Don’t let the miso paste scare you! Baking mutes the funk of the miso, and the nutmeg works synergistically with it to create a rich background that tastes nothing like its individual counterparts and delivers a rich, toasty background without the dairy. Not only is white miso paste available in most grocery stores, unlike the dry malt extract I have been using for vegan cookies, it also has a texture that is similar to eggs when thinned with water. Taking those tweaks and applying them to my regular whole wheat & oat cookies, I end up with a breakfast confection that leaves me wanting for nothing. And if you want a little coconut in the background, use virgin coconut oil, but use refined for a more neutral flavor.
ingredients
makes about 4 dozen
3 oz White Miso Paste
2.5 oz Water
7 oz (1/2 Cup plus 2TB) Coconut Oil unrefined or refined, about 70F
14.5 oz (2 cups packed) Brown Sugar
2 oz (1/4 cup) Almond or Oat Milk, room temperature
2 Teaspoons Vanilla
7 oz Whole Oats or Oat Flour
8 oz (2 cups) Whole Wheat Flour, White or Golden Whole Wheat preferred
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Nutmeg
12 ounces (1 package) Chocolate Chips or Coarsely Chopped Chocolate Bars of choice, 50%-80% preferred
10 oz (2 cups) Pecans, Walnuts, Peanuts, or other nuts
deviations & tips
Skipping the freezing step will result in flatter cookies.
Do not skimp on the chocolate and nuts, using less may give you flatter cookies.
Use unrefined coconut oil for a slightly coconut flavor or refined for a neutral flavor.
For strict vegan confections, be sure to check both your chocolate and sugar.
For a miso-chocolate flavor use stronger flavored red miso in place of the white.
Preheat oven to 350F. Scatter nuts on baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until nuts are toasty and aromatic. Be careful not to burn them or they’ll turn bitter. Cool nuts to room temperature either on the counter or in the fridge before using. Add oats to a food processor or blender and process until ground into a powder. Skip this step if you’re using pre-ground oat flour. Add to a medium bowl, and set aside.
Oats processed into flour.
Blend together oat flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and salt and set aside.
Fit mixer with whisk attachment. Add miso paste and water to mixer bowl. Mix on low briefly to incorporate, then increase to medium-high, and whisk for 2 or 3 minutes or until completely incorporated. Add half (7.25 ounces) brown sugar and vanilla extract. Mix on low to combine; then increase speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes or until thickened. The mixture should resemble pancake syrup. Scrape bowl and beater. Add coconut oil along with remaining brown sugar. Mix on low for a couple seconds to combine; then increase speed to high and whip 5 seconds to emulsify.
Whisk miso, water, vanilla, and sugar.
Whisk on high speed to emulsify.
Add flour mixture all at once and mix on low for another 15 seconds. Some dry flour should still be visible. Add chocolate and nuts all at once and mix on low speed for another 15 seconds or until the dough just comes together. Remove bowl from mixer and using a large sturdy spoon fold a couple times to ensure dough is completely incorporated. Using a 2 tablespoon/1 ounce/#30 cookie scoop, drop cookie dough onto cookie sheets and freeze… Keep in mind you can remove them from the cookie sheets before baking. So, feel free to space closely and save freezer space. I can fit all 48-50 cookies on 2 quarter sheet pans or 1 half sheet pan. Freeze at least 30 minutes for a thicker cookie. For best flavor, freeze overnight. Frozen cookie dough balls can be stored in freezer bags and kept frozen if not using right away.
Frozen dough balls
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F. Line half-sheet pans with parchment paper and space 12 cookies evenly apart on each sheet. Do not bake any more than 1-2 dozen at a time. Bake on the center 2 racks for 12 - 15 minutes or until the edges are set and golden brown. The tops may still look wet. Let cookies cool completely on baking sheet. Store in an airtight container or freeze for long term storage.
Vegan Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies with Pecans