Chocolate Mochi Bars aka Mochi Brownies

Name: Chocolate Mochi Bars aka Mochi Brownies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Ingredients: 150 gm browned butter or melted butter; 200 gm brown sugar; 150 gm castor sugar; 480 ml milk (I like using almond); 1 tsp vanilla extract; 300 gm glutinous rice flour; 85 gm cocoa powder; 1 tbsp baking powder; Pinch of salt; Flakey sea salt for the top

These indulgent, rich and chewy mochi bars are so simple to make with butter, sugar, milk, cocoa powder, rice flour and salt, they come together easily. The perfect gluten free dessert bars for all chocolate lovers.

I am such a lover for mochi. But the mochi I have ever eaten has been little balls and a variety of them stuffed with ice cream. So when I was making these dessert bars I was not sure what to expect because if you have been here long enough you know I love brownies and they must be fudgy. Mochi is meant to be chewy and soft but texturally nothing like a brownie. I was amazed with the flavor but I was so blown away with the texture, it was soft and so good. Also, it comes together so easily and just happens to be gluten free! Let us get to it.

What is mochi made of? What does mochi taste like?

Mochi is commonly made with glutinous rice flour, water, sugar, cornstarch. But this depends on the type of mochi you are making. Its the sweet glutinous rice flour or mochigome that makes the mochi chewy and soft. The dough is colored in variety of options and either eaten on its own or stuffed with various fillings, eg: ice cream. It tastes like rice if there is no other flavor in it but it is soft, stretchy, chewy in texture. Originally from Japan and there are different flavors and varieties all over the country based on the region.

What is mochi in English?

As per Cambridge Dictionary it is a type of rice used in Japanese cooking, which is sweet with short, rounded seeds that stick together when cooked: Cooked mochi is more sticky than conventional Japanese rice. It a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome (もち米), a short-grain japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch.

Is mochi ice cream or cake?

Mochi can be made plain without any filling or with fillings such as ice cream etc.

What ingredients do you need to make this chocolate mochi?

To make this chocolate brownie mochi we need browned butter (you can check out my blog on how to make it at home here), brown sugar, white sugar, cocoa powder (unsweetened), rice flour, baking powder, salt, milk. I have used a little oil to grease the pan but you can use melted butter as well.

What equipment do you need to make this chocolate mochi?

To make this recipe we need a sauce pot to brown the butter, a mixing bowl and whisk to make the batter. I have used a 9×13 inch baking tin to bake the mochi in the oven. The tray is lined with baking paper. Once they are baked you can cut them with a sharp knife.

How to make these chocolate mochi bars?

Preheat the oven to 175℃, line a 9×13 inch baking tray with oil or melted and baking paper, set aside. Allow the browned butter to cool down a little. Pour it into a large mixing bowl, add the brown sugar and castor sugar, whisk together. Add the milk, little at a time and whisk well. Add the cocoa powder, rice flour, baking powder, salt and whisk until smooth. Pour into the lined tin and bake for 30-35 mins or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out with sticky moist crumbs. Allow it to cool completely in the tin before cutting to squares and serving. Top with a little sea salt flakes and serve with a glass of milk.

Serving these chocolate mochi bars?

I love serving these with a sprinkle of flakey sea salt and glass of milk. You can serve it with ice cream as well. It is absolutely delicious. But coffee ice cream is the best accompaniment to make it like a mocha dessert situation. They are even better the next day as the flavors develop even more.

Storing these chocolate mochi bars?

They are best eaten the same day as they top stays crunchy and the inside is chewy and soft. But the leftovers can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you are going to store them longer then it is better to transfer them to the freezer and defrost as needed before serving. If you store them in the fridge they can condense and the bars could get sticky.

Looking for more chocolate recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this Chocolate mochi brownie bars, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.