These perfect mochi brownies combine the chewiness of mochi with the fudgy chocolatey flavor of brownies. They’re not too dense, not too cakey, and really easy to make! PLUS, they keep the shiny, wrinkly brownie skin on top!
What Are Mochi Brownies? Brownie Mochi? Brochi?
Mochi brownies are brownies made with mochiko, which is a type of rice flour. Mochiko is made from the mochikome rice, also known as sticky rice, sweet rice, or glutinous rice (although there’s no gluten in it), and is the type of rice that you use to make mochi. If I just put you in a mochi tailspin, definitely go check out my Ultimate Guide to Mochi for more detailed definitions. Some people have nicknamed these treats “brochi” in recent years, and confusingly, it is a term which sometimes has been used interchangeably with chocolate butter mochi, a mochi cake from Hawai’i. So what’s the difference between these baked goods?
Mochi Brownies vs. Chocolate Butter Mochi
While there is no official standard for defining mochi brownies vs. chocolate butter mochi, I abide by a simple definition. Is it a cake? Or is it a brownie? Just as a chocolate cake is different from a brownie, I STRONGLY feel that a butter mochi is more of a cake, whereas a mochi brownie is strictly a brownie. Therefore, I do not use the terms brochi or mochi brownie and butter mochi interchangeably. AND NEITHER SHOULD YOU (just kidding, do what you want).
Where to Buy Mochi Brownie Ingredients
Most of the mochi brownie ingredients in this recipe can be found at any grocery store. The only item that you may have trouble with is the mochiko. If your local grocery store doesn’t stock mochiko, you can typically find it at any Asian market. And if you don’t have one of those near you either, they sell mochiko on Amazon as well!
Mochi with Shiny Brownie Skin
What makes this mochi brownie recipe the best? THE BROWNIE SKIN!
I poured over countless mochi brownie recipes in order to find one that was ACTUALLY like a brownie (and not a butter mochi) with a shiny brownie skin. But I couldn’t find anything! And thus started my months-long quest to develop a mochi brownie recipe with brownie skin.
I polled Instagram for brownie skin tips, leading me down an internet rabbit hole of blog posts and youtube videos. The keys seemed to be in the dissolution of sugar at the right temperature, amount of water content, and the amount of air bubbles released from the batter while baking. Unfortunately, this is a problem with mochi products for the following reasons:
1. Mochiko and Water Content
Brownie skin does not like high water content. Mochiko LOVES water content. If you don’t add enough liquid to mochiko, it will bake up hard and rubbery. The more water you add, the softer your mochi product. Obviously, you don’t want to add so much that your mochi brownies won’t hold its shape when cut. But you definitely don’t want a rubbery brownie either.
2. Mochiko Acts Like It Has Gluten
When you make a normal brownie recipe, you’re not supposed to overmix the batter. This prevents your batter from developing gluten, which traps air bubbles and messes up your brownie skin. Mochiko, although gluten free, is so sticky that it acts like it has gluten, trapping air bubbles. Many a failed batch of mochi brownies had air bubbles popping through the brownie top surface.
3. Asian Sweets are Less Sweet
This is more a subjective issue with mochi brownies, but Asian desserts tend to be less sweet than American ones. I probably could’ve guaranteed a mochi brownie with brownie skin more easily but increasing the sugar content by a lot, but I was trying to have a more balanced (in my opinion) flavor. I just can’t handle overly sweet desserts!
So…batch after batch of mochi brownie, altering a different aspect of the recipe each time, I finally narrowed my mochi brownies WITH brownie skin to a few key elements:
Mochi Brownie Skin Tip 1: Beating the Eggs with Sugar
One way to get the sugar to dissolve well is to beat it with the eggs until light and fluffy. While this is not the only way to get sugar to dissolve, for whatever reason, it was the only way that worked for me with the mochi brownie recipe. I tried dissolving the sugar in melted butter. I tried using powdered sugar. Nothing worked except for beating it with eggs. I found that beating the eggs and sugar also resulted in a lighter texture. Without it, the brownies were super dense and more mochi-like than brownie-like.
Mochi Brownie Skin Tip 2: Low Water/High Fat
Remember when I said that mochiko loves absorbing liquid? But that water content messes up your brownie skin? I found that using melted butter and either coconut milk or heavy whipping cream resulted in a brownie skin. Whole milk DID NOT. Presumably, if I used a flavorless oil instead of butter (since butter has some water content), I’d get an even better skin. But I like the butter flavor better.
