Black Sesame Miso Cookies

Mix the dry stuff. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and kosher salt.

Cream the base. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth and a bit lighter in color, about 1 to 2 minutes (you are looking for a creamy, not gritty, texture). Add the black sesame paste and miso and mix until fully blended and uniform in color.

Add egg and vanilla. Beat in the egg and vanilla until glossy and combined.

Make the dough. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold until you still see a few streaks of flour. Add the white chocolate and fold just until no dry flour remains. Do not overmix.

Chill. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 30 minutes. This helps the cookies bake thicker with better edges.

Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment.

Scoop and (optionally) sesame. Scoop dough into 16 portions, about 2 tablespoons each (30 to 35 g). If using black sesame seeds, lightly roll the tops in seeds or sprinkle over the dough balls. Space 2 to 3 inches apart.

Bake. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are set and the centers still look a little soft and puffed. They will finish setting as they cool. For the most even bake, do one sheet at a time on the center rack. If you bake two sheets at once, swap racks and rotate the pans halfway through.

Finish like you mean it. While warm, add a tiny pinch of flaky salt to each cookie if you love that salty sweet snap. Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack.