A little while ago, I went to lunch at one of my favorite cafés (which, disclaimer, is also owned by my dear friend) with Jonah and another friend who was in town. After we finished eating, we were waxing poetic about their brown butter miso cookies. These cookies are quite possibly my favorite cookie of all time, and I do not say that lightly. They are certainly in the top three cookies I’ve ever had in my life. Why? First, when the miso mixes with the brown butter and sugar, it creates this amazingly complex butterscotch flavor. Second, I love anything with miso. You know that, I know that, why even pretend like it’s not true? As we were sitting there, talking about The Cookies, we decided to play a game called “will it miso?” We decided that pretty much all produce will miso (though I’m sure there are exceptions). Will cheese miso? I’m not so sure.
This got me thinking about the bag of rhubarb I had at home in my fridge. I hadn’t decided what to do with it yet – there was talk of ice cream, as well as the previously posted gluten-free rhubarb poppy seed bread – but all this talk of miso in baked goods got me thinking. We got home, I did a little research, and I got cooking.
Don’t be scared by the (optional) miso in this recipe. As I mentioned above, it mostly provides an extra butterscotch flavor, making it a little richer and complex. If you don’t have any miso, head to the store and pick up a small tub. You can use it every which way, and once you learn its magical power of making everything delicious, you won’t be able to stop using it. If you get stuck there are plenty recipes on this very blog that feature it, like this caramel apple cake, this sticky toffee pudding, these roasted vegetables, this roasted squash and tofu, and these vegetable quinoa bowls.
1/2 lb rhubarb, or two medium stalks, cut in 1/2 inch dice Preheat your oven to 350°F and line an 8 inch by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper. In a sauté pan over medium-low heat, mix the rhubarb and granulated sugar, stirring, and cook until the rhubarb is softened slightly and the juices have thickened a touch. Careful as you don’t want the rhubarb to start falling apart! In a small saucepan over medium heat or in a bowl in the microwave, melt the butter and whisk in the miso while the butter is still warm. Set it aside to cool to room temperature. In a small mixing bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Pour the melted butter and miso into a medium mixing bowl. Whisk in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Once this mixture is thoroughly combined and smooth, add the flour mixture and whisk until there are no flour streaks or clumps left. Gently fold in the rhubarb before pouring the batter into your lined pan. Bake the blondies for 25-35 minutes, until they’re dark golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let them cool to just warm before removing the blondies from the pan. Allow them to cool completely before cutting into 12-16 pieces.Rhubarb Miso Blondies
Ingredients
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp white miso (optional)
1 1/4 cup AP flour
1/4 tsp salt (increase to 1/2 tsp if not using miso)
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extractInstructions