Tag: sweet rice
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.
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.
Muffin been the Mochi that Caught My Eye (Butter Mochi Muffins)

Muffin been the Mochi that Caught My Eye (Butter Mochi Muffins)

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Always searching for new and different treats, I came across an article that spotlighted Third Culture Bakery in Berkeley.  The baker is an alum of Cal (Go Bears) who chose food over toxicology (good choice) and thus Mochi Muffins made with sweet rice flour were put on the map.  Though I haven’t made it to Berkeley to try one, I found a couple of recipes online that sounded scrumptious, so it was off to the rices!  Update: I just posted a new mochi muffin recipe, Mango Mochi Muffins made with mango tea and freeze-dried mangos!  It’s small-batch baking, only 8 regular size delicious muffins.

My Sweet Rice, Oh My Rice

For the uninitiated, mochi (sweet rice flour) is a cornerstone of Asian treats.  Sweet rice is PULVERIZED into flour to which water and flavorings are added.  It ends up looking like the BLOB, really.  It can be flavored, baked, steamed, fried and made into countless delicious treats both sweet and savory.  During New Year’s, Japanese families gather to pound mochi in a tradition called Mochitsuki. Just for your viewing pleasure here is Mitsuo Nakatani, Japanese Mochi Master.  Enjoy. 

Traditional mochi starts with steamed rice and is pounded and shaped into sweet or savory rice cakes.  Mochi muffins and Hawaiian Butter Mochi start with sweet rice flour, mixed with liquids, and baked.  Since I don’t foresee any of us pounding mochi, let’s make muffins and Hawaiian Mochi. Infinitely easier and pretty darn tasty.

Back on the Muffin Trail

If you have ever had Manju from Shuei-Do Sweet Shop in Japantown in San Jose, or Butter Mochi from Hawaii and liked it…you’re going to love these.  If you haven’t had mochi, this is a good introduction.  Not quite as gooey as Manju and definitely not cakey like a muffin, it’s a delicious hybrid of the two.  A touch of sweetness, crispy on the outside, dense and chewy on the inside, and crunchy from the generous sprinkle of sesame seeds on top.  It’s different but delicious.  If that wasn’t enough, they are GLUTEN-FREE.  You’re welcome.

Rice, Rice, Baby

The most important item in the pic is the Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour by Koda Farms.  This is the go-to brand.  You can definitely find it in any Asian store (along with the sesame seeds), and if you’re lucky, at some of your larger local markets.  Take a walk down the international/ethnic food aisle.

I found quite a few recipes for Mochi Muffins online and finally settled on one from a beautiful blog called Snixy Kitchen.  Her batch made 12 muffins, which made her recipe the frontrunner as most made 24.  As yummy as they are, what am I going to do with 24 muffins?!

Mochi muffin batter

The batter comes together in a snap:  melted butter, coconut milk, egg, brown sugar, and rice flour.  Stir together and pour into a muffin tin.  Boom, done.  My batter was thicker than some of the posts I’ve seen.  This may account for the slight dome mine had.  I also found a recipe from Saimin Noshrat in the NYT.  I think I may try a couple of her tweaks the next time I make these.  Trust me, there will be a next time.  I will use light brown sugar, substitute evaporated milk for some of the coconut milk, and brown my butter.  Not to worry, a full report will follow.  Hmmm, can’t wait to make another batch.

The longer you leave these in the oven, the less gooey and more cake-like they will be.  The first batch was baked for 60 minutes.  I think I should have pulled them out sooner, I like gooey.  Now I check at 40 minutes and pull them out around 45 minutes.  To test them, use a knife to poke the center of a muffin.  It should come out fairly clean with a bit of crumb.

More Mochi Madness

After making these muffins if you like the chewiness, definitely try the Hawaiian Butter Mochi Muffins, inspired by Aloha Kitchen by Alana Kysar.  A little less flour and a bit more liquid kick up the gooey, buttery, lusciousness of these bites.  Bake them in a muffin tin for crispy edges.  I ADORE both of these muffins.

These are soooo good, a little more squishy, very buttery, topped with shredded coconut.

Also check out Peanut Butter Mochi from A Common Table by Cynthia Chen McTernan. Delish! LOVE, love, LOVE

If you would like to try traditional Japanese Mochi, here are my recommendations:  Fugetsu-Do in Little Tokyo in LA, the oldest family-owned Japanese Shop in the US, Shuei Do Manju Shop in San Jose, and in my hometown of SF, Benkyodo Company in Japantown (now closed😢😢😢 ).  All family-owned artisan shops.

Mochi Muffins
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4.50 from 18 votes

Butter Mochi Muffins

Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian-American
Keyword coconut milk, Gluten free, mochi muffin
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces )unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for greasing pans sub brown-butter
  • 2 cups (320 grams) mochiko sweet rice flour Koda Farms
  • 1 cup (200 grams) organic dark brown sugar* light or dark brown sugar will work
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1 13 ounce can full-fat coconut milk Sub evaporated milk, half to all
  • 2 large eggs room temperature
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon molasses optional, added for flavor or use Golden Syrup or honey
  • 1½ tablespoons each black and toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and place the oven rack in the middle of the oven.
  • Grease the sides and top of a 12-cup muffin tin well with soft butter.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, and molasses.
  • With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until completely combined.
  • Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tin, filling each cup all the way to the top.
  • Sprinkle the tops with black and white sesame seeds.
  • Bake 45-50 minutes until the top is brown and crispy and the muffin springs back when poked with a finger.  Bake for less time. for muffins that are chewier and less cakey. Muffins are done when a skewer comes out relatively clean and the tops are brown.
  • Let cool 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.  Can be frozen and thawed at room temp.

Notes

Organic dark brown sugar is richer and more caramel-y than conventional, but you can use regular brown sugar.
Any muffin tin will do, but for ultimate crispy exterior, use a dark non-stick muffin tin.
If using a light muffin tin, you may have to bake the muffins a little bit longer.
If keeping them for longer, they'll lose their crispiness after a day or two in storage, put them in the oven for a few minutes to crisp again before eating.

Butter Mochi Muffins