Tag: easy recipe
Anzac-ly The Delicious Biscuit (Cookie) I Was Looking For

Anzac-ly The Delicious Biscuit (Cookie) I Was Looking For

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Marching orders in hand, I gathered the ingredients to make Anzac Biscuits.   Think Oatmeal Cookie meets Oatcake or Granola Bar…you end up with a biscuit (cookie) that is buttery, sweet-salty, chewy-crispy (are these oxymorons?), and EXTREMELY delicious.

A Brief History On Anzac Biscuits

These tasty biscuits (cookies) can be traced back to World War One and the Australian-New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).  As the story goes, moms and wives sent these biscuits to their soldiers fighting, both as a morale booster and reprieve from the dreary military rations.  Made simply of flour, coconut, oatmeal, Golden Syrup, butter, they were easy to make and tasty.   The end product was a caramel-ly sturdy biscuit that traveled well and lasted a long time.  A welcomed treat from home.

Simplicity At Its Finest

Put this biscuit recipe in your incredibly easy with huge returns file.  Very easy and perfect for little hands helping in the kitchen.  Stir the dry ingredients together in a big bowl (kids love doing this), melt butter with the Golden Syrup on the stove (you do this), add the baking soda mixture to the butter (once again, your job) and add to dry ingredients (kids love to stir and make a mess).  Scoop, bake, and eat!  Easy-peasy.

Tweaks

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s (Goddess of Baking) book, Dorie’s Cookies.

I used a one-eighth cup to portion the dough (could not find my scoop of this size 🤔) which produced cookies a little over 2 inches in diameter.  Use either a #24 or #30 ice cream scoop for bigger biscuits, I would. They’re that good.

Press the dough into a puck-like disc on the baking sheet.  Gives the biscuits a running start to a nice even shape.

If I had baked these cookies for 17-18 minutes, as directed, I’d have lumps of coal for all those naughty kids at Christmas.  The first batch baked for 14 minutes at 325 degrees, which produced deep golden brown cookies with dark edges.  The second batch baked at 320 degrees for 13 minutes.  The biscuits were deep brown, carrot cake color without the dark edges.  If you like a chewier, lighter-colored cookie, reduce the baking time, personally not recommended.  If you make larger cookies, adjust baking times accordingly.

Subbing honey or corn syrup for Lyle’s Golden Syrup can be done in a pinch.  But if you can, please try to use Lyle’s Golden Syrup.  It is made from sugar cane and has a nuanced caramel flavor you won’t get with honey or corn syrup.  Lots of larger grocery stores carry Lyle’s or you can order it on Big Bad Amazon.  Don’t confuse their Dessert Syrup for the Original Cane Syrup, that’s like Log Cabin to real Maple Syrup.

These biscuits are incredibly tasty and easy to make, put them on your “biscuit” bucket list.

P.S.

Not all these biscuits came out perfectly round as pictured, lol.  As soon as they came out of the oven, I placed a glass over the not-so-round ones and swirled it in a circular motion thereby jostling the cookies into perfect rounds.  Tricks of the trade, babee.

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5 from 2 votes

ANZAC Biscuits

Iconic Austrailian-New Zealand Biscuit (cookie) created during WW1, recipe adapted from Dorie's Cookies
Course biscuits, cookies
Cuisine Australian
Keyword Anzac Biscuits, Anzacs, Dorie Greenspan, Lyle's Golden Syrup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 1 cup AP flour 136 grams
  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 80 grams
  • 3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut 90 grams
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 grams
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar or additional granulated sugar 50gms * Not in Dorie's recipe! Add if using unsweetened coconut, omit if you like,

Wet Ingredients

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt Use 1/4 teaspoon if using salted butter, Dorie's recipe uses sea salt, I thought it was a touch salty.
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 1 stick
  • 2 tablespoons Lyle's Golden Syrup

Leavening Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon boiling water
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, coconut, sugars, and salt and set aside.
  • In a small saucepan over low heat melt the butter with the Golden Syrup and remove from heat.
  • Combine the boiling water and baking soda in a small bowl to dissolve the baking soda.
  • Pour the water and baking soda into the butter mixture and stir to combine.
  • Pour the butter mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined.
  • Use a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop to mold each cookie by gently packing dough into ice cream scoop and then turning out onto cookie sheet or form 1 1/2-inch balls of the dough with spoons)
  • Place cookies 1-2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake for 17-18 minutes* or until deep golden brown (the color of carrot cake). Makes 16-18 cookies.
    *Read my post regarding baking times!

Notes

These cookies should be a nice rich deep brown.  Meant to be a little dense and crispy as they historically needed to travel well.  For a chewier cookie, a little less baking time will do the trick, if that is what you like.  It won't have as much of that nice caramel flavor you get from browning but still tasty!
Old School Almond Cookies

Old School Almond Cookies

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Growing up in Chinatown the standard plate of cookies found on our table was not Chocolate Chip Cookies, but Almond Cookies.  Found in every Chinese Bakery, these were my favorite cookie, well except for the almond in the center, which I ate around, kids, what do you do.

