Thursday, May 6, 2010

Peanut Butter Mochi Puffs

I've not been shy about expressing my mad love for mochi on this blog. There's something about those chewy, pouffy little brown rice squares that I just can't get enough of.

Last week, I made a delicious batch of mochi vegetable dumplings from a recipe in Clean Food. Before making that recipe, I'd never thought of stuffing the baked puffs. You see, mochi comes in a hard square of pressed brown rice. When baked, its chewy guts kinda run out, creating a hollow space inside. That hollow area is the perfect place for filling mochi with all sorts of goodness. I thought, if this works for a savory dish, why not try a sweet stuffed mochi?

Thus Peanut Butter Mochi Puffs were born:

Don't let the picture fool you. I know it doesn't look like much, but hey, mochi isn't very photogenic. The chewy insides fall out in all kinds of shapes and sizes, and cutting the mochi for stuffing causes it to deflate a little. But it's the taste that matters, right?

I used the Grainaissance Raisin Cinnamon mochi and stuffed it with my very favorite PB — Mighty Maple by Peanut Butter & Company. The sweet, nutty mochi were the perfect accompaniment to salty, smoky tempeh bacon at breakfast time.

Peanut Butter Mochi Puffs
--------------------------------------

1 pkg. Grainaissance Raisin Cinnamon Mochi
7 1/2 Tbsp. peanut butter (or other nut butter)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut mochi into 15 equal-sized squares. Bake for 10 minutes or until mochi is puffed and a little brown.

Cut a hole in each puffed square and insert a half-tablespoon of peanut butter into each. Eat!

Note: If you're like me and only need to prepare one serving for breakfast each day, cook three squares at a time and leave the uncooked squares in the fridge for later. Cooked mochi should be served fresh.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Omg you've outdone yourself. These look phenomenal.

dreaminitvegan said...

What a great idea! Gooey and chewy and sweet.

ZippyZu said...

I’m glad I’m not the only one who loves this stuff- and peanut butter is amazing on ANYTHING :) Looks great!

T said...

So fusion-y! Looks like a great and weird dessert!

jessy said...

i've never had mochi before - the texture sounds so neat! your peanut butter mochi puffs are adorable, Bianca. :) i'm gonna have to grab some mochi on my next asian grocery store run. w00t!

Sarah S. said...

Great, and just when I got back from my peanut butterers anonymous meeting. What are you trying to do to me? :)

Lindsay I-F said...

i need these

Anonymous said...

I've never had mochi before, but now I really want to try it. I bet your peanut butter mochi tastes awesome. How can anything stuffed with peanut butter NOT be awesome?

Deanna said...

Whoa, does that look good. I've not seen the raisin cinnamon mochi before. Hm.....

miss v said...

so can you use mochi with sweet and savory dishes? i know you used it for dumplings before...

sophia said...

that sounds SO good!

baby cribs said...

This is a nice and fresh idea! My kids will love this. Thanks for sharing.

The Voracious Vegan said...

What a great idea! It looks SO simple and SO delicious. I just know I would love something like that....maybe in another decade or so we'll be able to find mochi here. Thanks for another awesome recipe, Bianca!

Dianne said...

And I STILL haven't tried mochi. Really, I need to get on this to make all of your amazing creations.

Lynsey James March said...

I just tried mochi, and I am in love too! Can't wait to make these!

Morgan@LittleHouseofVeggies said...

Oh my GOODNESS! These look awesome!!!!

Jackie (Peaces of Earth) said...

ahh I always just assumed mochi wasn't vegan!! I must try!

Melisser; the Urban Housewife said...

Whoa whoa whoa.. I WANT THAT!