Everyone has different ideas on what makes the perfect chocolate chip cookie, with everything from thickness and chewiness to the amount of chocolate up for debate. In my opinion, no cookie is worth eating if it’s not well salted; without it, everything feels a little off balance and flat. My not-so-secret way of salting cookies is to use a bit of miso. Not so much that it becomes a miso cookie, but just enough to bring a slightly savoury, umami vibe that makes the cookies a bit more complex-tasting and not sickly sweet.

Sweet and salty chocolate chip cookies

Prep 5 min
Cook 30 min
Chill 3 hr+
Makes 12

100g unsalted butter, softened
110g dark brown sugar
110g caster sugar
35g white miso paste
1 large egg
220g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Put the butter and both sugars in a large bowl and beat for two to three minutes until creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often. Add the miso, beat briefly to combine, then mix in the egg.

Tip in the flour, baking powder and bicarb, and mix until just combined. Add the chopped chocolate and mix briefly.

Line a large baking tray and use an ice-cream scoop to portion the dough into 12 balls. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least three hours and ideally overnight to guarantee the best flavour.

Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Bake the cookies in batches for 13-14 minutes, until the edges are set but the middles are still a little soft. If you want them to be perfectly round, use a large cookie cutter to shimmy around them while they’re still warm. Let the cookies cool completely before serving.