Phoenix Bakery

Last Roadtrip

One of my favorite Almond Cookies comes from Phoenix Bakery in Los Angeles Chinatown.  It’s been there a long time, three generations of the Chan family (hopefully there is a fourth generation) cranking out cookies and cakes.  Theirs is the quintessential Almond Cookie, crumbly not crisp, nutty, dense but not tough, and distinctly almond-flavored. Growing up, every family trip to Los Angeles included the prerequisite stop at Phoenix Bakery for those pink boxes filled with almond cookies and sweet, sticky butterfly cookies. Right before COVID hit, I drove down to LA for my favorite auntie’s birthday and of course, I stopped at Phoenix Bakery.

An Homage

Every Christmas my brother-in-law’s mother baked boxes and boxes (pink cake boxes of course) of cookies.  We were one of the lucky recipients.  My favorite, her almond cookie. With that first bite, I was transported back to the Chinatown of my childhood.

As a testament to how much I like Almond Cookies, I have multiple almond cookies on 3Jamigos.  The first time I wrote about Mrs. F’s Almond Cookies, I actually included the Almond Cookie recipe from B’s Patisserie in San Francisco.  It’s a luscious almond cookie, buttery, crispy, filled with almond flavor, delicious in its own right, but texturally different from the classic Chinatown Almond Cookie.

Finally, Mrs. F’s Almond Cookies

Why didn’t I make Mrs. F’s cookies from the get-go? Embarrassingly, I had misplaced her recipe.  After an all-out hunt, I finally found it (or did I ask my brother-in-law?).  Well, bottom line, I have it now my little duckies.

After the first batch, I tinkered with the recipe just a little.  The cookies texturally were spot on.   Here is the secret, the texture comes from using lard or shortening.  Yep, no butter in these bad boys.  Hmmm…butter-flavored shortening?  Why not.  This was my inaugural use of butter-flavored Crisco in place of regular shortening.  Judging by the response to these cookies, it worked!  If you have an aversion to butter-flavored shortening, use regular shortening.  If and when I try lard I will report back.  I have no problems using lard, it’s more of an access issue.  I prefer leaf lard which is less processed than the stuff in supermarkets.

Shortening is easy to work with and inherently a little softer than butter. I keep my shortening in the fridge. Beat the dough until light and fluffy 2-3 minutes before adding dry ingredients.

Let’s Go Nutty

The other tweak MORE almond flavor.  I upped the amount of almond extract cause in my book, you can never have too much almond flavor. JK, but I did think the cookies benefitted from a smidge more.

Year of the Tiger

Don’t think cookie season is over!  Chinese New Year is right around the corner and these would be purr-fect in an assortment of goodies to ring in the Year of the Tiger!

Part of the Holiday Cookie Parade
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Almond Cookies -like the ones in Chinatown!

This recipe was generously shared with me by my brother-in-law's family. Made with lard or shortening, these are the quintessential Chinese Almond Cookies found in Chinatown bakeries and restaurants. Crumbly, almond-forward, delicious
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine Asian
Keyword Chinatown Almond Cookies
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 5 cups sifted flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups Shortening, either reg or butter-flavored 40T (35 T will do)
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 large egg lightly beaten
  • 1.5 tsp almond extract Use up to 2 tsp
  • 1/4 tsp potassium carbonate liquid or 1/4 t baking soda

Finishing Touches

  • 1 egg beaten for egg wash
  • almond halves or sesame seeds garnish

Instructions

  • Combine flour, baking soda and salt, set aside.
  • Cream shortening and sugar till fluffy. Add egg and blend thoroughly. Add almond extract and k+Co3 and blend well.
  • Gradually add flour and stir until well combined. Form round balls (size of small walnut, I use a 1 tablespoon+ ice cream scoop to portion out the dough. At this point, if the dough seems a little soft, chill in fridge for 30-60 minutes.
  • Using a flat bottom glass, dip in a little bit of flour and press dough flat on a cookie sheet to about 1/2 inch thickness. Leave about 1.5 inches between cookies. Brush each cookie with egg wash. Place almond or sesame seeds centered on top.
  • Bake 350 degrees 15 minutes or until slightly golden in color.

Notes

The recipe is easily halved.  A large beaten egg is approximately 3.25 tablespoons, use half for the dough and half for the egg wash.  You have some play with the amount of egg in the dough. I have used a whole large egg in a half recipe and it turns out fine, the cookie is just a bit more fragile. I'd use a small egg in a half recipe.
I like the butter-flavored Crisco in the cookie. Gives a bit more flavor without sacrificing the texture of the cookie.
 
 
Chocolate Mochi Brownies (Rice, Rice, Brownie)

Chocolate Mochi Brownies (Rice, Rice, Brownie)

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Mochi Ado about Something.  I tried quite a few mochi recipes this year so it seems fitting that 2021 should end on a sweet rice note.  2021, the year of Mochi muffins, donuts, and now, brownies.  Mochi brownies are delicious!  I found quite a few recipes that were fairly similar and picked one from Kirbie’s Cravings as my starting point.  There are a plethora of recipes out there including one from Fix, Feast, Flair whose cookbook I have and love, Aloha Kitchen.

The Mochi Brownies are not too sweet, have that hallmark stretchy, elastic texture of mochi, intensely chocolate, and just darn delicious.  If you like fudgy, chocolatey brownies, you are going to love these.  Bonus, they’re GLUTEN-FREE and super easy to make.  We are talking spoon, whisk, 2-bowl, done.

