Pumpkin Miso Caramel Sugar Cookies
So recently the New York Times shared a recipe for a gochujang caramel cookie which has been living rent free in my mind ever since and honestly I can't say that I am ready for her - yet. You guys have no idea just how long I have been wanting to make miso sugar cookies and this is how the inspiration for the pumpkin miso caramel cookie was born. It did take 2 attempts until I got it just right and let me tell you - she is the main event this fall and is honestly a really close second favorite because nothing is coming in between me and ms brown butter chocolate chip okay.
Despite the trial and error, the flavors from the browned butter, pumpkin and miso are unlike anything I have tried before and I am so excited to play around with other flavor combinations !
Pumpkin Miso Sugar Cookies
* Makes 7 cookies * Ingredients - For the dough
1/2 cup - vegan butter
1/3 cup - brown sugar
1/2 cup - zulka sugar
1 flax egg - 1 tbsp flax seeds + 3 tbsp hot water
1 tbsp - pure vanilla extract
1 tsp - pumpkin spice blend
1/2 tsp - ground cardamom
3/4 tsp - salt
1 tsp - baking powder
1 cup + tbsp - all purpose flour
Ingredients - For the caramel
1 tbsp - softened vegan butter
1 tbsp - miso paste
1 tbsp - pumpkin puree
2 tbsp - brown sugar
1/2 tsp - salt
Instructions
Step 1 - Gather all ingredients & brown the butter
Before getting started, gather all the needed ingredients for the recipe. The first step is to gently brown 1/2 a cup of vegan butter on low heat. Allow the butter to bubble and foam up while stirring it here and there. Once the butter starts to slowly become brown, take it off the heat. I recommend pouring the browned butter into a glass container and allowing it to chill in an ice bath in the refrigerator for maybe 5 minutes to allow it to thicken.
Step 2 - Whip the solidified brown butter
You can do this in a stand mixer or even a handheld mixer. Scrape out the chilled brown butter and whip in a bowl for about 2 - 3 minutes. On low speed whip together the brown and white sugar for 2 minutes and then add in the vanilla, cardamom, pumpkin spice blend and flex seed egg and whip for another 2 - 3 minutes.
I add in the flour at the very end to avoid over mixing and getting a dense or gummy cookie. Once everything else has been thoroughly whipped together add in the flour, baking powder and salt. On the lowest setting allow the dough to mix just till combined and if needed to mix the dough a bit by hand. Using a spatula, scrape the dough up the sides of the bowl and allow to set in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes before scooping.
Step 3 - Preheat the oven and make the caramel
After putting the dough in the fridge to firm up a bit. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit to warm up while we work on the miso pumpkin caramel.
To make the very simple caramel grab a bowl and a fork and mash the vegan butter, pumpkin puree, miso paste, salt and brown sugar into a paste. Reserve in a little ramekin and allow to set in the fridge.
Step 4 - Scoop and bake
To scoop each cookie I used a 1/5th portion scoop which also equates to about 3 tbsp of dough per cookie or approximately 80 grams. Depending on the size of each cookie will change how many a one times batch will get you.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper lay out your cookies with at least 2 inches in between each one as these cookies will spread out a lot.
Just before baking, dollop 3 globs of the pumpkin miso caramel mixture onto each cookie and rub it out with the back of a spoon or a tooth pick. Then slide in the oven and bake for a total of 14 minutes taking a break at the 7 minute mark to rotate the trays to make sure they rise and bake evenly. At the half way mark is where I check them out and see if any cookie has any bald spots that could use another dollop of the caramel. Then set the timer for the second 7 minute rotation and once they are ready let them cool for at least 5 minutes or so before enjoying !
