Recipe courtesy of Daniel Patterson

Coconut Mochi Buns

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 2 hr 20 min
  • Active: 20 min
  • Yield: 8 servings
This is a simple, delicious variation on a Japanese dessert called mochi. Here we're making it with coconut milk, rice flour and sugar. We're going to roll dough thin into little circles and fold jam inside. You can use whatever ingredient you have available that's sweet and bright inside this "cookie." Bonus: you can make it in the microwave.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Whisk the coconut milk, sugar and rice flour together to combine. Pour into a glass measuring cup and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Remove from microwave and carefully remove plastic as it will be very hot. Check the mixture so that it's solid. It may need another 30 seconds in the microwave.
  2. When the mochi is cooked, cool it down by placing it directly into a water bath and let it rest there for about 1 minute. Remove it from the water bath when it's still warm but not too hot to handle and place on a clean work surface. Using rubber gloves, as the mochi is sticky, knead the dough for about five minutes by bringing your hands down and folding the mochi under to stretch out the gluten. The mochi will get hot again as it's kneaded, so you can stick it back into the ice bath for another minute. The mochi will be ready when it holds its shape and when you push into it, it doesn't bounce back very much. To roll out the dough, sprinkle Mochiko flour on a clean work surface. Place the dough on the flour and press it by hand and flip it over a few times to make sure the outside isn't too sticky. Then, using a rolling pin, roll the dough to get an even thickness, about 1/8 inch. Using a ring mold, cut as many circles as possible and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
  3. Once the mochi is chilled, place about 1/2 teaspoon of jam in the middle. Fold mochi in half and serve.