Chocolate Peanut Butter Mochi

Ingredients:

• 125g Mochiko (Sweet Rice Flour)

• 50g Granulated Sugar

• 1 tbsp Cocoa Powder

• ¾ Cup 1% Milk (plant based milk is okay)

• 1 tbsp UNSALTED Butter

  
  Peanut Butter Filling Ingredients:

• ½ Cup Smooth Peanut Butter

• ½ Cup Powdered Sugar

Instructions:

making the filling:

• In a medium-sized bowl, mix peanut butter and powdered sugar until combined.

• Roll into 6 equal portions into a ball and place onto a baking sheet lined with parchment

  paper.

• Tamp down the balls into round disc shapes.

• Optional: Freeze at least 3 hours. (Having the filling frozen will make it easier to wrap

• with mochi.)
  
  Making the mochi:
  

• In a medium-sized bowl, combine Mochiko, sugar, cocoa powder, and milk, whisk until there are no dry clumps of flour.

• Transfer the mixture to a shallow microwave-safe dish like a glass pie dish. Cover with plastic wrap, pokE several holes to vent, and microwave on high for 3 minutes.

• The mochi should be cooked by this point, insert a toothpick lightly into the dough, if it comes out clean, the mochi has finished cooking.

• Add 1 tbsp of unsalted butter to the top of the mochi and allow to melt. Once fully melted, mix the butter into the mochi. The butter will prevent the mochi from becoming hard in the fridge and will make it slightly easier to handle.

• At this stage, the mochi will be EXTREMELY STICKY, so try not to handle it with your bare hands. I recommend using non-stick food grade plastic gloves, or gallon Ziploc freezer bags to handle the mochi.

• Once the mochi has cooled slightly and is no longer too hot to handle, pick it up using gloves or plastic bags and begin to pull, stretching until the mochi is about to rip, then folding it back in on itself and pulling again. Repeat this process until you can pull the mochi 12 inches in length without it ripping.

• Pinch off 6 equal portions of dough, placing on a non-stick surface like a silicone mat. Make sure THE dough balls are not touching as they will stick together.

• Cut two square pieces from a plastic Ziploc gallon freezer bag. Sandwich the mochi between the pieces. Using a rolling pin, roll out the mochi to a diameter of about 6 inches, keeping the middle portion thick and the sides thin. (This will help keep the thickness of the mochi uniform on all sides.)

• Using a round cookie cutter as a guide, place the peanut butter filling in the center of the mochi, wrapping the sides of the mochi up and pressing them together.

• Since the mochi is sticky, we will roll it heat-treated mochiko to prevent the outside of the mochi from sticking so it can be held. In a dry pan, heat a ¼ cup of mochiko on medium high heat for about 4 minutes or until the mochiko smells like popcorn, stirring occasionally.