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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.
Makes sixteen
2-inch squares
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.
2 hours
20 minutes active, plus cooling
Ingredients
-
42
grams (3 tablespoons) salted butter, cut into 3 pieces
-
1
14-oz can light coconut milk
Directions
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01Heat 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.