A heady combination of tahini and miso bring layers of deep yet delicate flavours into these cookies. Complimented by pecan nuts, chocolate and sesame seeds, these addictive cookies make a perfect treat at anytime of the day but also a delicious and different dessert after a Japanese or Middle Eastern meal.

Miso is a Japanese seasoning made from fermented soya beans and salt (it can be quite salty so bare that in mind when seasoning your dishes) as well as a range of other ingredients.. High in proteins and rich in vitamins and minerals, miso has traditionally been used in savoury foods such as marinated fish, soups and dressings. However it has become a popular ingredient in sweet foods as well. Championed by exceptionally talented chefs like Yottam Ottolenghi, it is being used in a variety of different ways. More often than not you cannot taste it in sweet food but its ‘unami’ effect, helps to enhance the depth of flavours of all the ingredients. Most large supermarkets will stock it now but it is also available on-line. It is not cheap, but it does last a few weeks in the fridge, so make sure you use your supplies in a range of other dishes as well. I will shortly be posting an incredibly delicious Miso Dressing as well as a Miso Marinade, Miso Ramen with Ginger Chicken and another fusion dish using miso and tahini – Japanese felafel. For the meantime, check you these miso recipes from Just One Cookbook – a fabulous website run by a Japanese lady living in California.

Tahini is a seed butter made from toasted, ground, hulled sesame seeds and is used widely in the Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa. A key ingredient in hummus, it is available in most large supermarkets and is used in sweet and savoury food.

This particular recipe is based on my Nut Butter Chocolate Chip and Nut Cookies – Core Recipe. For more detailed guidance and information on these cookies, please see here. I have used a mix of tahini, almond butter and miso in place of the nut butter, dark chocolate and pecan nuts as add-ins and sesame seeds as a topping. The only deviation from the Core Recipe has been to reduce the salt from 1/2 teaspoon to ⅛ teaspoon – this helps balance the extra salt added with the miso. Try the dough though, just incase you feel you want to add a little extra.

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Tahini and Pecan Cookies with Chocolate, Miso, and Sesame Seeds

Course Cake, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Fusion

Keyword Chewy on the inside, Chocolate, miso, pecans, Sesame Seeds, Tahini

Author Susan

Ingredients

100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
40g tahini
40g almond butter
100g soft brown sugar
75g caster sugar
⅛ teaspoon fine salt
20g white/pale miso paste
1 large egg, around 60g – 70g
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
200g plain/all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
100g chopped chocolate
100g chopped pecans

Topping:

2½ – 3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Instructions

Collect together your equipment (see Recipe Notes below) and ingredients.
If cooking straight away, preheat oven to Fan Oven 160°C/180°C/350°F/Gas 4 and line one or two oven size baking sheets with baking parchment.
Ensure the butter is at room temperature and soft enough to beat. If not soften it slightly in the microwave. (Be very careful not to melt it though – just do 5 seconds at a time if you are unsure.)
Put the butter, tahini, almond butter, both of the sugars and salt into a large bowl and using an electric whisk mix until fluffy. This should take 2-3 minutes. Use a paddle attachment in a freestanding mixer and mix on medium.
Add the miso, egg and vanilla extract and continue on medium until thoroughly mixed.
Add the flour and baking powder and beat until it is almost entirely incorporated – you can either do this on a slow speed using your mixer or by hand.
Fold in the chocolate chunks and pecan nuts until evenly mixed throughout.
Put the sesame seeds for the topping in a bowl and divide the dough into rough balls, (I use 30g/1 large tablespoon of dough per cookie). Use your hands to roll into smooth balls. Roll the top half of each ball in the sesame seeds.
If cooking straight away: place spread out on a baking parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 7 minutes. Take them out of the oven, flatten the tops with a palette knife or the back of a dessert spoon and put back in the oven and continue to bake for the remaining 2 minutes. OR
If cooking within the next 3 days: place the cookie balls close together on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Cover with cling film and store in the fridge for up to 48 hours until ready to cook. When you are ready to cook, place spread out on a baking parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 8 minutes. Take them out of the oven, flatten the tops with a palette knife or the back of a dessert spoon and put back in the oven and continue to bake for the remaining 2 minutes.
If freezing before cooking: place the cookie balls close together on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment. Cover with cling film and place in the freezer making sure they are not touhcing. As soon as they are solid, they can be transferred into labelled freezer bags or containers and frozen for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook, place spread out on a baking parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the centre of the oven for 9 minutes. Take them out of the oven, flatten the tops with a palette knife or the back of a dessert spoon and put back in the oven and continue to bake for the remaining 2 minutes. (NB Cook from frozen – no need to defrost.)
The cookies are ready to come out of the oven when they are browning on the edges, soft in the middle and look ever so slightly under done.
Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Recipe Notes

Equipment:

kitchen scales and measuring spoons
chopping board and knife
mixing bowl
electric whisk
baking sheet lined with baking parchment
small bowl for the sesame seeds

Weighing the ingredients:

You can either weigh your ingredients and then add them to the mixing bowl or you can weigh your ingredients directly into your mixing bowl. Simply put the bowl on the scales and zero the scales. Make sure you remember to zero them in between adding each new ingredient.