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Miso Rye Chocolate Cookies with Coconut

March 29, 2021 by Reggie Leave a Comment

Nothing better than chewy miso rye chocolate cookies with a perfect balance of sweetness and saltines coming from the miso. Oof, enough said.

What Is Recipe Testing Anyway??

The first test of miso rye chocolate cookies was a quick batch I had whipped up for a family friend by taking a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe and subbing for the items I had in my pantry. This girl had a lot of rye flour and miso.

The cookies were great, but they felt like they were only the beginning of something better. So how does one make a cookie recipe? Like any recipe, you take an opinion and find how ingredients and techniques can make it happen: Ingredient + Technique = Opinion.

My opinion? A chewy miso rye chocolate cookie must be rich in flavor but not too sweet or salty. Taking that magic equation from above, my mission which I did choose to accept, was to figure out how to manipulate the ingredients to get exactly that. Luckily I e-met Jesse on Instagram, a fellow food aficionado, and he tested along with me!

Ingredients are manipulated in every way to produce a specific cookie. And as Jesse reminded me, even your choice of leavening can make a drastic difference. So how do ingredients all come together for the perfect cookie?

How To Make The Perfect Chewy Cookie

Brown Sugar

Most cookie recipes require a combination of white sugar and brown sugar, but when do you know which one to use more? Brown sugar is made up of sugar cane molasses which attracts more moisture and keeps cookies moist – this is ideal for chewy cookies. Moreover, brown sugar is acidic and can speed gluten formation and egg protein coagulation. In short, this means that the cookie dough is going to set quicker and create a thick and tender cookie. However, white sugar evaporates water and creates a crispy cookie.

Texture aside, brown sugar will also add a caramelized color, which to a miso rye chocolate cookie is gorgeous!

Yolks vs. Egg Whites

The science of eggs in a condensed form: Egg whites trap air, whereas yolks contribute moisture. In cookie speak, egg whites will create a thick and puffy cookie because of the aeration. Yolks will create steam affecting the gluten and make cookies that are denser and tender.

Here is where the science gets interesting, everything that I explained above is true when a recipe calls for melted butter. However, if you cream softened butter, then the opposite happens. Yolks will make a cakey cookie, and egg whites will make cookies chewy.

For every whole egg, sub two yolks.

Baking Soda & Baking Powder

We all have baking soda and baking powder in our pantries but how many of us know what it does? In this episode of cookie science, let’s learn about leavening. Leavening determines how your cookie will rise, spread, and brown. This is the line to live by: “soda spreads and powder puffs.”

In my original recipe, I had 2:1 baking soda to baking powder, but the cookie was not cakey because I would bang the pan in three intervals to force the cookie to deflate. But there was a way to feed two birds with one scone that I wasn’t seeing. Jesse tested a batch with less baking soda and the miso rye chocolate cookies spread naturally without the extra legwork.

Melted Butter or Softened Butter

Melted butter or soft butter is the new fork in the road, which one do you choose? Soft butter will incorporate air and create a finer texture that is more cake-like. Melted butter is a liquid and will hydrate the flour and boost gluten, gluten is great for a chew. Easy enough, except melted butter has a caveat: some recipes will ask that you either bake right away or chill before baking.

The melted butter cookie that is not chilled will spread more than those made with soft butter, which is perfect for people who love thin and crispy cookies. On the other hand, some of that butter will solidify when it’s chilled. The end result is a cookie with middles puffed up slightly and crispy edges. A miso rye chocolate cookie that has both chew and crisp? Hell yes.

Proper Measurement

For years everyone in my family thought we were cursed, that our cookies were destined to always look more like scones and muffin tops. But truly we were improperly measuring flour. Instead of using a scale or using the scooping method, we were packing flour by pushing the powder down with the spoon. In cookie land, this means that our cookies were taking longer to bake, and although they appeared fluffy, were super dry inside.

The reverse is also a problem, if you add too little flour your cookies will end up looking more like lace cookies.

Resting the Dough

“The patient bird gets the worm…” Or the patient baker gets the chewy cookie? Resting cookie dough allows the flour to absorb moisture from the eggs and the butter. Not only will the cookie dough be flavorful by absorbing that water, but they’re also going to be more tender and chewier.

A minimum of half an hour of resting time is recommended. If you’re seriously committed, I highly recommend hiding a few extra balls of dough in the fridge for at least 72 hours.

