Brown Sugar Butter Mochi
- MakesMakes sixteen 2-inch squares
- Cook Time2 hours
- Active time plus cooling20 minutes active, plus cooling
- 1
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.
Don’t underbake the mochi or the center will taste starchy and raw. It’s best to err on the side of overdone. For easiest slicing, allow the mochi to cool completely. A plastic utensil, such a disposable knife or plastic dough scraper with a sharp edge, is ideal for cutting the mochi, as it sticks less than the metal blade of a conventional knife.
Step 1
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle position. Mist an 8-inch square baking pan or glass baking dish with cooking spray. In a small saucepan over medium, cook the butter, swirling the pan often, until the milk solids at the bottom are deeply browned and the butter has a rich, nutty aroma, 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and pour in about ¼ cup of the coconut milk, swirling the pan to stop the cooking. Transfer to a large bowl and cool until barely warm.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, whisk together the rice flour, baking powder and salt. To the bowl containing the butter mixture, whisk in the sugar, eggs and vanilla, then whisk in the remaining coconut milk. Add the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth; the batter will be fluid.
Step 3
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Rap the pan against the counter a few times to remove any large air bubbles, then sprinkle evenly with the coconut. Bake until the mochi pulls away from the sides of the pan, the center springs back when gently pressed with a finger and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 1 to 1¼ hours. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack; the mochi will deflate slightly.
Step 4
Invert the cooled mochi out of the pan, then turn it upright onto a cutting board. Cut into sixteen 2-inch squares.
Step 5
Browned Butter Mochi with Mango: Thaw 340 grams (2 cups) frozen mango chunks, then cut the chunks into ½- to ¾-inch cubes and pat dry. Follow the recipe; after transferring the batter to the pan and rapping the pan against the counter, scatter the mango chunks over the batter (they will sink into the batter). Sprinkle with the coconut, then bake, cool and cut as directed.
Step 6
Coffee and Browned Browned Butter Mochi: Follow the recipe, adding 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder to the browned butter along with the ¼ cup coconut milk and whisking 2 teaspoons cocoa powder into the rice flour, baking powder and salt. Substitute 21 grams (3 tablespoons) cocoa nibs for the shredded coconut; bake, cool and cut as directed.