Look at that, office clips to hold your parchment in place

Cast of Mochi Characters

Mochi– Sweet Rice Flour aka Glutinous Rice Flour.  NOT to be confused with rice flour.  Go-to brand,  Koda Farms Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour.  Found in most big supermarkets, all Asian Markets and online for an arm and a leg 🤷🏻‍♀️. Bob’s Red Mill also has a Glutinous Rice Flour that can be used.

Cocoa-You can use any kind of cocoa powder in this recipe, natural or dutch-processed.  The Dutch-process cocoa will give you a deeper, darker brownie color.  King Arthur carries both types.  Hershey’s is natural cocoa.

Baking Powder vs. Baking Soda- I used baking powder. I’m not sure it makes a difference.  My logic, since I used  Dutch-processed cocoa which has a neutral pH, I did not have an acid to kick start baking soda.  Baking powder needs heat to activate it not acid.  If you use natural cocoa you could use either baking powder or baking soda.

Liquid- I used whole milk, I haven’t tried it but I’m thinking this recipe would work with milk substitutes, evaporated milk, or coconut milk.  It may change the texture a little.

Chocolate-The brownies are not too sweet and pretty chocolate-y.  Try different chocolates to sprinkle on top, milk chocolate or semi-sweet, chopped from bar form.  Chips don’t melt well and don’t look as nifty as shards of chocolate.  I hit the top at the end with my secret sprinkles, a mix of Maldon Salt, Demerara Sugar and Chocolate Sprinkles.  For a festive look, you can use multi-colored sprinkles!

The Setting: Two Bowls, One Spoon, One Whisk

Literally, the ingredient list is the hard part of this recipe.  Combine the dry ingredients in one bowl and the liquids in another, then add the dry to the wet, mix with a spoon or whisk, bada bing bada-boom, done.  No need to worry about overmixing as Mochiko flour doesn’t have gluten.  The batter will be like a runny pancake batter.  Pour batter into your parchment-lined pan and bake.  That’s it!  An hour later you’re pulling mochi brownies out of the oven.  Cool completely before cutting with a sharp knife.  If it sticks put a little oil or butter on your knife.

 

Rewarded with delicious ooey-gooey chocolate brownies! Cookie #7

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Chocolate Mochi Brownies

A gluten-free alternative that is so good you may never go back to traditional brownies!
Course bar cookies, brownies
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword chocolate brownies, Dark chocolate, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Mochi, sweet rice flour
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Servings 16 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mochiko flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch-processed or Natural is fine. Dutch process will give you a deeper, dark brown color
  • 1/2 tsp Instant espresso powder Optional, highlights chocolate flavor
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder you could actually use baking soda in equal volume, if using natural cocoa which is acidic and will activate the baking soda
  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted If you use low fat milk or milk substitute increase butter to 6 T
  • 2 large eggs
  • 12 oz whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp chopped dark chocolate sweeter brownie, use milk chcolate or semi-sweet chocolate
  • Sprinkles! optional but festive!

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, add mochiko, cocoa powder, sugar and baking powder and espresso powder (optional). Whisk together until evenly mixed.
  • In a large bowl, add melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until evenly combined and no egg streaks remain. Add in dry ingredients. Mix until blended.
  • Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle surface with chopped chocolate.
  • Bake 60 minutes or until mochi is set, there should be no jiggle. A toothpick inserted should come out mostly clean. Remove from oven and top with sprinkles. Cool completely before cutting.

Notes

You can replace whole milk with other milk substitutes. Keep in mind that different milk substitutes may change the texture of the brownies.
Don't even try to cut the brownies before they cool completely!
Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2-3 days.
If you want to make sure you have a nice layer of sprinkles, sprinkle brownies before baking.  Sprinkle flaky salt and sugar when the brownies come out of the oven.
Hawaiian Butter Mochi (Mo Buttah’ Mo Bettah’)

Hawaiian Butter Mochi (Mo Buttah’ Mo Bettah’)

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Right before the pandemic hit we capped off a year of traveling by going to Maui.  A celebration for the hubster’s birthday and his early retirement was our excuse to pack our bags and head out for some sun, fun, and food.  Little did we know it would be our last trip for quite a while.

Hawaiian Delights

I am a sucker for Hawaiian food.  A fusion of Native, Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese, Korean and all of it tweaked so it taste great and is easy to eat while sitting on a beach!  Our bucket list of food included Spam Musubi, a hunk of rice topped with a fried slice of SPAM and wrapped in seaweed, Poke’ (seasoned raw fish in a bowl with rice), island style bbq, Huli, Huli Chicken. YUM.

Then there are the sweets, Malasadas (best damn donuts), Haupia (coconut jello) and my favorite, Butter Mochi. Hawaiian Butter Mochi is the island’s answer to Blondies or Brownies but better (I know, them is fighting words).  Buttery, gooey, sweet and so satisfying.  Like our Spam Musubi quest, we went out of our way to find all things mochi.

This isn’t my first mochi rodeo, I posted a Butter Mochi Muffin recipe a while back that peeps really like (so says Google analytics, lol).  Since then it has been off to the “rices” trying recipes with Koda Farms Sweet Rice (glutinous rice flour).  Mochi now merits its own category in my recipe index.  These muffins started it all, dense, chewy, with a touch of familiar cakiness, and the perfect amount of sugar. They are a great introduction to mochi-based desserts.  BONUS: Mochi is gluten-free!

