Miso Caramel Cookies - Okonomi Kitchen (2024)

These Miso Caramel Cookies are crispy around the edges, chewy in the middle and laced with sweet and salty, umami miso caramel. Eggless & Dairy-free options.

I developed this Miso Caramel Cookie recipe last year while on a hiatus and have been become one of my favourite cookies. Any chance I get, I love adding miso to sweets and desserts because of the touch of savory umami that balances out a lot of the sweetness.

The base of these cookies are very much sugar cookie-like. Each bite starts with a crispiness, followed by a chewy caramel-y soft middle. There are so many layers of flavours, it’s like a slow-dance party where it’s sweet, salty, savory and gently spiced. Truly, a sexy cookie.

For the caramel portion, original recipe called for making chewy miso caramels and imbedding them into the cookies, however I’ve adapted them to make them quicker and easier after so many of you sending me Eric’s gochujang cookies. His gochujang caramel calls for just mixing the ingredients together and then swirling it into the dough, making it so much quicker and easier. For this reason, I borrowed his caramel method to keep things quick and easier.

Ingredients

• egg – I use flaxafaba: aquafaba + flax meal
• butter
• granulated sugar
• vanilla
• cardamom, optional
• salt
• baking soda
• almond flour: I use toasted almond flour that adds nuttiness and warmth to the overall cookie (brown butter vibes, without having to make brown butter)
• all purpose flour
• miso paste: white, yellow or even red if you’re feelin’ frisky (use a lesser amount, though!)
• dark brown sugar

Method

1. Whisk together aquafaba and flax meal and set aside for 5-10 minutes until thickened.
2. In a medium bowl, use a spatula to mix together softened butter, sugar, flaxafaba egg, vanilla, cardamom and salt. Mix in the almond flour and baking soda. Add the flour and mix gently, using a scoop and folding motion until dough comes together.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 12-30 minutes.
4. In the meantime, pre-heat the oven to 350 F (180 C) and mix the miso caramel together in a small bowl.
5. Remove dough from the fridge and spoon the miso caramel over the dough (about 3-4 blobs). Use a paring knife or chopsticks to swirl the miso caramel into the cookie dough (about 4-5 times). For a aesthetic caramel-marble look, be careful not to over-mix.
6. Using a 3 or 4 tbsp cookie scoop (about 60 g each), scoop the cookie dough to portion out the dough, and drop onto a lined baking tray about 3 inches apart.
7. Bake for 8 minutes, remove from oven and tap on counter. Bake for another 2 minutes and tap on counter. Bake for another 1-2 minutes or until it puffs up, and tap on counter. Bake for a total of 12-14 minutes.

Substitutions

• Flaxafaba – instead of flax + aquafaba egg, you may substitute for a flax egg or chicken egg.
• Miso – these are miso based cookies… but I’ve tried substituting with either savory umami ingredients such as doenjang, soy sauce, kimchi and even fish sauce for that same sweet and salty caramel goodness. You could even experiment with doubanjiang which is Chinese fermented bean paste.
• All purpose flour – use a gluten free blend as needed.
• Almond flour – another nut or seed flour, or more all purpose flour
• Butter – I use dairy free butter (Becel Plant Based Sticks, PC brand or Miyoko’s) for all my baking recipes, however feel free to substitute with what you enjoy using.
• Cardamom: can be substituted with nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon or ginger! Changing the spices will change the final flavour of the cookies, but they add an extra depth of flavour to these cookies.

Storage

Store these cookies in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 weeks. Allow to come to room temperature before enjoying.

FAQ

If you recreate these Miso Caramel Cookies, let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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