I’m having a miso moment so lately I’m adding it to everything. I mean, apparently our guts want us to eat fermented food daily and I can’t think of a better way to do that than to munch on a few of these miso peanut cookies.
Miso was basically my ‘aha’ moment for working out exactly what ‘umami’ was. I didn’t really get the whole ‘it tastes savoury’ thing when everything that wasn’t chocolate or sugar tasted ‘savoury’ to me. And then, along came miso and immediately I understood. Aha, savoury.
This miso peanut cookie recipe is one of many in the delightful new cookbook You’re Welcome! from Raymond Tan. He’s the Melbourne-based Malaysian baker who runs fan-fave bakeries Raya and Dua, so there’s a little South-East Asian-fusion influence added to all kinds of favourites. I’ve bookmarked the matcha panna cotta, pandan drømmekage and banana milk flan. There are also plenty of straight takes too, think blackout brownies, a peach and Moscato trifle and Raymond’s perfect childhood chocolate cake.
And then there are these miso peanut cookies. Which are so melt-in-your-mouth moreish you’ll be glad the recipe makes plenty. You’ll want to munch on these all day and… miso. Which means it’s super healthy, right? So, go on, munch away!
Miso peanut cookies
Recipe from You’re Welcome! by Raymond Tan & Audrey Payne
Makes 35-40 cookies
Takes less than 30 mins
Bakes in under 15 mins
100 g skinless unsalted peanuts
45 g pure icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
15 g raw sugar
165 g plain flour, plus extra as needed
20 g white (shiro) miso paste
90 g peanut or other neutral oil
1 egg yolk, beaten with a dash of milk, for egg wash
Preheat the oven to 165°C. Spread the peanuts evenly on a baking tray and roast, checking them frequently (they burn quickly), until golden, about 8–10 minutes. Cool, then grind them in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle, or bash them in a zip-lock bag, until fine.
Increase the oven to 180°C and line two baking trays with baking paper. Add the icing sugar, raw sugar, flour and miso to a bowl, add the ground peanuts and combine with a wooden spoon or by hand.
Gradually pour in the peanut oil (you may not need it all), while mixing, until everything just comes together; the dough should still be a bit crumbly, but hold its shape if rolled. If the dough is too oily, add a pinch of extra flour.
Shape the dough into small balls – about 10 g each or the size of a large grape – and place them on trays, leaving 3 cm between them.
Brush each cookie with egg wash, then with the tip of a small piping nozzle covered in plastic wrap, or a boba straw, make a round indent in the centre of each cookie.
Bake until golden, about 12–15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave on the baking trays to cool. Miso peanut cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3–4 weeks.
Images and recipe text from You’re Welcome! By Raymond Tan with Audrey Payne, photography by Louise Hagger. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99