Butter Mochi Muffins
The Muffins that started it all!

Mochi Mania-Island Style

Hawaiian Butter Mochi takes mochi back closer to its Japanese roots, lighter, springier, and less cakey.  The recipe calls for coconut milk and regular milk.  The regular milk and less mochi flour are the “denseness” buster and gives the mochi its characteristic texture.  Butter adds flavor.  It is usually baked in a pan and then cut into squares but I decided to bake them in muffin tins.  All for the edges folks.  Each person ends up with their own gooeylicious mini-cake highlighted by a crispy, buttery edge, and finished with toasty shredded coconut and a sprinkle of Fleur de Sel, soooooo yummy.

Inspired by Aloha Kitchen and the website Catherine Zhang, these Butter Mochi Mini-Cakes are onolicious.  I hope you will try them!

The two key ingredients you can find at most Asian stores, sweet rice flour and coconut milk. My go-to brands are Koda Farms Mochiko and Chaokoh or Arroy-D for coconut milk.

The batter will be very pourable due to the use of milk as part of the liquid and less mochi flour.

Don’t be afraid to fill the cups to 7/8.  The mini-cakes will puff up but will fall as they are cooling.  You will end up with a flat top or sometimes even a slight depression, it’s all good.

Enjoy!

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5 from 1 vote

Hawaiian Butter Mochi Muffins

This muffin is a mash-up of Hawaiian Butter Mochi and Butter Mochi Muffins! Gooier and less cake-like than my butter mochi muffins. Baked as muffins they have crispy edges and a soft center-onolicious!
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine Asian, Fusion
Keyword butter mochi, hawaiian, Mochi, muffin
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

Da Wet Stuff

  • 1/4 cup Unsalted butter 55gm
  • 3/4 cup Coconut milk 170gm
  • 1 cup Whole milk 240gm
  • 2 Eggs

Da Dry Stuff

  • 1 3/4 cup Glutinous rice flour 225gm
  • 1 cup Granulated sugar 200gm
  • 1 tsp Baking powder
  • Flaked or shredded coconut for garnish, preferably unsweetened but use what you like

Prep Yo Pan

  • Butter
  • Rice flour optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
  • Generously grease 12-cup muffin tin with butter and dust with rice flour, if you don't have rice flour, skip it. The flour does help the batter rise in the pan and getting crispy edges.
  • In a large, microwave safe bowl combine the coconut milk and butter, heat in the microwave for 1 minute
  • Add the milk and 2 eggs, whisk until combined. I like whole milk but you can use 2% milk or alternative milk like oat milk.
  • In a medium sized bowl combine the glutinous rice flour, sugar and baking powder
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth
  • Pour the batter evenly into the 12 muffin cups
  • Sprinkle with coconut and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown
  • Remove and cool. Muffins will keep for a couple of days on the counter. Pop them in a toaster oven to re-crisp edges. They also freeze pretty well.
Just Another Mochi Muffin (Guava!)

Just Another Mochi Muffin (Guava!)

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Yes, my romance with mochi muffins continues.

Right next door to Shuei-Do, my favorite manju shop in Japantown, San Jose, is a Poke Shop, Aloha Fresh.  As much as I like Poke, I love going for their butter mochi.  They kick it up a notch by offering different flavors like guava, lilikoi, or a brownie macadamia nut version …all are absolutely onolicious.  Butter Mochi at Aloha Fresh is limited to the weekends but lucky for me and you, Shuei-Do also makes a yummy Butter Mochi. Between the two – you are covered for your mochi fix.

But what if you can’t get to Japantown?

You can make your own AND it’s pretty darn easy.

Mochi desserts run the gamut from chewy, bouncy, creamy to moist, a little chewy, and cakey (is that a word?) texture.  I wanted a tropical flavor, buttery, crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside treat.  A recipe for Blood Orange Mochi Muffins from Cooking Therapy served as inspiration.  In place of blood orange juice, I used Guava Nectar.  The muffins were delicious and I plan to try different nectars like Hawaiian Sun’s POG, passionfruit, orange, and guava juice next time.

The batter comes together quickly, this is almost one bowl, one wooden spoon, easy territory.  The addition of butter is that Hawaiian tweak that makes it so delicious.  Fill well-greased muffin tins about 3/4 full.  Bake for 45 minutes, or a little longer for a crispier edge.  It will lose that crispness with time though.  Store at room temp for 2-3 days max.  Pop them in a toaster oven to crisp them a little bit.  Do not refrigerate.  You can freeze them without the icing.  Thaw and crisp in the oven.  These muffins are moist, chewy, a little squishy, yummy, and addictive.

Ice, Ice Mochi

Making the icing is easy.  Whisk the dry ingredients with coconut milk, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and juice.  The icing should be loose enough to dip each muffin top into but thick enough to adhere to the surface with only a bit of dripping. After dipping one muffin you can adjust the sugar or liquid for the right consistency.  Sprinkle topping of your choice, coconut shreds, orange zest, sesame seeds, or a bit of flaky salt.  Let the muffins sit for a couple of minutes so the icing can set, then serve.

