Hojicha Mochi Flour Muffins

I wasn’t done baking with sweet rice flour this week, so yes I baked more mochi desserts. The dessert this week is hojicha mochi flour muffins. I’m honestly having so much fun baking with hojicha! It’s so similar to matcha but with a more roasted flavor which I love.

I also took the opportunity this week to improve upon my mochi flour muffin recipe. The biggest change I made was using browned butter vs melted butter. It is an extra step and a little bit more work, but I think it was definitely worth it. Those brown butter bits give these muffins a little extra something, and I gotta say they’re some of the best muffins I’ve ever made.

What is hojicha?

Hojicha is like the forgotten sibling of matcha. They have the same parent but all the attention is on matcha. But hojicha definitely deserves some love. Hojicha is made by roasting green tea leaves which is how it gets its brown color. What I love about it is that it has less caffeine than matcha. I am very sensitive to caffeine; I can’t even eat matcha desserts without it affecting my sleep schedule. That’s why sometimes I prefer hojicha to matcha. In terms of cooking and baking, because they are very similar, you can use hojicha in the same way you use matcha.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• Hojicha powder – This is the source of the hojicha flavor and color. I got my hojicha from Hojicha Co. Like matcha, using higher quality hojicha will yield better color and flavor.
• Coconut milk – Coconut milk helps make these mochi flour muffins really moist. I tested this recipe with coconut milk and whole milk, and found that coconut milk yields the best results. If you choose to use whole milk, make sure to use only 1 cup of whole milk.
• Butter – Adds a nuttiness and richness to this recipe.
• Granulated sugar – Adds sweetness to the mochi flour muffins.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the muffins. You can substitute with an equal amount of vanilla paste or 1 vanilla bean.
• Eggs – Adds richness to the muffins.
• Sweet rice flour – This is the main dry ingredient of these muffins. The beauty of sweet rice flour is that it’s gluten free, and it adds a chewiness to the muffins, similar to the texture of mochi.
• Baking Powder – This ingredient helps the muffins rise and gives it an airiness.

Making my hojicha mochi flour muffins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make your browned butter. Heat butter over medium heat until it fully melts. Lower the heat to low and cook until the butter is golden brown. Pour into a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool. Add the coconut milk to a small bowl and heat coconut milk in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add the hojicha powder and stir until incorporated. Set aside. Once the butter has cooled down, add the granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs to the bowl. Mix until incorporated.

Add the hojicha coconut milk to the bowl and mix. Finally, add the sweet rice flour and baking powder and mix until a smooth, thick mixture forms. The batter will be a bit lumpy, so make sure you use a whisk to mix. The whisk helps you get that smooth texture. Grease a muffin pan. Scoop batter into the muffin pan. Smack the muffin pan 1-2 times on a flat surface to get rid of some of the air bubbles. Bake for 30 minutes until the edges start to brown. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Did you make these hojicha mochi flour muffins?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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