Sometimes a cookie deserves more than just chocolate chips, and that’s what this recipe is for. These Pumpkin Miso Caramel Cookies combine some of the best flavors in the world all into one cookie – rich and spicy pumpkin, sweet caramel with slightly salty miso and brown butter. What more could you want in a fall baking recipe?
These cookies are the ideal fall dessert and fulfill that pumpkin craving that we all seem to have at this time of year. There’s something so satisfying about the miso caramel swirl, too. It’s chewy and sweet and makes for the perfect bite every time. This recipe is similar to my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies but kicked up a notch. It’s like the grown-up, more mature cookie recipe. She has depth. She’s an old soul.
Keep reading to learn how to make these stunning pumpkin cookies, and why miso is in the equation!
Table of contents
The ingredients you’ll need for these pumpkin cookies
This recipe sounds hard, but I promise that the ingredients speak for themselves! If you follow my instructions below, you’ll realize that making a complex cookie actually doesn’t take as much effort as you realize. It’s really all about the measurements, which is why I give you the ingredient list in grams. Then from there, it’s all just mixing. Here’s what you’ll need for these pumpkin cookies:
For the batter
- 113 grams salted butter (1/2 cup)
- 70 grams dark brown sugar (1/3 cup, packed)
- 110 grams granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cloves, allspice and cinnamon)
- 150 grams all-purpose flour (1 cup and 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
FOR THE PUMPKIN MISO CARAMEL
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
- 2 teaspoons red miso
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin purée
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar lightly packed
Why do these cookies use miso?
Good question! You might see miso popping up in desserts everywhere and wonder why, but there’s a good reason for it.
Miso is a Japanese ingredient made from fermented soybeans and is a fundamental ingredient in Japanese cooking. It’s salty, savory and carries lots of umami flavor that pulls together even the most simple dishes.
When used in baking, miso paste cuts sweetness and adds a unique richness that takes desserts to the next level. Think of miso as a replacement for a pinch of salt in dough or flaky salt on top of a cookie – it adds that extra oomph that’s so addicting, but brings a deeper flavor than salt.
In this recipe, the miso is mixed into the pumpkin and brown sugar, then swirled on top of the cookies, making sure that in every bite there’s a hint of miso. Once you try it, you’ll be changed for the better!
How to make the cookie dough
This dough is straightforward, but the perfect foundation for the pumpkin miso caramel that’s added on top. This cookie has a lot of flavors going on, so the dough allows the topping to truly shine. And it all starts with brown butter (my favorite)!
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and let it melt. Let it begin to fizz and foam, and stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes, until the milk solids from the butter separate and begin to brown. When this reaches a deep brown color, remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a small bowl.
- Fill a large bowl with ice water, place the small bowl with the brown butter within the ice water bowl and whisk for 3-5 minutes or until the brown butter has cooled into a paste of sorts.
- Either using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the brown butter with the sugars for 1-2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice and beat until the batter lightens by one shade and is very fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix on the lowest setting until a dough forms. This should take less than 30 seconds.
- Move the dough to the fridge to chill while you preheat the oven to 375°F.
How to make the pumpkin miso caramel
This is the main event of these cookies, so don’t skip any of these ingredients or steps! It sounds complicated to make, but all it takes is mixing. No need to make liquid caramel in a saucepan for this recipe, the oven will do the work for you. It really is the simplest way to get complex pumpkin flavor. Here’s how to make it:
- In a small bowl, mash together the softened butter, miso, pumpkin and brown sugar into a smooth paste. Set this in the fridge alongside the dough.
- When the oven has preheated, portion the cookie dough into 7 equal-sized balls, around 80 grams each.
- Place these balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and press them down into bigger circles, around 1 inch tall.
- Dollop 3-4 dots of caramel on top of every cookie. Use a toothpick to swirl the caramel all over. The cookies will spread significantly, so feel free to really get the caramel everywhere.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the cookies are golden around the edges. Let cool and enjoy!
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And that’s everything for these Pumpkin Miso Caramel Cookies!
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And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Pumpkin Miso Caramel Cookies
Equipment
- 1 small saucepan
- 1 Stand mixer
Ingredients
- 113 grams salted butter 1/2 cup
- 70 grams dark brown sugar 1/3 cup, packed
- 110 grams granulated sugar 1/2 cup
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/4 teaspoon each of nutmeg, cloves, all spice and cinnamon)
- 150 grams all-purpose flour 1 cup and 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
For the pumpkin miso caramel
- 1 tablespoon softened butter
- 2 teaspoons red miso
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin purée
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar lightly packed
Instructions
- Begin with the cookie dough. In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and let it melt. Let it begin to fizz and foam, and stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes, until the milk solids from the butter separate and begin to brown. When this reaches a deep brown color, remove the butter from the heat and transfer to a small bowl.
- Fill a large bowl with ice water, place the small bowl with the brown butter within the ice water bowl and whisk for 3-5 minutes or until the brown butter has cooled into a paste of sorts.