Love mochi?  Here are more recipes using sweet rice flour!  Butter Mochi Muffins, Peanut Butter Mochi, and Chocolate Mochi Donuts.

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4.75 from 4 votes

Tropical Mochi Muffins

A delicious, gluten-free mochi muffin, chewy, moist, and flavored with guava nectar and citrus.
Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian-American, Hawaiian
Keyword butter mochi, mochi muffin
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter melted, if using unsalted butter, add 1/4 tsp salt to dry ingredients
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup coconut cream or full fat coconut milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs room temperature
  • Zest of 1 orange preferably Cara Cara oranges
  • 1 cup guava nectar substitute mango, passion fruit, or tropical fruit blend nectar or orange juice (Cara Cara)
  • 2 cups sweet rice flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder

Guava Icing

  • 2 tbsp Guava Nectar Substitute mango, passionfruit, or tropical blend, or orange juice.
  • 2 tbsp coconut milk
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Zest of 1 orange optional
  • poppy seeds, shredded coconut, black sesame seeds, orange zest garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 12-cup standard muffin tin.
  • Sift the sweet rice flour and baking powder into a small bowl and set aside.
  • Add melted butter, sugar, and coconut milk to a large bowl. Mix until combined.
  • Add the vanilla extract and eggs. Mix until combined.
  • Add the guava nectar and zest. Mix until combined.
  • Into the wet ingredients. Mix until a wet batter forms. It should be a pretty loose consistency.
  • Scoop batter into the muffin pan. Tap the muffin pan 1-2 times on a flat surface to get rid of the air bubbles.
  • Bake for 40-45 minutes until the edges start to brown. For a crispier edge, bake 45-50 minutes. Don't go much longer as it may make the inside drier and a little tougher.
  • Cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan before removing.

Icing

  • While the muffins cool, make your icing. Place powdered sugar In a small bowl. Add coconut cream or milk, nectar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Stir with a whisk until completely blended.
  • When muffins have cooled, remove from pan. Dip the top of each muffin into the icing and place on a wire rack. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, shredded coconut. The consistency of the icing should be thin enough to dip but thick enough that it doesn't all run off the muffin top. A little bit will roll down the side of the muffin. That's okay!
  • The icing is optional. If you don't use it, sprinkle the muffins with sesame seeds or flaked coconut before baking.

Notes

This recipe can be easily halved!  
Icing is optional.  
I like using coconut cream instead of milk.  I think the muffins are little denser, richer and chewier with cream instead of milk.  Don't use lite coconut milk.
Play with flavors.  Any nectar or juice would work.  If you can find Hawaiian Sun Juice Drinks they have a variety of flavors including island favorite, POG (Passionfruit. Orange and Guava).
 
Chocolate Mochi Donuts (I Want MO Mochi)

Chocolate Mochi Donuts (I Want MO Mochi)

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Just Another Mochi Monday

I have been eyeing the Chocolate Mochi Donuts from Snixy Kitchen for quite a while.  This past dreary, rainy week was the perfect time to finally give the recipe a go.  If you have jumped on the mochi band wagon like me,  you are familiar with mochi donuts.  It is a delicious gluten-free, baked not fried (a la Third Culture Bakery), donut alternative.

Mochi donuts are delightfully chewy and springy.  If you live in the Bay Area you might have found yourself standing in line for hours at the Modo Donuts’ pop-up at Mitsuwa Market.  You could easily make a couple of batches of mochi donuts in the time you stood in line.  These donuts, like Hawaiian Butter Mochi or Mochi Muffins, start with Sweet Rice Flour.  My go-to brand is Mochiko by Koda Farms, pretty widely available.  Bob’s Red Mill also has SWEET rice flour  (do NOT use plain Rice Flour) that you can find at Whole Foods.

PSA: If you like to bake, especially yeast breads, get a scale. You’re welcome.

These Chocolate Mochi Donuts are so easy to make.  If you make brownies in a bowl with a wooden spoon, this is the mochi equivalent.  Besides the sweet rice flour, the rest of the ingredients are probably sitting in your pantry, cocoa, dark chocolate, butter, and eggs.  Okay, you need coconut milk too, which you may not have on hand-Asian markets and most larger supermarkets carry coconut milk (unsweetened, not the cocktail kind). Snixy Kitchen topped her donuts with chocolate icing and matcha icing.  I opted for a strawberry icing made with freeze-dried strawberries (damn delicious) instead of Matcha. Sprinkles are a no brainer-everybody likes happy donuts.

My next batch of donuts will be a black sesame chocolate donut and yes, there will be a next time and I won’t wait for inclement weather to make them.

The Icing on the Donut

Commit this to memory, FREEZE-DRIED FRUIT.  Yep, previously known only to cereal eaters and backpackers, it is my favorite way to add flavor and color to desserts.  I used freeze-dried strawberries from TJ’s for the icing on these donuts and was pleasantly surprised at the vibrant color and flavor of the glaze.  I actually liked it more than the chocolate icing.   Grind the fruit in a mortar and pestle (if you are a pharmacist by trade like me, lol), or smoosh it with a rolling pin.  You can use a food processor but that’s no fun.  Add the fruit “dust” to powdered sugar and milk, and bada bing, bada boom-strawberry icing.  You are limited only by the variety of fruits that are freeze-dried. I frosted half the donuts with chocolate icing for the classic chocolate-on-chocolate donut, and half with the Strawberry Icing.  Finish the donuts with sprinkles, jimmies, chocolate curls, whatever your little heart desires cause that’s how we roll or sprinkle.

