By Margaux Laskey
The New York Times
It’s a matter of great debate among chocolate chip cookie lovers: Chewy and gooey? Cakelike and tender? Crisp and crunchy? (Or maybe you’re one of those people who likes to eat just the dough? We see you.)
“THEEESE!! Gluten-free game changer,” said one reader about Ali Slagle’s miso chocolate chip cookies. While it’s hard to believe that any cookie made without butter, flour or leaveners, can hold its own among the chocolate chip cookie greats, this one does and more.
A combination of miso, light brown sugar, nut butter and vanilla extract create crisp, chewy edges; soft, gooey middles and a rich salted caramel flavor. You can use any kind of nut or seed butter you have, keeping in mind that each type will create a slightly different cookie, with some having a more pronounced flavor (like peanut) than others. (Cashew is the least noticeable.)
Miso Chocolate Chip Cookies
Here’s a recipe for homemade chocolate chip cookies that doesn’t require butter, flour or leaveners, and it can be ready in less than a half-hour. But how? Inspired by gluten- and dairy-free salted peanut butter cookies, a combination of miso, light brown sugar, nut butter and vanilla extract create crisp, chewy edges; soft, gooey middles and a rich salted caramel flavor. You can use any kind of nut or seed butter you have, keeping in mind that each type will create a slightly different cookie, with some having a more pronounced flavor (like peanut) than others. (Cashew is the least noticeable.)
Makes 8 cookies
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup/160 grams light brown sugar (see Tip)
2 tablespoons white miso
1 large egg
3/4 cup nut or seed butter, such as peanut, almond or tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup/85 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS
1: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, vigorously stir the sugar, miso and egg until smooth. Add the nut butter and vanilla extract and stir vigorously until thickened slightly. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Scoop the dough into eight portions (roughly 2 1/2-ounce, 3-tablespoon) onto the prepared sheet pan about 2 inches apart. (For extra-gooey bites, press a few more chocolate chips on top.) Bake the cookies, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until the edges are golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool completely on the sheet pan.
Tips: Dark brown sugar doesn’t work well here because it darkens the outsides before the insides have a chance to set.
Recipe by Ali Slagle.