Biscoff Mochi

An original recipe for delicate and thin mochis with caramel biscuits and cream. Easy to make fresh and chewy Japanese dessert.

Why does everybody keep talking about Mochi?

Mochi is a typical chewy Japanese glutinous rice cake.

Traditionally, mochis are made by pounding steamed glutinous rice grains. Have a look at this YouTube video of how mochi is traditionally made in Japan. Some of you might find orthodox mochi-making quite funny, though it requires a crazy technique and a huge expertise. I am not surprised new methods were born to save your hands from being slammed with a wooden hammer!

The modern preparation of Mochi, though, is much simpler, especially for home cooks. It implies microwave-steaming or pan-cooking a batter mainly made with glutinous rice flour. Not having to deal with the full grain, since this flour is now easy to obtain, makes mochi-making easier and more controllable.

While it is eaten throughout the whole year and popularized as a sweet snack, it is actually a traditional food for the Japanese New Year, and savory versions exist.

Mochis are extremely chewy. So chewy that Japan reports deaths by suffocation every year, mostly among elderly people. I know what you might be thinking now. Why am I even reporting a recipe, then? Isn’t it a threat?

Don’t worry. I never knew anyone who had difficulties eating mochi nor had a feeling that it could be a health hazard. Instead, everybody seems to love mochi. So why is that?

One thing is true to me: mochis are divisive. Some hate them, some love them. However, the hating group seems to be a smaller one.

I think the popular glory of mochis is due to their “foreign” essence to most people outside of Japan (or generally Asia, where other rice cakes are broadly consumed). That chewy, sticky texture is not settled in Western roots, especially in dessert making. It could be argued that some dumplings, like Gnocchi, are chewy. But they are not that chewy. Moreover, Asian desserts are less sweet compared to, for example, European ones. I think this helps in building flavor-curiosity, at least.

In any case, given the increasing trend around them, I thought I could think of an original way to make a mochi.

Well, that didn’t really happen, cause I have eaten a similar version of my recipe from a tiny Chinese pastry shop in a city near where I live. It was a great mochi. So much that it made me go back twice.

But it was the very first time I saw them. Plus, I couldn’t really find a similar popularized recipe.

This was my way into starting to develop this recipe.

Lotus Biscoff (and Cream)

One brand stands out when talking about caramel biscuits: Lotus.

Their Speculoos biscuits are renowned around the globe and are a perfect companion for coffee.

Perfectly crunchy, a little spicy, a hint of salty, and one of the best caramel flavors you can taste in a simple biscuit. I still have to find someone who doesn’t love Lotus biscuits.

They come in many different packages, all with the same fragrant, comforting biscuit inside. If Lotus are available to you, take a few packs and use these ones. Other similar cookies will go, but these are the real deal breaker.

Recalling the ones I tried at that shop I was mentioning, in this recipe, mochis are also filled with sweet whipped cream.

You’ll be surprised how soft and silky the result is and how cream pairs well with caramel biscuits inside a mochi.

Recipe

Making Japanese mochis is simple. It only requires some time and attention to detail, as with all desserts.

Arguably enough, it’s difficult to completely “ruin” a mochi. After all, in modern simplified versions, it’s an unpretentiously easy and quick dough to which we are simply giving a shape.

I won’t be lying, though. It took me around 3 iterations to start having a nice-looking figure that keeps up more than the time of a picture, which is also why I am sharing detailed tips with you, something you will not often find in many online mochi recipes.

Ingredients

Filling

• 500 mL fresh heavy cream

• 25 g (around 2 tbsp) of granulated sugar

• A bunch of Lotus Biscuits

Mochi Dough

• 120g glutinous rice flour

• 15g cornstarch

• 50g granulated sugar

• 180g milk (or water)

• 15g of butter (or vegetable oil)

Preparation

Filling

To make the perfect whipped cream, temperature is key. Make sure to have a really cold cream.

In the same way, cooling down the equipment you will use helps a lot with the final result.

As a suggestion, if you have enough space, put the cream in the freezer for 10 minutes before whipping, and keep a metal container (in which you’ll whisk) in the fridge for a while, too.

1. Add the cream and the sugar together into a container.

2. Whip the cream until it holds together, soft and silky.

3. Fill a pastry bag with the whipped cream. Store aside in the fridge for later.

4. Add the biscuits into a plastic food bag and gently smash them with a rolling pin to crumble them into fine pieces. It has to look like sand. Put aside.

Mochi Dough

1. In a clean bowl, mix well the dough ingredients, except for butter (glutinous rice flour, cornstarch, sugar, milk).

2. Pour all the batter into a nonstick pan. Cook and keep stirring over medium heat until thickened and a dough ball forms. Then, remove the ball from the pan and transfer it into a container.

3. Add the butter to the dough and mix it for a couple minutes until dissolved.

4. Let the dough rest and cool down. This step is crucial. It makes the dough less sticky, helping with stretching and texture formation.

5. Dust some flour or cornstarch onto the dough ball and knead it for a couple of minutes until it becomes stretchy. I suggest wearing gloves for this step.

6. Divide the dough into 10-12 equal pieces.

   1. A nice way to do this is to close your thumb and index finger in a circle, let some dough pass through it by pushing the main piece, and pinch a little ball off by closing your fingers together.

7. Roll the pieces into flat and round disks, using cornstarch as you go. Use plenty of cornstarch. You’ll thank me later.

   1. Make sure not to flatten them too thin, or they will break apart easily. I would say around 2-3 millimeters in thickness is easier to handle and should work fine for most people. If you enjoy working with a pretty fragile item, go down to 1-2 mm, which will render a sublime delicate mochi. If you are unsure, try different thicknesses and find your sweet spot! When I did this for the first time, I destroyed half of my mochis. It’s all part of the process!

Don’t be afraid to spread much flour or cornstarch if the dough is sticking. Spread a consistent amount on the working area, on your hands, and on the rolling pin.

Fill the Mochi

Now you have your round flattened mochi disks on one side, some crushed Biscoff on the other, and the whipped cream (in the fridge!). Let’s see how to fill and close those mochis.

1. Lay the dough disk in a small bowl, more or less the size of the final result you need.

   1. I am talking about a pretty small bowl. I’d say mine could contain just a few tablespoons of water. Ideally, the mochi disk should be twice or more times bigger than the diameter of this little container.

2. Fill the mochi disk with some cream.

   1. Usually, I start from the center and form a round shape with a little hole in the middle. I will use that space to fill with the biscuit powder.

3. Add around 1-2 teaspoons of crumbled Biscoff.

4. Cover with some more cream.

5. Lift the edges of the mochi dough and wrap them up. I usually give it a little twist and pinch to make sure it’s evenly closed and has a good-looking shape.

6. If there’s any dough “excess”, cut it with kitchen scissors making sure not to break the mochi. If you are unsure, skip this part!

7. Flip it over in a cupcake paper and look how cute that is!

Storage

Transfer and store the cream mochi in the fridge right after making it. Refrigerated mochis last for 2-3 days at maximum, mainly because of the cream filling.

Arguably, mochis could be frozen for up to 2 months. If doing so, keep them at room temperature for a couple of minutes before consuming them to better restore their original texture.

Happy chewing!

— The Ramen Bowl - ◡ -

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