Banana Miso Pistachio Cookies

These banana miso pistachio cookies are the surprisingly addicting results of my London trip! They’re so good and easy to make, coming together in just over 40 minutes. In this blog post, learn about these unique cookies including the surprising role banana plays in creating the texture and how to fix lopsided cookies, so they look like they came out of a bakery every time.

When I went to London in December, I was instantly inspired by the plethora of food there. I love that the melting pot of cultures lends itself to so much diverse food! One thing that I wish I could have again is this banana miso ice cream with a coriander pistachio topping. I had never had anything that unique before, and I loved how the banana flavor worked so well with miso. When I came back, I knew I had to create a cookie inspired by that ice cream and maybe even attempt recreating that banana miso ice cream itself? 🙂 So here it is! My banana miso pistachio cookies. They’re so much more addicting than I thought they would be.

How I developed this banana miso pistachio cookie recipe

I initially thought this would be one of the easiest cookie recipes to develop. Replace some ingredients from my trusty miso chocolate chip cookie recipe, and I’d be good! Boy was I wrong. In my first test, the cookies came out wayyy too cakey. It tasted like banana bread in cookie form, which is fine, but I was really aiming for something with a cookie texture. I thought it might be the wet to dry ingredient balance, so in my next test, I reduce the flour to see if it would give it more of a cookie texture. My second test was also a fail because the texture was pretty much the same.

I then did a little research online and discovered that banana can sometimes be used as a substitute for eggs. This is actually a common substitute that vegans use. So in my next test, I increased the brown sugar and flour to increase the “cookie” ingredients which in turn reduced the percentage of the dough composed of banana. I also used an egg yolk instead of a whole egg to further reduce the cakey texture. The end result was absolute perfection. I now can’t stop eating these cookies.

Key Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Banana – This is THE key ingredient for this recipe. As mentioned above, it not only adds banana flavor, it also works just like an egg does for this recipe. It binds the ingredients together. In the images below, you can see how it makes the dough light and fluffy when mixed in with the butter, sugar, and egg yolk. It’s really cool! Make sure to only use 1/4 cup of smashed banana. Yes measure it out and use the rest for other purposes. In testing, I found that including any more banana would make the cookie cakey.
• White miso – This is a subtle but important ingredient for these cookies. Because this cookie requires more sugar than a regular cookie, the saltiness from the white miso helps balance it out. I would highly recommend only using white miso for this recipe. Other types of miso would have too strong a flavor and would overpower the other flavors in the cookie.
• Light brown sugar – In testing, I found that increasing the amount of sugar was key to getting that cookie texture I wanted. I always get asked if reducing the sugar is possible, and for this recipe, I would not recommend it because it would make the cookie cakey. However, if you don’t mind a banana bread texture, feel free to reduce the sugar.
• Ground cinnamon – I used Vietnamese cinnamon for this recipe because its my favorite, but you can use any kind of ground cinnamon. If you don’t like ground cinnamon, feel free to leave it out.
• Pistachio kernels – I wanted to note that for this recipe, I gave the measurements of the pistachio kernels I used – the green seed that comes out of the shell.

How to make banana miso pistachio cookies

If you want a simplified version of this recipe, skip to the recipe card. This section is filled with tips, tricks, and what to look for to make the best cookies.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
2. First, brown 1/2 cup of unsalted butter. Melt the butter over medium heat until fully melted. Lower to medium low and cook until brown bits start to appear. Remove from the heat and set aside.
   • Tip: Remove the butter from the heat as soon as you start to see brown bits. The butter will continue to brown as it sits. You risk burning it if you leave it on the heat too long.
3. Mix together 1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp of baking soda, 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp of salt. Set aside.
   • Tip: Make sure to scoop flour into the measuring cup and level off for the best results. Scooping flour causes the flour to be compacted into the measuring cup, resulting in more flour being used.
4. Combine browned butter and 1 cup of light brown sugar in a bowl. Whisk until combined.
5. Add the egg yolk and whisk until combined.
6. Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 small mashed banana, and 2 tbsp of white miso. Whisk until light and fluffy (see image for reference). Make sure to use only 1/4 cup of mashed banana. Otherwise, the cookie will become cakey.
   • Tip: Make sure to mix the wet ingredients at this step very well. After the dry ingredients are added, you should mix your ingredients as little as possible.
7. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients from step 3. Mix until just combined. Finally, add 1/4 cup of roughly chopped pistachios and 2 oz of dark chocolate. Mix until just combined.
   • Tip: At this point, mix the dough as little as possible. Every time you mix the dough, it will cause more gluten to form, making the cookie tougher.
8. Prep 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper. Using a medium cookie scoop (#16 cookie scoop), scoop the dough onto the prepped baking sheets.
   • Tip: Make sure to level off the cookie scoop before dropping the dough onto the baking sheet. This helps produce even, round cookies.
9. Bake for 12-14 minutes until the edges are slightly brown.
   • Tip: If your cookies look lopsided (not round) as they come out of the oven, you can use a large cookie cutter to shape them into a round shape. Simply take the cookie cutter and place it around the cookie. Move in a circular motion until it is the desired round shape. Note you can only do this right after it comes out of the oven since the cookie will harden as it cools.
10. Cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

How do you store these banana miso pistachio cookies?

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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