So, if you want something a little different, or need a dessert for gluten-intolerant friends or family-make these donuts.  Not in the mood for chocolate? Try Butter Mochi Muffins, or Peanut Butter Mochi from Two Red Bowls, or Mango Mochi Muffins all fabulous options.

Don’t have a donut pan because you don’t have an addiction to kitchenware like me?  This totally works as muffins.  You will need to bake muffins a little longer, I’m guessing 40 minutes but definitely check often with that first batch to figure the optimal baking time.

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Chocolate Mochi Donuts

Delicious gluten-free chocolate donuts made with mochi, sweet rice flour!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword donut, Gluten free, Mochi, mochi donut
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 32 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing pans 2 ounces
  • 2 cups mochiko sweet rice flour (different from "white rice flour" or "brown rice flour") 320 grams
  • 1 cup organic dark brown sugar (see note) 200 grams
  • ¼ cup cocoa powder or sub in 1/4 cup ground black sesame seeds for a chocolate black sesame version! See note.
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 13.5-13.66- ounce can full-fat coconut milk see note
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate 60-70%, melted and cooled
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • Optional for garnish: flaky salt, black sesame seeds, shaved chocolate

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
  • Generously grease the sides and top of two non-stick donut pans with soft butter. (Alternatively, you can bake these as muffins - the batter for 1 muffin is the same amount as for 1 donut).
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour, dark brown sugar, cocoa powder or black sesame powder, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut milk, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour in the melted cooled chocolate and mix until smooth.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until completely combined.
  • Divide the batter among the 12 donut cavities of the prepared donut pans, filling each one all the way to the top edge.
  • Bake 32-35 minutes until the top is set and the donut gently springs back when poked with a finger. It might not spring back as much as a muffin: do not bake any longer than 35 minutes. The donuts crisp up as they cool and if you continue baking them, they'll get ROCK HARD on the outside. If you like your donuts a little gooey, bake 30-31 minutes.
  • Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
  • Prepare the glaze just before you're ready to glaze the donuts because it will firm up as it sits.

Notes

This recipe is easily halved, makes 6 donuts and 1 muffin.
If making a full recipe, transfer the batter to a Ziploc bag and cut off a corner.  Pipe the batter into the rings.  Easy peasy.
For the chocolate black sesame version, sub in 1/4 cup ground black sesame seeds instead of cocoa powder. Grind up the black sesame seeds in a coffee grinder, small blender jar, or small food processor until fine like a powder. Balck sesame powder can be found in Asian Supermarkets also.
You can also bake these as muffins. The batter for 1 muffin is the same amount as for 1 donut – Bake for ~45 minutes, check to not overbake!
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Strawberry Icing or Glaze

Icing made with freeze-dried strawberries, tasty and vibrant
Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian-American
Prep Time 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups powdered sugar divided
  • ½ cup freeze dried strawberries*
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup milk
  • dash salt
  • Sprinkles, chocolate curls, decorating sugars, Jimmies

Instructions

  • Combine powdered sugar, salt and freeze-dried strawberries in the bowl of a food processor. Process for a minute or two or until strawberries are powderized. Alternatively, use a motar and pestle or rolling pin to pulverize strawberries. Add powdered to sugar and continue with next step.
  • Pour mixture into a medium-size bowl. Add milk and stir until smooth, adding more milk by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to spread. If too thin, add a bit more powdered sugar.
  • The icing will set so make this wile the donuts are cooling.
  • Spread quickly on donuts and sprinkle with toppings before it sets.
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Chocolate Icing or Glaze for Donuts

Chocolate on Chocolate Donuts With Sprinkles
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Chocolate Icing
Prep Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate 60-74%, melted and cooled
  • 2-2½ tablespoons milk or coconut milk
  • 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Combine melted and cooled chocolate with 1 tablespoon milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Add remaining milk, a splash at a time, just until it's smooth enough to glaze. It should be thick enough that when you swirl it, the swirl stays for a few seconds then collapses back into itself.
  • It will firm up as it sits, if it's too thin, let it sit for a few minutes and give it another stir. If it's too thick, add a bit more milk or zap it in the microwave for a few seconds to loosen it up.
  • Vary the type of chocolate, milk, semi-sweet, bittersweet and don't forget the sprinkles

Notes

Recipe can be esily halved
Mango Mochi Muffins Triple M Play

Mango Mochi Muffins Triple M Play

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More Mochi Madness

One of the most popular posts on 3Jamigos is Muffin been the Mochi that Caught My Eye (Butter Mochi Muffins)  I stumbled upon the original recipe on Snixy Kitchen, a gorgeous site focused on gluten-free baking and cooking.  For good reason this recipe is popular, the muffins are chewy, dense, moist and delicious.  I decided I needed to expand my horizon and try different flavorings for the mochi muffins.  A quick search yielded an array of flavors folks have tried, ube, chocolate, and milk tea.

