Miso and White Chocolate Cookies
These miso and white chocolate cookies blend umami richness with creamy sweetness for a sophisticated treat that’ll have everyone asking for your secret ingredient.
What Makes These Cookies Special?
These miso and white chocolate cookies combine the deep, savory umami of white miso paste with buttery white chocolate chips, creating soft-centered cookies with crispy golden edges, complex caramel-like depth, and an addictively balanced sweet-salty flavor that transforms a simple cookie into something truly unforgettable.
I’ll be honest—when I first heard about putting miso in cookies, I thought someone was pranking me. Fermented soybean paste in dessert? But one bite changed everything. The miso adds this incredible depth that makes people say “what IS that?” in the best possible way.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Miso White Chocolate Cookies Recipe
White chocolate miso cookies are genuinely unique. You won’t find this flavor combination at your average bakery, which makes them perfect for impressing guests or bringing something memorable to cookie swaps.
They’re ridiculously easy. Despite sounding fancy, this is essentially a one-bowl operation. No chilling required, no complicated techniques—just mix and bake.
The texture is perfection. Crispy edges with soft, almost gooey centers. That’s the dream, right? The miso actually helps keep them tender while the sugars create those beautiful caramelized edges.
They’re conversation starters. I’ve never served these without someone asking for the recipe. There’s something about that mysterious umami note that keeps people guessing.
Here’s what I learned the hard way: don’t skip the white miso. I tried substituting red miso once (because that’s what I had), and while still tasty, it was way too assertive. White miso has a gentler, slightly sweet quality that plays beautifully with the chocolate.
According to King Arthur Baking, white miso’s lower salt content and sweeter profile make it ideal for baking applications where you want complexity without overpowering other flavors.
Love white chocolate in unexpected ways? Our white chocolate and raspberry cookies deliver another surprising flavor combo—tart berries meet creamy chocolate for bakery-worthy results.
Miso and White Chocolate Cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment
- 2-ounce cookie scoop
- baking sheets
- Wire cooling racks
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup white miso paste can be found at most Asian grocery stores
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ cups white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
- In your stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, white miso paste, brown sugar, and white sugar on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes. You’re looking for a pale brown color and fluffy texture—this incorporates air for lighter cookies.
- Crack in both eggs and pour in the vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until the eggs completely disappear into the mixture, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl sides if needed.
- Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda all at once. Mix on low speed just until no white flour streaks remain—overmixing develops too much gluten, creating tough cookies instead of tender ones. Stop as soon as it comes together.
- Pour in those white chocolate chips and pulse the mixer 2-3 times, just until evenly distributed. You can also fold them in by hand with a wooden spoon if you prefer.
- Using your 2-ounce scoop, portion out the dough onto your prepared baking sheets. Leave a full 2 inches between each scoop—these babies spread as they bake. You should get about 28 cookies total.
- Slide the sheets into your preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. They’re done when the edges look set and golden but the centers still seem slightly underdone—they’ll continue cooking on the hot pan.
- Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They need to cool completely for the texture to set properly.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Peek
| Per Cookie | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 185 |
| Protein | 2g |
| Carbohydrates | 26g |
| Fat | 8g |
| Sugar | 17g |
Based on 28 cookies per batch
Ingredients for Miso Cookies with White Chocolate
This miso white chocolate cookies recipe comes together with pantry staples plus one special ingredient. Here’s what you’ll need:
| Amount | Ingredient |
|---|---|
| 1 cup + 2 Tbsp | Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature |
| ¼ cup | White miso paste (find this at Asian grocery stores or the international aisle—it’s worth the hunt!) |
| 1¼ cup | Brown sugar, packed |
| 1 cup | White granulated sugar |
| 2 large | Eggs, room temperature |
| 1 tsp | Vanilla extract, pure |
| 3½ cups | All-purpose flour |
| 1½ tsp | Baking powder |
| 1¼ tsp | Baking soda |
| 1½ cups | White chocolate chips (I love Ghirardelli’s—they’re creamy and don’t get grainy) |
Pro tip: Room temperature butter and eggs make all the difference. If you forgot to take them out, pop the eggs in warm water for five minutes, and microwave the butter in 5-second bursts.
Equipment You’ll Need
Essential:
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment (or a hand mixer and some arm strength)
- Large mixing bowl
- 2-ounce cookie scoop (this ensures they’re all the same size so they bake evenly)
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
Nice to Have:
- Wire cooling racks
- Kitchen scale for precision
- Offset spatula for transferring cookies
How to Make Miso and White Chocolate Cookies
Making these miso and white chocolate cookies is easier than you’d think. Just follow along, and you’ll have bakery-worthy treats in under 30 minutes.
1. Prep your workspace. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. This prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
2. Cream the butter mixture. In your stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, beat the softened butter, white miso paste, brown sugar, and white sugar on medium-high speed for 3-4 minutes. You’re looking for a pale brown color and fluffy texture—this incorporates air for lighter cookies.
3. Add the wet ingredients. Crack in both eggs and pour in the vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until the eggs completely disappear into the mixture, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl sides if needed.
4. Incorporate the dry ingredients. Add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and baking soda all at once. Mix on low speed just until no white flour streaks remain—overmixing develops too much gluten, creating tough cookies instead of tender ones. Stop as soon as it comes together.
5. Fold in the white chocolate. Pour in those white chocolate chips and pulse the mixer 2-3 times, just until evenly distributed. You can also fold them in by hand with a wooden spoon if you prefer.
6. Scoop and space the dough. Using your 2-ounce scoop, portion out the dough onto your prepared baking sheets. Leave a full 2 inches between each scoop—these babies spread as they bake. You should get about 28 cookies total.