Pop Quiz

Let’s say you want to make a levain style Miso Rye Chocolate cookie – they are famously thick and chonky, what would the ingredients look like?

brown sugar 80%

whole egg 100%

baking powder 75%

soft butter 100%

flour ratio 75%

rested dough

rested dough 0%

Making a Cookie Recipe Your Own

Your Recipe, Your Perspective

I have gone over how you can manipulate ingredients to get exactly what you want, but making a cookie completely yours is the fun part. How in the world did I choose to make miso rye chocolate cookies with coconut?

I may have mentioned this before, but one of my favorite scenes in a movie is where Will Ferrel’s character confesses his love to his baker girlfriend with a box of various bags of different flours. If any of you meet my soulmate, please relay that this is my love language.

Rye flour is one of the more aromatic whole grain flours. It has a complex flavor profile that is malty and nutty, and if you pick a dark variant, the flavors are intense and the texture is denser. What kind of flour do I want for a chewy cookie that is rich? Exactly.

Miso, a Japanese invention, is made by combining soybeans, grains, and sea salt, and fermented and aged in barrels. It has an amazing ability to expand and deepen any flavors it touches. White miso in particular is buttery, sweet, and salty and best combined with other ingredients of the same texture. In western vocabulary, it gives our rye chocolate cookies umami.

So far, we know that our cookies are rich, chewy, sweet, and salty. My choice in additions must complement the depth of these flavors. In that case, I probably don’t want to add a bar of chocolate that is too sweet nor add anything that is particularly salty. Coconut chips are chewy, have a subtle sweetness, and most importantly have a nutty flavor that is perfectly paired with rye flour.

That’s enough reading, lets make these miso rye chocolate cookies!

Miso Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut

Nothing better than a chewy, rye chocolate chip cookie with a perfect balance of sweetness and saltines coming from the miso. Oof, enough said.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 16

resting time 1

Total Time 1 36

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted melted butter (220g)
1 cup brown sugar (200g)
½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
¼ cup white miso paste (72g)
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
1¼ cups rye flour (170g)
1⅓ cup ap flour (170g)
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
2 bars chopped bittersweet baking chocolate (226g)
1 cup dried coconut chips
flaky salt (optional)

Instructions

In a bowl, combine melted butter, boths sugars, vanilla, and miso. Beat till fully combined.
Add egg yolks one at a time, beat well after each addition until smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift the flours, baking soda, and baking powder together.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in batches, folding rather than stirring.
With some streaks of flour still visible, fold in the chopped chocolate and coconut until just combined. Throw the whole bowl in the fridge to chill for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 325° f
Using an Ice cream scoop, scoop out about 24 cookies. Chill while the oven finishes preheating.
About 4-6 per baking sheet (they are large and will spread out). Bake for 14-16 min till the edges are slightly golden.
Let them cool completely on a wirerack before diving in. Sooner if you prefer them doughy!

Keyword chocolate chip cookies, coconut, miso, rye flour

Jumbo Orange Coconut Sourdough Cinnamon Buns

January 26, 2021 by Reggie Leave a Comment

These Orange Coconut Sourdough Cinnamon Buns are everything that is perfect in the world* – they are pillowy, indulgent, and filled with coconut almond cream. What else could anyone want in a sourdough sweet roll??

*Siri play the song Lovely Day by Bill Withers

Sourdough sweet dough – the magic of the soft tender orange coconut sourdough cinnamon bun is all on the brioche dough. These sourdough sweet rolls require an extra bit of effort but it’s also versatile. You can adjust the baking schedule to make in a single day or spread out over three days. When it’s time to chill the dough, you can choose your preference to chill for two hours or the maximum of 48 hours.

The almond coconut cream – aka my twist on frangipane, is just the right level of delicate sweetness. It’s a tad crunchy, and thick and when baked, just downright sublime. This filling is also very forgivable. If you find that you’re short on ingredients, you’ll see that this almond coconut cream is easily adjustable to your taste. So, if you want to replicate more of a classic sourdough cinnamon bun, then add more cinnamon to the cream.

Just So You Know

Heavy cream vs Cream cheese – the battle of the glazes. I’ve tested various iterations of glazes for my overnight cinnamon rolls and I just have to say that these two couldn’t battle the other out. They’re both heavenly in their own right. Only one suggestion: Add additional coconut milk to your preference of glaze. Some like it heavy and others like it light!

The perfect sourdough cinnamon bun – there is only one secret. Proofing time! If your dough is not properly risen, you will notice and it will ruin the tender soft sourdough sweet rolls you dreamed about. I know, dramatic. But the trick is easy. I like to place my shaped sourdough sweet rolls in the oven with the light turned on (door slightly cracked if you live in a warm climate). And when the timer is up, I give the dough a poke. If the dimple formed by my poke is popping out, then the dough needs additional time -if you see the dimple stay, then your dough is properly proofed!