The Milk Tea Muffins from Match Berry Kitchen caught my eye.  I love Milk Tea, apparently, so do lots of people judging by the number of Boba places in the South Bay.  The proverbial Newton’s apple epiphany popped in my head, tea, mango, coconut, hmmm.  I thought Mango Sticky Rice, one of my favorite desserts, could I morph it into a mochi muffin?

Let’s Do This

I pulled out a box of Mango Tea I had bought in Seoul, freeze-dried mango chips from TJ’s, coconut milk and a box of Sweet Rice Flour.

The beauty of Mochi Muffins is they are REALLY easy to make.  A bowl, a spoon, or spatula, and you are in business.  You can crush the mango pieces with a rolling pin or drop it in a mini food processor or blender.  If you don’t have coconut milk you can use evaporated milk, or regular milk.  I like coconut milk, especially with mango.  I brewed a strong cup of mango tea, and combined it with coconut milk, butter, and egg.  By using mango tea, the flavor is very subtle, you could use mango juice or puree for a more pronounced flavor or fold in bits of fresh mango (baking time will be on the long side due to moisture from the fruit).  Add wet ingredients to the dry, stir a couple of times, done.  Literally, 5 minutes of prep and then into the oven.

The batter is pourable, use either a scoop or pour into buttered muffin tin cups.  Fill to within 1/8 inch from the top.  This will make approximately 8 muffins, not too many.  Garnish with coconut or with sesame seeds., both give an extra layer of texture. I used flaked coconut since I did not have shredded which I would have preferred.  Baking time is in the range of 32-35 minutes.  Shorter baking time insures a gooey, chewy texture while baking the muffins longer would make them cakier and less chewy.  Your choice.

Another gluten-free winner!

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Mango Mochi Muffins

Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword mango, Mochi, mochi muffin, muffin
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of Mochiko sweet glutinous rice flour
  • 1/2 cup of golden cane sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tbsp ground freeze-dried mango
  • 2 tablespoons or 1/8 cup of unsalted butter and a bit extra for greasing the muffin pan
  • 3 Mango flavored teabags
  • ~ 1/2 cup of coconut milk reg or light
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon of condensed milk
  • Muffin pan

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease the muffin pan with a little bit of melted butter
  • Steep tea bags in 1/2 cup of boiling water for 10 minutes then drain excess liquid from the tea bags and take them out
  • Add coconut milk until you have 3/4 cup of milk+tea.
  • Combine Mochiko, sugar, ground mango and baking powder in a large mixing bowl
  • In a separate bowl melt the unsalted butter then stir in the egg, condensed milk and coconut milk tea mixture, blend ingredients thoroughly.
  • Combine the dry and wet ingredients and whisk till the mixture has no lumps
  • Scoop or pour the mixture into the wells of the muffin pan
  • Bake in the oven for 32-35 minutes then remove and let cool for around 30 minutes before taking the muffins out of the pan

Notes

If you want the muffins to be sweeter, add more condensed milk
If you want the muffins to have a stronger tea taste, increase the number of tea bags for the steeping step
For a crispier bottom use a metal muffin pan or bake the muffins for longer
Mochi muffins are best stored at room temperature in an air-tight container or freeze and reheat.
For mango madness, add diced fresh mango to batter
Definitely try different flavors. For milk tea, use black tea bags, omit mango powder. There are an array of freeze-dried fruits available including raspberry, strawberry and blueberry.
Vanilla Cake Pan Cake, ABC-Easy as 123, That’s How Easy Cake Can Be

Vanilla Cake Pan Cake, ABC-Easy as 123, That’s How Easy Cake Can Be

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This is your lucky day!  This post is a twofer.  That is I will be posting two recipes today! Ok, maybe not so lucky as we are smack dab in the middle of a smokefest alternating with a heatwave and this post is about baking.  Although, the upside is both cakes are INCREDIBLY easy to make so your time in the kitchen will be minimal.  You can wait until it cools down if you are in a hot zone, either way, these should be in your “need a quick homemade dessert right now” file.

But Why a Twofer?

Funny you should ask.  I sat down to write a post on CAKE-TWO, thinking I had already posted this Vanilla Cake Pan Cake recipe.  Nope, not to be found.  It is on my Instagram (shameless plug) but apparently I had yet to wax poetically about that cake on my blog.  My bad.

Both recipes are from King Arthur Flour and are INCREDIBLY EASY TO MAKE.  This is one bowl baking territory.

Without further ado, CAKE-ONE.

A couple of months back,  at the start of COVID, I needed a simple cake for a virtual birthday celebration for a friend.  Since it was virtual, the fam and I would be eating most of it, so quick, easy, and small were my guidelines.  Vanilla Cake Pan Cake on King Arthur Flour fits the bill.  Get this, no butter and no eggs.  Not gonna lie, I was dubious, no butter, no eggs?  It works!  Oil as the fat, baking soda and baking powder as the leavening agents, and vanilla for flavor.  A nice little tasty cake. The cake itself is vegan, if you use a butter sub for the frosting, the entire cake can be vegan.  This cake falls in the stupid easy category.  The frosting is a classic buttercream.  You could forego the frosting for a generous dusting of powdered sugar and some berries.  But if you need a festive cake, frosting with sprinkles or jimmies is the ticket.

