Miso Walnut Double-Thick Chocolate-Chip Cookies

Unashamedly thick cookies inspired by the Levain Bakery in New York – thick and gooey in the middle (when warm) and crisp on the edge. A winner! When I lived in the city, I would travel 70 blocks just to get one of these. Compared to other cookies, these have a relatively low butter and sugar content in relation to the other ingredients and an extremely high proportion of mix-ins, which you can change to suit your mood. Don’t reduce the quantity though – they play an important role structurally! The baking time is variable – it’s up to you how dangerously gooey you want them. The addition of miso walnuts, a technique shared with me by friend and mentor Ayako Watanbe, brings an extra complexity.

Makes: 5 huge cookies
Cook Time: 1hr 10min

INGREDIENTS

For the miso walnuts:

• 50g mirin rice wine
• 40g caster sugar
• 50g white miso
• 100g walnuts, toasted

For the cookies:

• 90g butter, softened
• 80g soft light brown sugar
• 80g caster sugar
• 50g whole eggs (about 1)
• 220g plain flour
• 3g bicarbonate of soda (about ½ tsp)
• 4g flaky sea salt (about 1⅛ tsp), plus a sprinkle on top
• 260g dark chocolate, chopped

METHOD

1. To make the miso walnuts, heat together the rice wine, caster sugar and white miso over a medium heat. When boiling, add the toasted walnuts and mix together, cooking for 2 minutes more over a low heat until thickened. Remove from the pan and leave to cool completely before using.

2. To make the cookies, cream the butter with the sugars until well combined but not aerated – it should look a little fluffy. Whisk in the egg, scraping down as needed to make sure it’s evenly combined. Sift the dry ingredients together, then fold through the emulsified butter/egg mixture. Add the walnuts and stir through to break them up a bit before mixing in the chocolate.

3. Form into loose 180g balls, keeping them looking and feeling airy!

4. At this stage you can chill the dough overnight if you like, or you can bake right away. I didn’t notice a super significant difference.

5. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan. Line a large, flat baking tray with baking paper.

6. Spread the balls of dough on the baking tray. Bake for 18 minutes (though you could do 16 minutes or up to 20 minutes to suit your taste!). Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack. Sprinkle a little extra salt on top if you like and then leave to cool. Ideally enjoy whilst still a little bit warm, but they are just as good completely cooled! The texture will change from gooey to more firm.
   
   

NOTE: You can, of course, make these into smaller portions! Just adjust the baking time accordingly – I suggest around 9–12 minutes for half portions.