Banana Butter Mochi

Do you have a couple of bananas lying around? How about trying this Banana Butter Mochi? Butter mochi is a Hawaiian treat that is made with glutinous rice flour. It’s a dense cake that has a chewy and bouncy texture and a crispy edge. My version includes a sweet soft banana center. They’re gluten free & freeze well too.

Butter mochi is a sweet treat from Hawaii. It’s made with Japanese sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour), coconut milk, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar and butter. Because it’s made with glutinous flour, it has a unique texture. It’s a dense cake that is a bit chewy and bouncy. Butter mochi is gaining popularity in the US mainland, especially in San Francisco Bay Area. There is a bakery in Berkeley, Third Culture Bakery who is famous for their mochi muffins in a variety of flavors, like matcha, ube & Thai tea. I have tried them once and they were very good.

Although I can’t verify this, I can see butter mochi as a fusion invention in Hawaii. While Japanese immigrants (and maybe Filipion immigrants too) settled in Hawaii many years ago and with the access of local ingredients, this is probably how the butter mochi was created. And over time, it has become a beloved local treat.

Traditionally, butter mochi is baked in a sheet pan or something like a 9×13 pan. After being baked, they would be sliced into squares. The advantage of baking butter mochi in muffin tins create more crusts and edges, which is exactly what I want. Who doesn’t want crispy crust all around?

My version is made with banana. Because you know we all have ripe bananas lying around the house, this is a great way to use a couple of them. Instead of just just adding banana puree into the batter, I also put banana slices inside the butter mochi. It’s a nice surprise when you bite into it and get a taste of the actual banana.

These butter mochi is chewy on the inside with a banana soft center and a crispy crust. They’re little sweet with a hint of coconut. They make perfect treat as an afternoon snack or a dessert. If you haven’t had a Butter Mochi before, you got to try these!

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Banana Butter Mochi

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Hawaiian

Keyword banana butter mochi, banana dessert, butter mochi, butter mochi cupcake, gluten free dessert, hawaiian butter mochi, hawaiian dessert

Servings 10 muffins

Author Lokness

Ingredients

• 8 ounces mochiko sweet rice flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick) (melted)
• ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• 6 ounces evaporated milk
• 6 ounces coconut milk
• 1½ ripe bananas
• black sesame seeds

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350˚F (177˚C). Spray the inside and the top of a muffin pan with nonstick spray really well. Set aside.
• In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sweet rice flour and baking powder. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Add the beaten eggs and whisk until combined. Pour in the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, stir until incorporated. Pour in the evaporated milk and coconut milk, whisk the mixture until smooth. Smash up half of the banana with a fork into a puree. Add to the batter and whisk until combined.
• Fill each muffin tin half full with batter. Cut the rest of the banana into ¼-inch slices. Place 1½ slices of banana in each tin on top of the batter. Fill the muffin tins with more batter until just below the rim. Make sure the banana is well covered. Hold the muffin tray about 2 inches above the counter and drop a few times to help remove any air bubbles. Sprinkles with desired amount of black sesame seeds.
• Bake in the oven for about 40 – 50 minutes, or until the top is browned. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for 20 minutes. Butter mochi is best to serve warm.

Notes

1. Mochiko sweet rice flour is a Japanese glutinous rice flour. It’s made with sticky rice which is perfect for making Japanese sweets, like mochi and dango. You can usually find it in most Asian supermarkets or from Amazon.
2. You can double the recipe easily to make 20 muffins.
3. Make sure to spray the muffin pan really well with nonstick spray. Last thing you want is that butter mochi stuck to the pan after baking. Trust me, it was super difficult to take them out. But if you do it right, the butter mochi will pop right out. 
4. For storage, these muffins keep well at room temperature for up to 2 days. They will get soften the next day. You can reheat them in a 350˚F (177˚C) oven for 15 minutes. You can also freeze these. Wrap them in plastic wrap individually, then keep in a freezer ziploc bag. They should last for up to 2 weeks. Reheat them in a 350˚F (177˚C) oven for 20 minutes. Butter mochi is best to serve warm. Even if you reheat them, let them cool for 10 – 15 minutes before serving.

(Adapted from Cooking with a Wallflower)