- Either using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the brown butter with the white and brown sugar for 1-2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice and beat until the batter lightens by one shade and is very fluffy, 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix on the lowest setting until a dough forms. This should take less than 30 seconds.
- Move the dough to the fridge to chill while you preheat the oven to 375°F.
- For the pumpkin miso caramel, in a small bowl, mash together the softened butter, miso, pumpkin and brown sugar into a smooth paste. Set this in the fridge alongside the dough.
- When the oven has preheated, portion the cookie dough into 7 equal-sized balls, around 80 grams each.
- Place these balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet and press them down into bigger circles, around 1 inch tall.
- Dollop 3-4 dots of caramel on top of every cookie. Use a toothpick to swirl the caramel all over. The cookies will spread significantly, so feel free to really get the caramel everywhere.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the cookies are golden around the edges. Let cool and enjoy!
Hi Justine! Do you think I could use white miso instead of red? Would it change the flavor or texture by a lot?
That’s a completely fine sub, godspeed and happy baking!
These are excellent!! I love the Gochujang version too but these are such a fun, fall riff. Highly recommend!!
Ahhhh so thrilled you like them!!
Saw this online this morning and made it right away! The caramel on top really helps bring out that fall feeling in a cookie even though it’s been 90 degrees out here. Recently discovered your site and have really enjoyed making many of your cookies.
Aw this comment means so much! I’m so thrilled you found my site and have been enjoying the recipes!
Hi Justine, I can’t wait to give these a try! Should I reduce the salt amount if I only have Morton’s? What if I want to make smaller cookies? Should I reduce baking time? Thanks so much!
I’m so excited to try these! I knew I got extra pumpkin at the store for a reason, haha. From what I know red miso tends to be a stronger flavor profile, but do you think these could still work with white miso? Either way, will definitely be adding these to my to-make list ASAP!
White miso will absolutely work! The color may be a bit different from the photo, but still delicious 🙂
What kind of butter do you use for baking? Love your recipes!
I like Kerrygold salted butter, but really any salted butter will do!
Oh man. I just recently stumbled on your existence and I am in love. Thank you for all you do and your hard work. I love watching your videos, they are so relaxing. Ive only made a handful of your recipes so far, but they are all amazing. And these cookies are unbelievable. I subbed my moms signature GF flour mix and they turned out PERFECT. It is hard to get chewy texture with GF baking, but this is one of the chewiest most delicious cookies Ive ever had. The miso made me worried, but I will no longer question any of your ways. THANK YOU!!!
This comment made my DAY! It’s so nice and it makes me so happy. Also good to know re: a gluten free version!
I added roasted pumpkin seeds to the dough and used white miso instead. They came out fantastic. The color was a lovely orange, perfect for fall. Thanks for another great recipe, Justine!!
Ahhh so thrilled you liked it!!
These are really good! For me, I would use a little less of the miso topping to suit my tastes. These may have spread out too much, (everything came together as described, so I’m guessing it’s the inferior quality better I used with a higher water content ) but I found the amount of miso a little much. However, I have now discovered an awesome way to add more in-depth salt flavor to my baked goods. Love your content Justine!
These were perfect for using up the last bit of pumpkin I had! What is the best way to store them? I am going to make these for my Halloween party! How far in advance could I make these?
Hi! I am so so sorry for the delay here! The best way to store these is in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. They should be delicious for up to 5 days, and if you want to store the uncooked dough, that will keep in the fridge for 5-7 days 🙂
Super tasty, what a fantastic idea for the miso topping!
Can we use the brown butter base for other cookies?
The cookies spread a lot so I made half size cookies of 40g each – they were perfect!
So glad you liked it! And yes, this is my favorite brown butter base, so it’s good to use as a cookie in and of itself, too!
Hi Justine!
For the miso swirl, did you use unsalted or salted butter? I was thinking unsalted just because the miso already adds some saltiness but just wanted to confirm with the expert. Thanks 🙂
It can be either! I use salted because that’s all I buy, but you can use unsalted as well!
First of all, I love your work, thank you! Then on to my question: I would like to make a vegan version of these. Do you think I can just sub the egg for a flax egg and just use vegan butter?
Both *should* work, cookies tend to be very forgiving with vegan subs! However I’m not a vegan baking expert, so I haven’t personally tested it just yet. But if you try it please report back!
Made these and they’re delicious! only thing is, I think the dough needed chilled for much longer than I allowed (maybe 30+ mins) bc my cookies melted/flattened in the oven 🙁 Still absolutely yummy though! I will be making again and taking better precautions against spreading 🙂
My new favorite fall cookie! Salty, sweet and chewy — YUM.
Ahhhh I’M SO HAPPY YOU LIKED IT! And thank you for taking the time to leave a rating and review, it helps the blog more than you know!
I’ve made these twice. AMAZING and so much fun to see the delight on the faces of people I shared these with! Second time around, I used some freshly roasted kabocha squash ( I love the stuff, it’s in season and it is Japanese pumpkin after all, so, why not give the miso some cultural companionship?) So delicious!
Based on a previous comment, I will definitely try a GF version next!