Brown Sugar Butter Mochi

Butter mochi, a riff on traditional Japanese mochi (rice cakes made with sweet rice) is a popular baked treat in Hawaii. Its defining characteristic is a uniquely chewy, satisfyingly sticky texture, and though it’s rich with butter and coconut milk, its taste is something of a blank canvas. We use brown sugar and deeply browned butter; together they give the mochi delicious notes of caramel and butterscotch. A sprinkle of shredded coconut onto the batter just before baking adds contrasting crisp texture. Sweet rice flour, also known as glutinous rice flour or mochiko (the Japanese term for the ingredient), is essential for achieving the correct chewiness. Koda Farms brand, sold in a white box with a distinctive blue star, is widely available. Half of the 1-pound box works perfectly in this recipe. We found Bob’s Red Mill sweet rice flour to be too coarse to yield good results. We prefer light coconut milk here; regular coconut milk is too rich. Leftovers will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple days.