Are you a fan of coconut orange? Check out this other recipe on the same wavelength: Mini Coconut Mango Bundt Cake

Jumbo Orange Coconut Sourdough Cinnamon Buns

These Orange Coconut Sourdough Cinnamon Buns are everything that is perfect with the world - they are pillowy, they are indulgent and they are filled with coconut almond cream. That is all, the decion now is yours ~

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 7

Cook Time 30

overnight rest (optional) 8

Total Time 7 30

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 cinnamon buns

Ingredients

Dough

4 cups ap flour or bread flour (477g)
1/2 cup coconut milk (133g)
13 tbsp unsalted butter , cut in ¼" pieces (191g)
4 large eggs
4 tbsp granulated sugar (48g)
2 tsp kosher salt (11g)
1 cup ripe sourdough starter (200g)
2 tsp orange zest (5g)

Coconut Almond Cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g)
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup almond flour ( or ground dry almonds) (48g)
8 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
1/2 cup coconut flour (or ground dry coconut flakes) (56g)
2 tbsp ground cinnamon (16g)
1/2 tsp almond extract (optional)

Glaze With Cream Cheese

8 tbsp unsalted butter softened (113g)
1 cup powdered sugar (125g)
5 tbs cream cheese (70g)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp coconut milk (plus more to taste, see notes)
1 tsp orange zest (plus more to taste)

Glaze With Heavy Cream

1 cup powdered sugar (125g)
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
2½ tbsp coconut milk (plus more to taste, see notes)
1 tsp orange zest (plus more to taste)

Instructions

The Evening Before

Either in a bowl or in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add the eggs, coconut milk, sugar, orange zest and sourdough starter. Stir until well incorporated.
Add the flour and salt and mix until incorporated. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.
Mix/knead for about 5-6 minutes until the dough starts to come together and all clumps have disappeared. If the dough just doesn’t want to come together and it’s overly wet, add a little flour, a tablespoon at a time until it comes together.
Add the butter one piece at a time, mixing/kneading after each addition until the previous is absorbed. Continue until all the butter is added and the dough is shiny and smooth, this could take around 8-10 minutes.
Transfer the mixed dough to a clean bowl and cover well. Let ferment for 2 hours in a warm area.
After the two hours, place the dough in the fridge for a minumum of 2 hours or overnight * see my notes.

The Big Day

First, make the coconut almond cream. In a bowl, add all ingredients and beat on medium and then high speed until fluffy and thoroughly combined, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
Next, take out your dough from the fridge, lightly flour your work surface and the dough, and roll out to an 11×21″ rectangle with a long side closest to your body. Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Starting from the long side, roll the edge into a tight roll to get the pretty spriral and then roll up away from you into a tight log. Cover well with wax paper and chill in the fridge for 10-15 min until firm. This will make slicing cleaner without squishing.
Using a knife with serrated teeth, cut the log into pieces every 2”. Transfer the cut pieces to a baking pan with even space around each one.
Cover the pan and proof somewhere warm, around 2-3 hours. The dough will relax and puff up during this time. They're ready to bake when you give the dough a poke and the dimple doesnt puff back out—if not, give the dough additional time to proof * see notes.
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Slide the buns into the oven once preheated and bake for 20-30 minutes.

Glaze With Heavy Cream

Add sugar to bowl and whisk in heavy cream and vanilla until mixture resembles a thick batter. Next, add coconut milk one tablespoon at a time, stirring until smooth – about 3-5 full minutes. The mixture may look lumpy at first but just continue to stir and it will come together. Spread over the buns once cooled.

Glaze With Heavy Cream

Combine cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until smooth, add vanilla and salt and whisk again. Then, add powdered sugar until fully blended. 1 tablespoon at a time, add coconut milk until the mixture reaches a pourable, but still thick, consistency. Spread over the buns while they are still warm -not hot.

Notes

These sourdough cinnamon buns are best the day they're made, but can be reheated the next day. My favorite thing to do is to wrap leftover buns with wax paper and store them in the freezer. Once reheated in the microwave - they are just as gooey and perfect as the day you baked them!

Keyword almond cream, cinnamon buns, citrus, coconut, orange ginger marmalade, Sourdough, starter

Mango Coconut Cake Bundtlette & Boozy Coconut Glaze

January 19, 2021 by Reggie Leave a Comment

One of the best ways to eat a mango, is over the sink with the juices dripping down one hand. Second best is in a beautiful mango cake bundtlette with boozy coconut glaze. These are beautiful for brunch or a great snack throughout the day – I mean they are baby bundt cakes! Also if you are still stuck on how how cute the word “bundtlette” is, check out it’s riveting history.