So, need a quick dessert?  Here’s your answer. Now, onto the second post. Heh, heh, heh.  CAKE-TWO

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Vanilla Cake Pan Cake

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 241g
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons water 198g
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil 99g
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar 149g
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons cider vinegar or white vinegar 21g
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 14g
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Frosting Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter, regular at room temperature 57g
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted if lumpy 283g
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons water about 28g

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8” square or 9” round pan that’s at least 2” deep.

To make the cake:

  • In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the water, vegetable oil, sugar, vinegar, vanilla, and almond extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. It's OK for a few small lumps to remain. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  • Bake the cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top feels set, the edges are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and either serve the cake warm from the oven or allow it to cool completely in the pan before frosting.

Frosting

  • To make the frosting: Beat together the butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt until no large pieces of butter remain. Add the vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the water, beating to incorporate. Add enough additional water, a teaspoon at a time, to make a spreadable frosting.
  • Leaving the cake right in the pan, if desired, use a spatula or flat knife to apply the frosting.
  • Store the cake, well wrapped, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.
Tomato Egg Soup (Souper Easy, Soul Food)

Tomato Egg Soup (Souper Easy, Soul Food)

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My favorite category for foods is not dessert.  Nope, its soup. I LOVE soup. To the age-old question if you were stranded on a desert island and could only have three things…soup would most definitely be on my list.

Growing up, my dad almost always made soup with dinner.  Weeknight dinners meant a quick soup like Corn Soup or Egg Drop Soup.  This is a twist on egg drop soup. With tomato season in full swing, this is the perfect time to make Tomato Egg Drop Soup.

I adapted a recipe I found on The Woks of Life, a fabulous blog/website for Asian recipes and stories.  My version includes a bit of ground meat for flavor and texture because that’s how my Dad made it.  The cornstarch slurry gives the soup a bit of body, you can leave it out if you wish.  This is great as a noodle soup also.  Delicious with rice noodles, and hand-pulled noodles.

The Key

The key to this recipe is not just great tomatoes, but how to create the egg ribbons in the soup. The direct translation of the name is actually Egg Flower Soup as the egg resembles a flower.  When adding the egg, make sure the soup is on low heat so that the soup is at a gentle simmer.  Add the egg in a slow steady stream as you swirl the soup in ONE DIRECTION with either chopsticks or a spoon. If you move your utensil in different directions you will not get the ribbons of egg.  You can hold the soup at a gentle simmer, do not boil the soup as that can curdle the egg. Garnish with green onions or cilantro, I like both.

Try this quick and easy homey soup, I think you’ll like it.

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Tomato Egg Drop Soup

A delicious quick and easy soup, Tomato Egg Drop Soup is a rift on the classic Egg Drop Soup
Course Soup
Cuisine Asian, cantonese
Keyword soup, Tomato Egg Drop Soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 10 ounces tomatoes, peeled 1 large or 3-4 small, about 280g; cut into small chunks

Stock

  • 2 cups chicken stock 480 ml
  • 1 cup water

Seasoning

  • 2 teaspoons light soy sauce or soup soy sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
  • salt to taste
  • 1 egg beaten

Thickener

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water or broth optional

Garnish

  • 1 scallion finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped, optional

Protein Option

  • 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil
  • 1/2 Cup Ground beef preferably can substitute ground pork or chicken

Marinade

  • 1 Tsp Soy sauce regular or light
  • 1 Tsp Oyster sauce
  • 1 Tsp Rice wine
  • 1 slice fresh ginger smash to release flavor
  • 1/4 Tsp Granulated sugar
  • 1/4 Tsp Salt
  • dash White pepper

Instructions

  • Combine seasonings for meat mixture, mix with ground meat Let sit for 10 minutes. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 3-4 qt pot over medium heat. Add ground beef and sauté’ just until meat loses pinkness. Remove from pot and reserve.
  • In the same pot, heat 2 T oil over medium-low heat. Add the tomato chunks and stir-fry for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are softened and fall apart.
  • Add chicken stock, water, seasonings, and salt to taste*. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so soup is just at a simmer with the lid on. Allow soup to simmer for 10 minutes.
  • *Add meat, if using, with the stock and water. Bring back to a boil and immediately lower heat so soup is at a simmer. Taste soup and add salt or soy sauce if needed. Do add the sesame oil and ground pepper. Then allow soup to simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Beat the egg in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Make the cornstarch slurry in a small bowl. If the soup is for noodles omit cornstarch slurry. If serving as a soup, increase heat to medium and add cornstarch slurry to soup. Bring soup to a soft boil to allow the cornstarch to thicken the soup. Once it thickens turn the heat back down to low.
  • Pour a thin stream of egg into the soup. Let it sit for a couple of seconds just to set the egg a bit, then, with chopsticks or a spoon, gently swirl the soup in a whirlpool motion in one direction. This creates the ribbons of egg characteristic of egg drop soup.
  • Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with green onions and cilantro. Serve immediately

Notes

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water to remove the skin before cutting into quarters.  Once added to soup the skin separates from the rest and you are left with fibrous skin in your soup. It's better to remove the skin despite being more work.  Or remove skin when frying tomatoes.  As tomatoes soften, use tongs to pull the skin off.  Then add stock and water.