Chocolate Chip Mochi Cookies

Soft chocolate chip cookies filled with sweet and stretchy mochi for the ultimate play on textures!

Mochi-filled desserts have been all the rage over the past couple of years and for good reason! The deliciously chewy and stretchy nature of mochi makes it perfect as a surprise filling in any baked treat, whether that be a cookie, brownie, or cake.

What is mochi?

Mochi is a chewy treat made from glutinous rice flour. While the term mochi has been popularised all over the world, mochi is the Japanese term for the glutinous rice cake that is commonly eaten all over Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, whether that be China, Korea, Philipines, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc.

Each country has their own unique preparation method and flavours to create this delicious treat, whether that be filled with sweet pastes like red bean, dusted with savoury powders, or eaten plain.

The most traditional method of making mochi is pounding steamed sweet glutinous rice flour into a paste with water. The pounding action increases the smoothness and elasticity of the mochi for a chewy treat!

How to make perfect mochi cookies

There are two components to this cookie, the mochi and the cookie dough. Both are super simple to make, but there are a couple of tips that will help ensure success when making these!

Mochi

Microwave at 1 minute bursts

There are a couple of ways to make mochi, but microwaving is the most time-efficient and easy way.

When microwaving mochi it is important to keep an eye on it and give the batter a mix in between the cooking process. This allows the mochi to cook evenly while preventing it from burning. After the initial 1 minute cook time give the batter a mix, and then cook it on 1 minute bursts until fully cooked and no longer milky.

Overcooking your batter will lead to a firmer, tougher mochi so keep that in mind!

Knead in the oil

Mochi is traditionally pounded to increase the elasticity and texture and we can recreate this at home! Rather than pounding the cooked mochi with a mallet, it is a lot easier to knead the dough.

Once the mochi has cooked pour over the vegetable oil and give it a quick mix. At this stage the vegetable oil will not be fully incorporated, however, this will help prevent the mochi from drying out as it cools.

Once the mochi dough has cooled enough to be handled, used food-safe gloves or oiled hands to knead the dough. This action will incorporate the oil, while giving the dough a softer, chewy texture. Then portion into balls to be stuffed into the cookie batter.

Cookie

Chill the dough

Chilling the dough is one of the most important tips when making any kind of cookie. Chilling the dough helps the butter to firm up, and prevents the cookie from spreading excessively while baking. In this case, it is even more important because unchilled dough will melt and slide off your balls of mochi while the cookies are baking.

You can make the cookie dough first and allow it to chill as you make your mochi. Once your mochi has cooled and been portioned the dough should be at the perfect temperature to be formed and baked.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my cookies spread?

The most common reason as to why your cookies spread is because the dough wasn't chilled enough. Chilling the dough allows the butter to firm up and prevents it from melting before all the other ingredients have had time to cook during the baking process.

If you live in a warm country the process of forming the cookie dough into balls can also make your dough too warm. In this case, I would chill the assembled cookies filled with mochi for 30 minutes in the fridge before baking.

Why is my mochi tough?

Mochi can turn out tough if it has been overcooked. Everyone's microwave is different and some will be more powerful than others, therefore it is important to keep an eye on your mochi while it is baking to prevent it from overcooking.

Overcooking the mochi draws out the moisture in the dough, resulting in a loss of elasticity and softness.

How long do these last?

These are best consumed on the day they're made as mochi tends to firm up over time. However, they will last up to 2 days when stored in an airtight container.

Other flavour combinations

There are so many possibilities with these cookies, whether it be switching up the flavours or the toppings.

To make matcha cookies simply replace 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of matcha powder.

To make chocolate cookies replace 2 tablespoon of flour with 2 tablespoon cocoa powder.

Or change up the toppings and use ingredients like white chocolate, dried fruits, cookie crumbs and so much more!

Let's Get Cooking

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.

Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!

📖 Recipe

Chocolate Mochi Cookies

Print Recipe

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Soft chocolate chip cookies filled with sweet and stretchy mochi for the ultimate play on textures!

• Author: Catherine Zhang
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 9 Cookies 1x
• Category: Cookie
• Method: Easy
• Cuisine: Asian Fusion

Ingredients

Units MUS Scale 1x2x3x

Cookies

• 120g Unsalted butter, room temperature (½ cup)
• 45g Brown sugar (¼ cup)
• 50g White sugar (¼ cup)
• 1 Large egg, room temperature
• 180g All-purpose flour (1 ½ cup)
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 80g Semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped (2.8oz)

See Also This Recipe:  Mochi Brownies

Mochi Filling

• 55 g Glutinous rice flour (⅓ cup 1 tbsp)
• 15 g Sugar (1 tablespoon 1 tsp)
• 120 g Whole milk (½ cup 4 tsp)
• 15ml Vegetable oil

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Instructions

Cookies

1. Combine the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together in a large mixing bowl and beat until light and fluffy
2. Add the egg and whisk until combined
3. Whisk the flour and baking powder together in a small mixing bowl and add to the wet ingredients
4. Mix until just combined, cover with cling wrap, and chill for 1 hour or until firm

Mochi filling

1. Combine the glutinous rice flour and sugar in a medium heat-proof mixing bowl, whisk to combine
2. Add the milk and whisk until well combined
3. Cover with cling wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute 
4. Remove from the microwave and mix
5. Recover and microwave for 1 minute bursts until the dough is no longer milky
6. Add the vegetable and mix roughly (it won't be fully incorporated), and cool
7. Once cooled use oiled or gloved hands to knead the mochi until the oil is fully absorbed and the dough is stretchy
8. Divide into 9 portions and place on a sheet of baking paper, set it aside.

Assembly

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F, and line a baking tray with baking paper
2. Once the cookie dough has chilled divide it into 9 portions
3. Roll each portion into a ball and press between your palms to flatten
4. Place a ball of mochi in the centre and bring the edges of the dough together to enclose the mochi
5. Roll the dough into a smooth ball and place on the lined baking tray
6. Top each cookie with chunks of chocolate, then bake for 13-15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
7. Cool for 15 minutes, before enjoying

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