Just So You Know

Boozy Coconut Glaze

I admit adding rum to the glaze is an occasion ~ if you’re not feeling a boozy rum cake then substitute the two tablespoons of dark rum for coconut water. You will still have super delicious mango coconut cakes.

Serve and Store

Mango coconut cake bundtlettes are moist and rich and it stays like that for up to two days. You can either store it covered in a fridge or on a kitchen counter at room temperature. But this cake really does keep well, a tad stickier if stored in a sealed container for up to 1 week.

The Secret To The Bundtlette

Baby Bundt Cakes

No, worries If you accidentally fell into this bundtlette recipe. This mango coconut cake can easily be adapted for a 10-cup bundt pan! In a regular bundt pan, bake for 45-50 minutes or until a wooden pick that is inserted in the center comes out clean.

Frozen Mango Vs Fresh Mango

Don’t flip if you can’t find fresh mangos – or if like me, you wake up to see that your family ate them all. These mango coconut bundt cakes are still amazing with frozen chunks! If the mango looks too yellow, you can add them to a pan and reduce over medium heat to coerce more flavor.

Mango coconut cake bundtlette with boozy coconut glaze

One of the best ways to eat a mango, is over the sink with the juices dripping down your hands. Second best, is in a beautiful mango coconut cake bundtlette with boozy coconut glaze. These are beautiful for brunch or a great snack throughout the day -I mean, they are baby bundt cakes!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 1

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 baby bundt cakes

Ingredients

mango coconut cake batter

9 tbsp unsalted butter, softened (127g)
2¼ cups ap flour (281g)
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 cup granulated sugar (225g)
3 large eggs seperated into yolks & egg whites
¾ cup full fat coconut milk (147ml)
1 large ripe mango -1 inch chunks *see notes

boozy coconut glaze

1¾ cups full fat coconut milk (414ml)
¾ cup powdered sugar (94g)
2-3 tbsp dark rum *see notes

Instructions

Mango Coconut cake

Preheat your oven to 350° f, butter your bundtlette pan or your 10-cup regular bundt pan.
Sift flour, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl, set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter until glossy and smooth. Add vanilla, salt and sugar and continue beating until fluffy -about 5 minutes if you are using an electric mixer.
In the same bowl with the butter: add egg yolks one at a time, mixing thoroughly after every addition. Scrape the sides and the bottom of the bowl as you continue.
Now we incorporate the flour mixture and the coconut milk in three turns, alternating between the two until no dry bits remain. Set bowl aside.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form - about three minutes. Add the egg whites to the batter in three turns, gently folding after each addition until there are no streaks of egg whites. Add the chunks of mango -withhold the juices as much as you can.
Transfer batter to the bundtlette pan, fill each mini bundt pan about 2/3 of the way full. You may need to bake in two batches depending on your pan.
Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. If you’re using a regular bundt pan, bake for 45-50 minutes. Let cakes cool for 20 minutes in the pan and then flip onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Boozy coconut glaze

Open the can of coconut milk and scoop out the cream of coconut with powdered sugar in a small bowl, and combine. You should have a thick but smooth consistency. The rum will lighten the glaze to a pourable consistency. If you like a stronger rum taste then you may need to add more powdered sugar to get a consistency like runny honey. Stir the coconut glaze well, and drizzle over the cakes. Add your toasted coconut flakes and allow the the glaze to settle for at least 20 minutes before diving in!

Keyword bundt, coconut, mango, rum

What Is Recipe Testing Anyway??

How To Make The Perfect Chewy Cookie

Brown Sugar

Yolks vs. Egg Whites

Baking Soda & Baking Powder

Melted Butter or Softened Butter

Proper Measurement

Resting the Dough

Pop Quiz

Making a Cookie Recipe Your Own

Your Recipe, Your Perspective

Miso Rye Chocolate Chip Cookies with Coconut

Ingredients

Instructions

Want a different cookie recipe?

Just So You Know

Jumbo Orange Coconut Sourdough Cinnamon Buns

Ingredients

Dough

Coconut Almond Cream

Glaze With Cream Cheese

Glaze With Heavy Cream

Instructions

The Evening Before

The Big Day

Glaze With Heavy Cream

Glaze With Heavy Cream

Notes

SOURDOUGH STARTER STRAWBERRY FILLED DOUGHNUT

Just So You Know

The Secret To The Bundtlette

Mango coconut cake bundtlette with boozy coconut glaze

Ingredients

mango coconut cake batter

boozy coconut glaze

Instructions

Mango Coconut cake

Boozy coconut glaze

Brown Sugar Blueberry Cake

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