My Miso Shortbread Cookies are simple brown sugar shortbread cookies but with an umami twist from white miso paste. You don’t actually taste the miso in the way you might expect, but it adds a subtle savory depth to the buttery richness of classic shortbread, making each bite richer and more complex. These feel familiar yet just different enough to make you pause and wonder what’s giving them that extra something. 🤔
If you’re one of my readers who went out and bought miso paste after I introduced you to some of my miso desserts (thank you 🙏), I promise you, I won’t let it go to waste. There are so many more for you to try, and if shortbread cookies are your thing, these Caramelized Miso Toffee Shortbread Cookies are also amazing! 😉
Like all shortbread cookies, I think these are super easy to make! I usually use my stand mixer but you can certainly beat the butter by hand if it is very soft, or you can use an electric hand mixer if you have one to speed things up.
I love the way these delicate cookies melt on your tongue with a buttery richness. They have the signature shortbread crisp edges with soft fine crumb in the center. I think the black sesame seeds crust on the outside adds a lovely nuttiness that makes these extra special.
Key ingredients
✨ Needless to say, miso paste is the absolute key ingredient in this miso shortbread cookies recipe. Similar to my miso banana bread, I used Marukome premium white miso in these cookies. It’s lower in sodium (290 mg per tablespoon), which is very important here because a classic shortbread cookie recipe typically uses very little added salt. Here, three tablespoons of miso work out to about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt.
For comparison, my miso chocolate chip cookies also use three tablespoons of miso, but the saltier kind with higher sodium, so it is closer to a heaping teaspoon of kosher salt. Those cookies can handle the extra saltiness though, as it helps balance out the sweetness of the chocolate chips.
Other key ingredients…
- Brown sugar adds a little extra depth of flavor, either light or dark brown sugar will work. And if you have neither, granulated sugar will work too in a pinch, which will result in slightly crispier cookies, still buttery and delicious!
- Cornstarch gives shortbread cookies an extra crispy, snappy, melt-in-your-mouth texture. If you don’t have any, feel free to skip without needing to make adjustments to the other ingredients.
- Black sesame seeds add an extra layer of nuttiness. You can also use white sesame seeds but I like the color contrast from the black sesame seeds.
Hungry for more?
Miso Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz unsalted butter, 227 g, room temperature
- 3 tablespoon white miso paste, 50 g, see note on sodium level
- ⅔ cup brown sugar, light or dark, 135 g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 300 g
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch, 18 g
- 2 tablespoon black sesame seeds, for rolling the dough in
- Granulated sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Cream together wet ingredients – Add softened butter, miso paste, vanilla and brown sugar to a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is thoroughly incorporated and creamy.8 oz unsalted butter, 3 tablespoon white miso paste, ⅔ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients – Sift the flour and cornstarch directly into the stand mixer bowl, stir to combine. Increase the mixer speed and beat until no trace of flour remains and the dough is formed.2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- Form the logs – Place a long piece of plastic wrap flat on the countertop. Divide cookie dough into 2 equal portions. Roll each portion on top of the plastic wrap into a log about 6” in length. You don’t need additional flour for rolling but you can use some flour if necessary.
- Add sesame seeds to the outside – Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of black sesame seed along the length of the plastic wrap and roll the cookie dough log over it so the sesame seeds adhere all around the outside of the dough log. Wrap it up with the plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before baking. I usually refrigerate shortbread dough overnight to prep ahead.2 tablespoon black sesame seeds
- Slice the cookies – Use a sharp knife to slice each cookie dough log into 12 cookies about ½” thick. Rewrap in the plastic and place them into the freezer while the oven preheats.
- Preheat the oven – Set the oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Bake – Place 12 cookies on a large lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Sprinkle granulated sugar on top and bake 1 batch at a time for 20 minutes, until the outer edges of the cookies are golden.Granulated sugar
- Cool – Remove the baking sheet from the oven, but allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet to finish baking from the residual heat for 5-10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Choose low sodium miso paste: I used Marukome premium white miso paste which has 290 mg of sodium per tablespoon. Adjust the amount of miso as needed to keep the total sodium from miso paste to just under 1000 mg if you’re using a different miso paste.
- Storing baked cookies: store your miso shortbread cookies in an airtight container at room temp for up to a week.
- Storing cookie dough: cookie dough can be kept refrigerated for 3-4 days, and frozen for 3-6 months. I recommend slicing before freezing to make it easier when it comes time to bake.
- Baking frozen dough: don’t thaw frozen cookie dough, bake directly from the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
So simple and delicious! I made these as cutout cookies instead of slice-and-bake and they worked beautifully—such a great find for something a little different.
Thank you so much Marlee! Glad you tried these 🙂