7. Bake to golden perfection. Slide the sheets into your preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes. They’re done when the edges look set and golden but the centers still seem slightly underdone—they’ll continue cooking on the hot pan.
8. Cool completely. This is the hardest part, I know. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They need to cool completely for the texture to set properly. Trust me on this.
Pro Tips for Perfect White Chocolate Miso Cookies
Start with room-temperature ingredients. Cold butter won’t cream properly, and cold eggs can cause the batter to seize. Room-temperature ingredients create a stable emulsion, ensuring even distribution of fat and liquid throughout the dough.
According to Serious Eats, a temperature difference greater than 10°C between ingredients can cause batters to break, resulting in dense, grainy cookies rather than tender ones.
Don’t overbake. These cookies continue baking on the hot sheet after you pull them from the oven, a process called carryover cooking. If they look fully done in the oven, they’ll be overdone once cooled.
Measure flour correctly. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off with a knife. Scooping directly from the bag compacts the flour, giving you up to 25% more than the recipe intends, which leads to dry, cakey cookies.
Use quality white chocolate. Real white chocolate contains cocoa butter—check the ingredients. “White baking chips” often use vegetable oils and taste waxy. It makes a difference.
Try the freezer trick. Scoop all your dough, freeze half the balls on a tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. You can bake them straight from frozen (add 2 extra minutes) whenever a craving hits.
What If Things Go Wrong?
Why are my cookies spreading too much? Your butter was probably too warm or melted. Next time, make sure it’s softened but still holds its shape when pressed. You can also chill the scooped dough for 15 minutes before baking.
What if the miso seems lumpy in my dough? No worries—beat it thoroughly with the butter and sugars. The creaming action breaks down any lumps. If you’re really worried, you can whisk the miso with the eggs first to smooth it out.
My cookies turned out too cakey. What happened? You likely added too much flour or overmixed the dough. Measure flour by spooning and leveling, and mix only until the flour just disappears.
Can I use salted butter instead? You can, but reduce the miso to 3 tablespoons. The miso already has salt, and too much will overpower the sweetness.
Why didn’t my cookies get crispy edges? Make sure your oven is fully preheated and hitting the right temperature. An oven thermometer is a worthy investment—most home ovens run 25°F hotter or cooler than the dial suggests.
Creative Variations and Twists
Make them gluten-free. Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend. I’ve had great results with Bob’s Red Mill—the texture stays remarkably similar.
Go dark instead. Replace the white chocolate chips with dark chocolate chunks for a more sophisticated, less sweet version. The bitter notes play beautifully with the miso’s umami.
Add texture. Toss in ½ cup of chopped toasted pecans or walnuts. The crunch adds another dimension and complements the creamy white chocolate.
Create a sesame version. Mix in 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds and use black sesame paste in place of 1 tablespoon of the miso for a nutty, aromatic twist.
Make them festive. During the holidays, add ½ teaspoon of ground ginger and fold in some crystallized ginger pieces along with the white chocolate. The spicy-sweet combo is incredible.
For another nutty, sophisticated cookie with complex flavor, try our brown butter pistachio cream cookies—rich, creamy, and absolutely addictive.
How Should I Serve and Store These?
Serving suggestions: These cookies shine at room temperature with a cold glass of milk or a cup of green tea. The subtle earthiness of the tea actually highlights the miso’s complexity. I also love them crumbled over vanilla ice cream for an instant gourmet sundae.
Storage: Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Tuck a piece of bread in the container—it releases just enough moisture to keep the cookies soft without making them soggy. Weird trick, but it works.
Freezing: These freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Layer them between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-safe container. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or warm individual cookies in the microwave for 10 seconds for that fresh-baked feel.
Reheating: Pop a cookie in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes to restore that just-baked warmth and slightly soften the center. Game-changer for day-old cookies.
No-Waste Kitchen Magic
Save those scraps. If you have broken cookies or odd pieces, crush them and use as an ice cream topping, yogurt parfait layer, or mix into cheesecake crust for a unique twist.
Repurpose stale cookies. Didn’t eat them fast enough? Blitz them in a food processor to make cookie crumbs for pie crusts or as a crunchy coating for truffles.
Freeze the dough. Rather than baking everything at once, freeze half the scooped dough balls. You get the convenience of slice-and-bake cookies with the quality of homemade.
Your Questions Answered
Can I make this miso white chocolate cookies recipe ahead of time?
Absolutely! Scoop the dough, freeze it on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, adding just 2 extra minutes to the baking time. Perfect for unexpected guests or late-night cravings.
What’s the best substitute for white miso paste if I can’t find it?
If you’re in a pinch, you can try yellow miso (it’s slightly stronger but still works), or tahini mixed with a pinch of salt for a different but interesting flavor profile. That said, white miso really is the star here—it’s worth ordering online if your local stores don’t carry it.
Why do my cookies spread into flat puddles?
This usually happens when the butter is too warm or melted, or if you’re using a non-stick pan without parchment. Make sure your butter is softened but not greasy, and always use parchment paper or silicone mats to control spreading.
Can I use dark chocolate instead of white chocolate chips?
Definitely! Dark chocolate creates a more sophisticated, less sweet cookie with beautiful contrast against the miso’s saltiness. Use 60-70% cacao for the best balance—anything darker might compete with the miso.
How long will these cookies stay fresh?
They’ll stay delicious in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. After that, they start to lose their crispy edges. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months—they’ll taste just as good when thawed.
Share the Love
There you have it—miso and white chocolate cookies that’ll make you a legend in your kitchen. These beauties prove that the best recipes sometimes come from unexpected combinations. That sweet-salty-umami thing? Pure magic.
I’d love to see your creations! Tag your photos and share what you thought of this recipe. Did your family guess the secret ingredient? And if you’re riding this flavor wave
Baked with love by Rebeccah Ellene.
