed, then stir in (by hand) the chocolate chips and the crystallized ginger. I like to stir them in by hand because then I can make sure the mix-ins are evenly distributed throughout the dough.

Scoop out heaping tablespoons of the cookie dough and roll into a 1-inch in diameter ball. Then dip one side in black sesame seeds. Place the cookie dough on a lined baking sheet, making sure the top of the dough is orientated so you see half the black sesame seeds on the dough ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and bake until the cookies are golden brown and have cracks on top.

Left image is a hand scooping out some cookie dough. Right image is a hand dipping the cookie dough ball in a bowl of black sesame seeds.

Where can I find some of these specialty ingredients?

This cookie is pretty easy to make, despite all the various ingredients. But you might need to get some special ingredients for them that aren’t common in a lot of folk’s kitchen pantry. This includes white miso paste, crystallized ginger and black sesame seeds. But most upscale grocery stores will stock them. If not, you can easily find them at an Asian market or you can get the white miso, chopped crystallized ginger and black sesame seeds online (<- affiliate links).

What is miso paste and what type should be used in this recipe?

Miso is fermented soybean paste. It is a traditional Japanese seasoning that often used to add salty umami depth of flavor. Various different types of miso exist, made from different ingredients but miso is often classified into three types, white miso, yellow miso and red miso.

The common rule is that the darker the color of miso, the more assertive the flavor. White miso is often the most delicate and mild in flavor, yellow somewhere in the middle and red miso is the strongest and most assertive. I use white miso in this recipe, as it adds a subtle earthy saltiness that augments the nuttiness in the peanut butter as well as creates a chew in the cookie that has the ideal cookie texture that I adore.

All that said, if you have yellow or red miso on hand, you can use those as well. Just decrease the amount of miso, using 3 tablespoons of yellow miso and 2 tablespoons of red miso if you wish.

A small plate with a single miso peanut butter chocolate chip cookie in it, with a wire rack of more cookies next to it.

How do you store these cookies?

These cookies keep at room temperature for up to 3 days, stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze them. Place them in an airtight container or a freezer Ziploc bag, and freeze for up to a month. Thaw to room temperature before serving.

A miso peanut butter chocolate chip cookie broken in half on a marble surface, with a wire rack of more cookies next to it.

If you like these miso peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, check out some of these other chocolate chip cookie recipes:

And check out some of these other chocolate cookies I have on the blog:

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3.84 from 6 votes

Miso Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies with Crystallized Ginger and Black Sesame

These peanut butter chocolate chip cookies have a secret ingredient in them, miso paste! The funky fermented white miso adds a deeper earthy salty flavor that amplifies the nuttiness in the peanut butter. As an added bonus, it also gives the cookie a crazy chewy interior and crispy snap on the outside. The crystallized ginger and crunchy sesame seeds on the outside add additional texture and sweet heat, making these cookies a stand out for the holidays or any time of year. Be sure to use regular peanut butter and not natural peanut butter, as the oil separate out and will lead to a dry and dull tasting cookie.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, asian, Japanese

Keyword chocolate chip, cookies, ginger, miso, peanut butter, sesame seeds

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 13

Servings

Calories 164kcal

Author Irvin

Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 1 1/2 sticks or 170 g
1 cup packed dark brown sugar 220 g
3/4 cup white sugar 150 g
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, not natural 145 g
1/4 cup white miso paste 85 g
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour 280 g
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips 240 g
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger 50 g
1/2 cup black sesame seeds 75 g

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with silicon baking mats or parchment paper.
Place the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking powder and baking soda in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix the ingredients together on low speed until the butter has started to blend, and then increase the speed to medium, creaming the ingredients until they form a uniform colored paste that clings to the side of the bowl.
Scrape down the side of the bowl and add the peanut butter and the miso paste. Mix to incorporate. Scrape down the sides again and add the egg, mixing to incorporate.
Scrape down the sides and add the flour, and slowly stir the ingredients together, toggling and switching the mixer on and off again, to prevent the flour from flying up. Do this until most of the flour has been absorbed, then mix on low speed until the flour is incorporated.
Remove bowl from mixer and add the chocolate chips and crystallized ginger. Stir by hand, using a wooden spatula or spoon, to incorporate the mix-ins.
Place the black sesame seeds in a small shallow bowl. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of cookie dough out and roll it into a 1-inch round ball. Dip the ball of dough in the sesame seeds, making sure to rock it back and forth to adhere the sesame seeds to the dough, and to coat one half of the ball. Place the dough on the lined cookie sheet, making sure the part of the ball facing up is covered with half the sesame seeds and half bare. Repeat with the process, leaving about 2 inches of space between cookie to allow for spreading.
Once the baking sheets are filled, bake in the oven 12 to 15 minutes, or until the top of the cookie is golden brown and cracks have appeared. The cookie will look puffy but it will deflate as it cools. Pull the cookie out the oven and let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 to 10 minutes or until they are firm enough to move to a wire cooling rack. Most the rack and cool completely.

Notes

Adapted from a recipe from Food52.

Nutrition

Comments

Richard Bell says

January 21, 2022 at 8:58 am

The pastries are wonderful. White miso is often the most delicate and mild in flavor, yellow miso is somewhere in the center, and red miso is the most powerful and robust. In this recipe, I use white miso because it lends a subtle earthy saltiness that complements the nuttiness of the peanut butter and gives the cookie a chewy texture that I enjoy. Thank you!

Little Alchemy says

May 27, 2022 at 2:30 am

The cake looks so delicious and tempting, I want to thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with your readers.

Naman says

February 17, 2026 at 4:58 pm

I do admire the goal of making a dessert that is umami, but the cookie is too complex and the overall result is simply overwhelming. It might’ve been better to cut the ginger or other ingredient.