These Miso Toffee Shortbread Cookies were born out of my obsession with these miso shortbread cookies and these toffee macadamia oatmeal cookies. They are simple cookies – just 7 ingredients – but with big flavor, thanks to the subtle savory depth from white miso paste and the deep buttery caramel flavor from toffee bits.
I had a moment of accidental genius with this miso toffee shortbread recipe. I was actually testing the original miso brown sugar shortbread cookies when I thought to myself “let’s just see what happens if I toss a handful of toffee bits in the cookie dough”. Cuz frankly, I needed to use up my stash of toffee bits – especially after buying a pack of 6 recently. 😂
And the results… oh em gee… the most delicious shortbread cookies I’ve ever made, for real life!
Trang’s Recipe Highlights
- FLAVOR: These miso toffee shortbread are buttery with the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and a deep caramelized flavor.
- TEXTURE: Crispy at the edges, and a little more chewy than your typical shortbread cookies due to the melted caramelized toffee bits.
- EASE: So easy! You can use your stand mixer or electric hand mixer if you have one or simply make it by hand especially if your butter is very soft.
Key ingredients
You’ll need just 7 ingredients to make these miso toffee shortbread cookies. As always, for the full list of ingredients with quantities and step-by-step instructions, skip straight to the recipe card.
White miso paste
Just like in my miso banana bread and my miso banana cake, I used Marukome premium white miso in these miso toffee shortbread. The lower sodium content (290 mg per tablespoon) is perfect for adding just enough savoriness to this recipe without making the cookies overly salty. Here, three tablespoons of miso work out to about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for a batch of 24 cookies.
Compare that to my miso chocolate chip cookies which also use three tablespoons of miso, but the saltier kind with higher sodium, so it is closer to a heaping teaspoon of kosher salt. But those are a different kind of cookie that can handle the extra saltiness to balance out the sweetness of the chocolate chips.
Toffee bits
I have only seen just one brand of toffee bits that you can buy in small quantities at the grocery store, Heath English Toffee Bits. I usually pick them up at my local Stater Bros; and more recently I did a pick up order at Walmart for a pack of 6 (it was much cheaper!) A quick Google search shows me that they are available at Albertsons and Vons. You can also get them on Amazon, but the stock and pricing can be very fickle.
Your other option is getting them online in bulk or making homemade toffee bits if you can’t find them anywhere.
Quick tips on baking temp
I tested this recipe at 325°F and 350°F, both 20 minutes bake time. The batch baked at 325°F came out perfectly golden brown with beautiful coloring, but a bit softer in the middle. If you don’t like your shortbread too dark, reduce baking temp to 325°F.
The batch baked at 350°F came out with much darker edges and bottoms, teetering on the cusp of being burnt (as seen in the photo above!). But they turned out a lot crispier with a deep caramelized flavor, so much more flavorful, making them the winners in my book.
Hungry for more?
Miso Toffee 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 granulated sugar, 135 g
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 300 g
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch, 18 g
- ½ cup toffee bits, 92 g
- More granulated sugar for topping
Instructions
- Cream together wet ingredients – Add softened butter, miso paste, vanilla and 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 granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients – Sift the flour and cornstarch directly into the stand mixer bowl, add the toffee bits, 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, ½ cup toffee bits
- 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. Wrap them up and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before baking. You don’t need additional flour for rolling but you can use some flour if necessary.
- Slice the cookies – Use a sharp knife to slice each cookie dough log into 12 cookies about ½” thick. Rewrap in the same 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 and caramelized.More granulated sugar for topping
- 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 toffee 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 before baking to prep ahead. Or slice and freeze for 3-6 months.
- Baking frozen dough: no need to thaw frozen cookie dough, you can bake directly from the freezer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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