I have always loved trying interesting combinations of flavors in my cookies...much to the chagrin of my live-in critics. I remember making Peanut Butter-Sriracha Cookies one year that were tolerated. I saw photos of Gochujang Caramel Cookies around the holidays, but they were vetoed by my trio before I even pulled the Gochujang from the fridge!
These nutty miso cookies weren't particularly beloved, either, but I am sharing them for #FoodieReads. I was inspired to make them after reading Recipe for Second Chances by Ali Rosen.
On the Page
photo from amazon.com
The title for this book is apt as it is a second chance romance for an associate editor at a food magazine. Stella Park collides with Samuel Gordon at an inopportune time in their lives; Samuel is just starting law school and Stella is heading to Scotland for culinary school. They have a few dates and their attraction undeniable, their connection is intense. Flash forward almost a decade. Their mutual friends are now having a beautiful destination wedding in Umbria. So, Stella and Samuel have a second change to get it right.
I found Stella's anxiety overwhelmingly annoying. But I set that aside to read a novel rife with Italian scenery and delicious food.
On the Plate
I already mentioned: Italy. The food always makes my mouth water. And since the couple is Indian and Italian, there are some appetite-whetting passages about Indian dishes, too.
"Platters upon platters of cured meats quickly disappear, followed by a salad of roasted artichokes, followed by a ravioli with a creamy truffle sauce, followed by a lamb chop with an Umbrian pesto. Everyone gushes over the food—it is mountainous and never ending, a salty, savory parade of spring produce and aged ingredients. It is satiating down to my bones."
"Our food came all at once, and it was suddenly like we were presented with a smorgasbord of carbs and perfection all laid out with no frills on heavy ceramic white plates with a burgundy trim. Steaming cheese and meat pierogi sat to one side, crispy potato latkes piled high on another plate, and our fluffy stack of pancakes—blueberry, we had decided—had been plopped in the middle of the table, ready to be devoured by all takers."
"The mood at the table is convivial throughout the meal. A dried-sausage and prosciutto plate gives way to briny sardines, which give way to truffle-covered gnocchi topped with a plethora of herbs. Richness cut with acidity, herbaceousness and cool breezes at every turn."
"It’s like a fever dream from the bonkers corners of my recipe-obsessed mind—samosas stuffed with zucchini blossoms and creamy ricotta; chapatis with tomato and mint chutneys made with local produce; artichoke pakoras topped with cilantro and ginger; local truffle panipuris, and even more truffles on the creamy turmeric lentils. There’s a chef slicing a porchetta that’s been rolled up with cardamom, cumin, black pepper, amchur, and coriander. The air is spiced and herbaceous, and I dive in the moment I see others partaking."
But what sent me into the kitchen was the passage about Stella pulling freshly baked cookies out of her carry-on bag.
The secret is in adding a little bit of miso paste to enhance the earthiness of the hazelnuts. Well, that and a lot of sugar. They’re going to run in the magazine in the fall.
I saw a recipe for a cookie made with white miso, but I didn't have any so I tried it with red miso.
Even for this savory-leaning gal, it was too much. So I ended up dipping the cookies in chocolate to mask the overpowering miso flavor. Then I set about testing different proportions for peanut butter to miso. I even added in some tahini in one batch.
Even though I liked this version, my peanut gallery still responded: Why do you have to try to put together peanut butter and miso?!? Those really don't go well. Maybe I should get some white miso and try that. "Maybe you should just stop with the miso cookies!" Well, fine. Some people might like them. So, I'm sharing the recipe because I like them.
Ingredients
makes approximately 20 cookies
1 cup flour
1/2 cup ground hazelnuts
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup organic dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/3 cup organic granulated sugar plus more for rolling
1 egg
1 Tablespoon red miso
1/2 cup organic peanut butter (I used crunchy)
Also needed: baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon mat; cookie scoop, optional; fork
Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whisk together the flour, ground hazelnuts, and baking soda in a small mixing bowl. Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a separate bowl for rolling the cookies later. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until lightened and fluffy. Beat in the egg, red miso, and peanut butter until well-combined. Fold in the flour mixture and use a wooden spoon or your hands until the dough just comes together in a ball.
Use a cookie scoop to easily portion out the dough into consistent sizes. Or just use your hands and pinch off walnut-sized pieces. Roll the dough into smooth balls, then roll them in granulated sugar to coat the outside.
Place the balls on a cookie sheet, approximately 2-inches apart.
Use the tines of a fork to press a hatch-mark design into the top of the cookies and flatten them slightly.
Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The cookies will be browned and still soft to the touch, but they will harden as they cool. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
I am adding this to the February #FoodieReads link-up.
Everyone's a critic LOL.....