Peanut Butter-Miso Cookies

1¾ cups (225 grams) all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup white miso paste
⅓ cup chunky peanut butter
1 large egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup Demerara* sugar

Step 1
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and baking powder, and whisk until incorporated. Set aside.

Step 2
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter, light brown sugar and granulated sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

Step 3
Add miso and peanut butter to the mixing bowl, and continue to mix at medium speed, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly incorporated, and mix a bit more. Add egg and vanilla extract, and mix until just combined.

Step 4
Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the mixing bowl, and mix on low speed until flour mixture is incorporated. Repeat with remaining flour mixture in two batches until all of it is incorporated.

Step 5
Refrigerate for 2 hours and up to overnight. (The longer the dough is refrigerated, the more mellow the flavors will be.)

Step 6
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Place ½ cup Demerara sugar into a small bowl. Working with one piece at a time, scoop out about 2 heaping tablespoons of dough, and roll each portion between your hands until it is nice and round. Drop the piece of dough into the bowl of Demerara sugar and turn to coat. Transfer each ball to a parchment-lined baking sheet, arranging them about 3 inches apart. Repeat with all of the dough.

Step 7
When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake cookies for about 15 minutes, until crisp at the edges and slightly puffed in the middle. They should still be a bit underdone in the center. Pull out the baking sheet and flatten** each cookie with small spatula. Place back into the oven to finish for about 3 to 4 minutes. When cookies are firm at the edges and slightly puffed in the center, pull them out and again flatten each cookie with small spatula. The cookies should appear flat and crinkly at the center.

Step 8
Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container; they should retain their chewy texture for a few days.

Notes:
*You can substitute Turbinado sugar or another coarsely granulated sugar.
**Flattening the cookies gives them their chewy texture.

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