Some flavors sound like they belong in dessert. Umeboshi is not one of them. Every time I think of umeboshi, I think of my host mother from Japan. Whenever she saw them, she’d always remind me how healthy they were. Technically, what she said was 体にいい — “good for the body.” But it wasn’t just her. Family friends said it too. In Japan, umeboshi carry almost the same cultural weight as the phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Except there, it’s not the apple people think of. It’s the umeboshi.
And now, every time I see one — in onigiri, in a sauce, or anywhere else — I still hear that phrase in my head.
So when I decided to turn umeboshi into a cookie, I ended up doing quite a bit of research. Umeboshi have a surprisingly long history in Japan, appearing in both the Ishinpō — Japan’s oldest surviving medical text — and the Yamato Honzō, an Edo-period encyclopedia of medicinal plants.
And honestly, that balance of salty, sour, nostalgic, and unexpected made umeboshi feel like the perfect final stop in this savory-sweet cookie series.
This savory-sweet cookie series started with one question:
How far can a cookie stretch before it stops feeling like a cookie?
BBQ. Khmeli suneli. Umeboshi.
Unexpected flavors that somehow still worked.
And while there are plenty more flavors waiting out there, it’s time for a shift.
Before I officially move into the next series (yes… coffee is coming ☕️), I thought it might be fun to pause for one special flavor request.
Stay tuned for a special flavor inspired by one of my favorite poets.
Umeboshi Cookies
Sweet, a little salty, and unexpectedly addictive, these umeboshi cookies balance fruity sweetness with the bright tang of Japanese pickled plum. The result is a bold, complex cookie that feels surprising at first bite—and impossible to stop eating.
4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalIngredients
- Umeboshi Cookie Dough
1 cup Butter
1 1/4 cup Sugar
4 ounces Goat cheese (approximately1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons Umeboshi paste
1 Egg
1 Egg yolk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
3 1/4 cups Flour
2 teaspoons Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
- Umeboshi Glaze
1 cup Powdered sugar
1 tablespoon Umeboshi paste
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
2-3 tablespoons Water
Directions
- Umeboshi Cookie Dough
- Cream the butter and goat cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until fully combined and smooth. Then add the sugar and and mix until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes. Add the umeboshi paste, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated and smooth. It will be slightly pinkish.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until the mixture is uniform and lightly aerated, with no visible clumps.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until a soft, cohesive dough forms with no dry spots. The dough should feel slightly tacky but hold together easily. If the dough is sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it is smooth, soft, and manageable. It should not stick to your fingers.
- Umeboshi Glaze
- Add the powdered sugar, umeboshi paste, water, and vanilla to a bowl and whisk to combine. Add additional powdered sugar or water to adjust the consistency to your preference. I usually like icing quite thick, but it doesn’t have to be.
- Assembly
- Optionally, chill the dough for 30 minutes. This will make the dough a little easier to work with, but it will result in less spread. If you like puffy cookies like I do, chilling this dough is for you. If you like cookies a little more spread out, don’t chill the dough.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Roll about one tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Allow to rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Whisk the glaze ingredients together. It’s meant to be a thick glaze, but if you prefer a thinner glaze, add a bit more water to make it thinner.
- Drizzle the cookies with glaze and allow several hours to dry.
