triple-chocolate miso cookies

Miso balances the sweetness of the chocolate in these cookies, which have a moreish, chewy texture. You wouldn’t necessarily know they contain miso but it adds a subtle umami note.

40 MINUTES + CHILLING | MAKES 20 | EASY

unsalted butter 150g, softened

soft light brown sugar 200g

golden caster sugar 100g

egg 1 large

white miso paste 50g vanilla bean paste or extract plain flour 225g

cocoa power 25g

baking powder ½ tsp

sea salt flakes ½ tsp, plus a pinch

dark chocolate chips 100g

white chocolate chips 100g

white sesame seeds a pinch (optional) 1 tsp

Beat together the butter and sugars in a bowl until well combined. Whisk in the egg, followed by the miso and vanilla. Fold in the flour, cocoa and salt until the mixture is uniform in colour, then fold in the chocolate chips. The dough will be fairly stiff, so you may need an electric whisk to help mix in all the flour.

Tip the dough out onto the middle of a large sheet of baking paper, and roll into a rough log shape. Roll up in the paper, moulding the dough into a 7cm-thick sausage as you go. Twist both ends and chill for

2 hours until firm, or for up to a week. The dough can also be frozen at this stage for up to a month.

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5 and line two baking sheets with baking paper. Cut the dough log into 1cm-thick cookies and arrange them on the prepared baking sheets, well spaced apart to leave room for spreading. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of sea salt flakes or sesame seeds over the cookies, or leave them plain if you prefer.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are crisp and the middles are still slightly soft. Leave to cool for 5-10 minutes on the sheets or until firm enough to pick up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container for up to a week.

PER COOKIE 226 kcals | fat 10.7G saturates 6.3G | carbs 28.6G | sugars 18.8G fibre 1.2G | protein 3G | salt 0.4G

1 HOUR 20 MINUTES + CHILLING + COOLING SERVES 10 | A LITTLE EFFORT

eggs 6 large, separated

cocoa powder 4 tbsp, plus extra for dusting

cornflour 4 tbsp

chocolate hazelnut spread 100g

soft light brown sugar 200g

double cream 250ml

dark chocolate (70%) 100g, finely chopped

caster sugar 175g

blanched hazelnuts 2 tbsp, toasted and chopped

PASTRY

blanched hazelnuts 50g

plain flour 150g

cocoa powder 3 tbsp

soft light brown sugar 2 tbsp

butter 150g, cold, cubed

To make the pastry, whizz the hazelnuts in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the flour, cocoa, sugar and a pinch of salt, then blitz again until well combined. Add the butter and pulse until the dough resembles rubble. Add 1-2 tbsp of ice-cold water and pulse again until it comes together into a ball. Cover and chill for 20 minutes.

Beat together the egg yolks, cocoa, cornflour and chocolate hazelnut spread in a medium bowl until smooth and thick. Heat the brown sugar and cream in a medium pan with a pinch of salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Once steaming (but not boiling), pour over the egg yolk mixture in a steady stream, whisking constantly, until smooth. Return the custard to the pan. Whisk continually over a low heat for 5-8 minutes or until thickened – it should thickly coat the back of a spoon. Don’t be tempted to turn up the heat, as this can cause the custard to split. Keep whisking to a condensed milk consistency.

Transfer the warm chocolate custard to a clean bowl and stir in the chopped dark chocolate until melted and smooth. Leave to cool at room temperature, covering the surface with baking paper to prevent a skin forming.

Roll out the chilled pastry in between two sheets of baking paper to the thickness of a £1 coin, then use it to line a 23cm-wide fluted tart tin, leaving a little overhanging the edge. Press it well into the base, then prick with a fork and chill for 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and line the pastry case with a scrunched-up piece of baking paper. Fill with baking beans and bake for 15 minutes, then remove the beans and paper, and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the pastry looks dry and is cooked through. Leave to cool, then trim the edges with a serrated knife. The pastry will be fairly delicate but will firm up slightly when chilled.

Beat the cooled chocolate custard with a whisk to loosen a little – it will have thickened more during cooling. Pour the custard into the cooled pastry case, leaving a small gap at the top for the meringue (you may have 2-3 tbsp of filling left over depending on how tall the tin is). Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Chill for 4 hours until set, or overnight – when pressed lightly, your finger will leave a clear indent.

When the filling is set, make the meringue. Put

3 of the egg whites and the caster sugar in a clean heatproof bowl set over a small pan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the base of the bowl (you can keep the remaining egg whites for another recipe). Whisk for 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened and tripled in size – when you rub a little between two fingers, you shouldn’t feel any grains of sugar. Remove from the heat and beat with an electric whisk for 6-7 minutes more to stiff peaks. Remove the tart from the tin, spoon over the meringue and create peaks and swirls with the back of a spoon. Use a kitchen blowtorch to caramelise some of the meringue, or put under a hot grill for a few seconds. Dust some more cocoa over the top and scatter with the toasted hazelnuts to serve.

PER SERVING 731 kcals | fat 44.3G saturates 22.2G | carbs 68.8G | sugars 49.7G fibre 4.3G | protein 12.1G | salt 0.5G