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.
3/4cupunsalted butter at room temperature1 1/2 sticks or 170 g
1cuppacked dark brown sugar220 g
3/4cupwhite sugar150 g
1 1/2teaspoonvanilla extract
1teaspoonground ginger
1/2teaspoonground cinnamon
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1/2teaspoonbaking soda
1/2cupcreamy peanut butter, not natural145 g
1/4cupwhite miso paste85 g
1large egg
2cupsall-purpose flour280 g
1 1/2cupschocolate chips240 g
1/4cupchopped crystallized ginger50 g
1/2cupblack sesame seeds75 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.