Mochi Brownie Skin Tip 3: Use Sweet Chocolate Chips
A few other blogs, including King Arthur Baking, have concluded that chocolate chips were the key to achieving good brownie skin. According to Youtube, this may be because there is sugar already dissolved in chocolate chips, plus additional fat content. So what this means is, get the cheap, sweet chocolate chips like Nestle! Don’t go for super expensive ones that are low in fat and sugar. I’ve made these brownies with both Trader Joe’s chocolate chips (which don’t have milk content) and Nestle, and the Nestle ones produced a shinier skin.
More Baked Mochi Recipes
As difficult as this recipe was to develop, the end result is actually REALLY easy to bake! If you end up enjoying these and are looking for more recipes with mochiko, check these out:
- Chi Chi Dango
- Matcha Butter Mochi
- Black Sesame Butter Mochi
- Baked Chocolate Mochi Donuts
- Everyday Butter Mochi
The Best Mochi Brownies
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup mochiko
- 1/2 cup dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter 8 tbsp
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips about 3 oz
- 1/2 cup coconut milk or heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Sift cocoa into a separate mixing bowl. Add mochiko, salt, and espresso powder and whisk. Set aside.
- Combine eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Meanwhile, melt butter (stovetop or microwave are both fine). Add chocolate chips into the warm butter and let melt, stirring gently to combine.
- Add warm butter/chocolate mixture to your eggs and sugar, mixing gently.
- Add dry ingredients, vanilla extract, and coconut milk, either mixing on low speed until combined or folding the batter with a spatula by hand.
- Let batter sit while you grease and line an 8×8 metal baking tin. When your baking tin is ready, pour your brownie batter in; it should have thickened slightly while resting.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick poked through the center comes out clean. Let brownies cool completely before slicing. Leftovers can be saved in an airtight container at room temperature.
16 comments
This got to be the best gluten free chocolate brownie hands down
So glad you like it!
[…] I define the difference between butter mochi and mochi brownie as the same difference between regular cake and brownies. Butter mochi is essentially a mochi cake and is lighter and spongier in texture. If you are looking for a denser, fudgier chocolate mochi treat, you should definitely check out my mochi brownie recipe! […]
[…] The Best Mochi Brownies […]
[…] Mochi brownies […]
Do you have a recommendation for egg substitute that would work well for this recipe? I really want to try it but have an egg allergy.
Hi Hannah, I’m so sorry for this super late reply. Unfortunately, I have not tested any egg substitutes so I can’t say. You CAN make mochi desserts without eggs, but they don’t get that kind of cakey texture; they have more of a chewy rice texture.
For the chocolate chips, do you use semi-sweet? Or milk chocolate? I know you mentioned sweet ones but I only really see “semi-sweet” so I just want to make sure.
Also do you only use Nestlé brand or is there another brand you recommend?
Hi Junnie! I only recommended Nestle because they are high in fat and sugar and help develop that brownie skin. You absolutely can make this recipe with semi-sweet or other brands of chocolate chips, but you may or may not get that skin on top just depending on whether that brand has a lot of fat and sugar added. Either way, it’ll still be delicious!
Understood, thank you!
I made this and it was amazing! I really want to double the batch and bake it in a 9×13 but I am nervous of the results.
Do you think it will turn out just as good?
Hi Junnie! Yes, it should work fine in a 9×13. Just anticipate that you will probably have to increase bake time by 10-15 minutes at least and check for doneness in the center before you take it out. So glad you liked it. Thanks for always taking the time to leave reviews!
I’m absolutely floored. These brownies had the exact texture and taste as regular brownies – and I couldn’t stop eating them! I only had six tbl of butter, so I subbed the other 2 with oil. The crackly top looked authentic, and this recipe produced a moist yet fluffy brownie. Thank you for this!
Thanks for the feedback! So glad you liked it!
If I want to use with recipe with a mini-brownie pan, do you have any recommendations on gauging the baking time and temperature?
Hi, I’m not sure what the dimensions are for a mini brownie pan, but I would keep the temperature the same and just check for doneness much earlier by sticking a toothpick in.