Miso Brown Butter Snickerdoodles combine classic snickerdoodle sweetness with savory miso and nutty brown butter. They're perfectly soft, chewy, and easy to make!
These one-bowl Miso Snickerdoodles are one of our favorite treats for the holidays. While we love classic Christmas desserts, sometimes they can be too sweet. In order to balance the sweetness, we added umami from the miso. The result is an unforgettable cookie that is perfectly balanced in every bite.
Looking for other sweet and savory cookies? Try our Brown Butter Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies or our Miso Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies.
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Why You'll Love These Miso Snickerdoodles
- Texture - The cookies are perfectly tender with a lightly crisp edge.
- Flavor - The cookies are the perfect balance of sweet and savory.
- Time - It takes 20 minutes of prep, 30 minutes to chill the dough, and about 10 minutes to bake.
- Effort - Despite requiring multiple steps, these cookies are pretty simple.
Key Ingredients
- Miso paste - Miso paste adds a unique and delicious umami flavor to the snickerdoodles. We prefer white miso paste because it adds the miso flavor without overpowering the other ingredients. Hikari miso paste is a high-quality and affordable option.
- Brown Butter - Brown butter gives the cookies a nutty caramel flavor.
- Cream of tartar - Cream of tart gives the snickerdoodles their signature tanginess and chewiness.
- Granulated and brown sugar - Granulated sugar adds a traditional sweetness and brown sugar adds a richer deeper sweetness.
- All-purpose flour - Flour is the foundation of the cookies.
- Baking powder and soda - Baking powder helps make the cookie dough soft and baking soda helps the cookie dough spread.
- Eggs - Egg binds the cookie ingredients together.
- Cinnamon Sugar - We roll the cookies in cinnamon sugar for their signature warm and sweet accent.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Nuts - Add chopped walnuts or pecans for an extra hearty crunch.
- Chocolate - Add semi-sweet chocolate chips to the dough for a little flare.
- Crispy - Bake the cookies a minute or two little longer for a crispier cookie.
Snickerdoodle Instructions
- Line baking sheets - Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Heat oven to 350°F.
- Make brown butter - Heat a skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Then add the sliced butter to the pan and whisk as the butter cooks. The butter will foam then start to brown and form small brown flecks. The butter will be golden brown and have a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a measuring cup to confirm the liquid measures a half cup. It’s okay if it’s slightly over. (Photo 1 and 2)
- Mix wet ingredients - In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the brown butter, white miso, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light in color and fluffy. Then reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla and eggs until combined. (Photo 3 and 4)
- Whisk wet ingredients - Whisk wet ingredients until smooth and combined. (Photo 5)
- Mix in dry ingredients - Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and kosher salt and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula to ensure all the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix or the dough will become dense. (Photo 6 and 7)
- Chill - Chill the cookie dough. Cover the baking sheets loosely with wrap (e.g. a clean dish cloth, plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, foil, etc.) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or as long as 2 days. This will allow the caramel and miso flavor to develop more.
- Make the cinnamon sugar coating - Add 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to a shallow bowl and whisk to combine. (Photo 8)
- Scoop - Use a cookie scoop, spoon, or measuring cup to scoop and form 2 tablespoon (1¼ inch) dough balls. Then roll each ball in your hands and roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture until generously coated. (Photo 9)
- Dip cookie dough in cinnamon sugar - Place the dough balls on the baking sheet with at least 2 inches of space around each one to make room for spreading. Then sprinkle leftover cinnamon sugar on the tops of the dough. (Photo 10)
- Bake cookies - Bake the cookies on the middle rack one tray at a time for 8-10 minutes. The edges will be golden brown and the tops a light golden brown. For a crispier cookie, bake for 1-2 minutes longer. (Photo 11)
- Remove and cool - Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Then repeat the process with the remaining cookie dough. (Photo 12)
Pro tip - Do not over mix the cookie dough. Over mixing the dough when you add the flour will result in dense and tough cookies. Mix the flour until just combined for fluffy, soft cookies.
Other Baking Tips
- The longer you allow the cookie dough to rest, the more developed the flavors will be. For a deeper caramel and miso flavor, allow the cookie dough to rest overnight.
- Only bake the cookies until they are just golden brown or they will be dry and crumbly.
Recipe FAQs
All you need to do is roll the cookie dough in a mixture of cinnamon and sugar before you bake them.
The exact origin is unknown. Some say it is from the German word Schneckennudel, which is a type of sweet bun. Other say it comes from the New England tradition of giving cookies weird names.
No, you don't need to flatten the cookie dough balls before baking unless you want a wider, flatter snickerdoodle.
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📖 Recipe
Miso Brown Butter Snickerdoodles
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter sliced
- 1 tablespoon white miso or more or less to taste
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoon brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Cinnamon Sugar
- 4 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Line baking sheets - Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Heat oven to 350°F.
- Make brown butter - Heat a skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Add the sliced butter to the pan and whisk as the butter cooks. The butter will foam then start to brown and form small brown flecks. The butter will be golden brown and have a nutty aroma. Remove from heat and pour the mixture into a measuring cup to confirm the liquid measures a half cup. It’s okay if it’s slightly over.1 cup unsalted butter
- Mix wet ingredients - In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the brown butter, white miso, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light in color and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla and eggs until combined.1¼ cup granulated sugar, 4 tablespoon brown sugar, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon white miso
- Mix in dry ingredients - Add the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and kosher salt and mix until just combined. Do not over mix. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula to ensure all the ingredients are combined. Do not over mix or the dough will become dense.2¾ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Chill - Chill the cookie dough. Cover the baking sheets loosely with wrap (e.g. a clean dish cloth, plastic wrap, beeswax wrap, foil, etc.) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or as long as 2 days. This will allow the caramel and miso flavor to develop more.
- Make the cinnamon sugar coating - Add 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of cinnamon to a shallow bowl and whisk to combine.4 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- Scoop - Use a cookie scoop, spoon, or measuring cup to scoop and form 2 tablespoon (1¼ inch) dough balls. Roll each ball in your hands and roll them in the cinnamon sugar mixture until generously coated. Place the dough balls on the baking sheet with at least 2 inches of space around each one to make room for spreading. Sprinkle leftover cinnamon sugar on the tops of the dough.
- Bake cookies - Bake the cookies on the middle rack one tray at a time for 8-10 minutes. The edges will be golden brown and the tops a light golden brown. For a crispier cookie, bake for 1-2 minutes longer.
- Remove and cool - Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the process with the remaining cookie dough.
Video
Notes
- Store leftover cookies in an air-tight container and keep in a cool, dry place for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the cookies for up to 1 month. To freeze, let the cookies reach room temperature, place them in a storage bag, press out the air, and seal them. When you are ready to eat them, thaw them in the refrigerator or on the counter. To warm, heat at 300°F on a baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes or microwave them briefly.
- Don't over mix the cookie dough. Over mixing the dough will make dense tough cookies. Only mix the flour until just combined for fluffy, soft cookies.
- For a deeper caramel and miso flavor, allow the cookie dough to rest overnight. The longer you let the cookie dough to rest, the more developed the flavors get.
- Bake the cookies until they are just golden brown or they will be dry and crumbly.
Chuck
I really liked the flavor, not too sweet for me like normal snickerdoodles.