Miso peanut cookies

This is an iconic Chinese New Year cookie, with a salty-sweet flavour that people both in Australia and Malaysia tend to enjoy. It's also a very forgiving recipe, great for kids and first-time bakers.

• makes

  35-40

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 100 g (⅔ cup) skinless unsalted peanuts
• 45 g (1¾ oz) pure icing (confectioners’) sugar, sifted
• 15 g (½ oz) raw sugar
• 165 g (5¾ oz) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra as needed
• 20 g (¾ oz) white (shiro) miso paste (see Note)
• 90 g (3¼ oz) peanut or other neutral oil
• 1 egg yolk, beaten with a dash of milk, for eggwash

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 165°C (325°F). Spread the peanuts evenly on a baking tray and roast, checking them frequently (they burn quickly), until golden, about 8–10 minutes. Cool (see Note), then grind them in a food processor or with a mortar and pestle, or bash them in a zip-lock bag, until fine.
2. Increase the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line two baking trays with baking paper. Add the icing sugar, raw sugar, flour and miso to a bowl, add the ground peanuts and combine with a wooden spoon or by hand.
3. Gradually pour in the peanut oil (you may not need it all), while mixing, until everything just comes together; the dough should still be a bit crumbly, but hold its shape if rolled. If the dough is too oily, add a pinch of extra flour.
4. Shape the dough into small balls – about 10 g (⅓ oz) each or the size of a large grape – and place them on trays, leaving 3 cm (1¼ inches) between them.
5. Brush each cookie with eggwash, then with the tip of a small piping nozzle covered in plastic wrap, or a boba straw, make a round indent in the centre of each cookie.
6. Bake until golden, about 12–15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave on the baking trays to cool. Miso peanut cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 weeks.

Notes

• I recommend using white miso, but if you like the funk of stronger miso, play around with red.
• The signature indent in the top of these cookies is typically made with an abacus bead, but I use the tip of a piping nozzle covered in plastic wrap. If you can't find unsalted peanuts, then halve the amount of miso to keep the salt in check. When you're grinding the peanuts, make sure they're completely cool or you'll risk making peanut butter. Don't panic if it does happen - I;ve done it before and still made these. You'll just end up with a different texture.

Images and text from You’re Welcome! By Raymond Tan with Audrey Payne, photography by Louise Hagger. (Murdoch Books $49.99)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.