Chocolate Truffle Mochi feature mochi stuffed with a rich chocolate truffle and rolled in cocoa powder. Make these delicious Japanese sweet treats for your friends and family this holiday or just enjoy them on your own at home!
Alec's mom makes her famous chocolate mochi every holiday season, and she shared her recipe with us. We love it because it is both simple to make yet decadent. It features rich chocolate truffles (we use the ones from Trader Joe's) wrapped in sweet rice flour cakes. You can choose to make the mochi chocolatey or plain.
Mochi is an excellent sweet to make because it calls for just mochiko (glutinous rice flour), sugar, and water, and is easily customizable. If you are looking for a simpler and more traditional mochi recipe, check out our Kinako Mochi.
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About Chocolate Truffle Mochi
- Taste - The lightly sweet flavor pairs perfectly with the rich chocolate truffles.
- Texture - The texture is chewy with some firmness.
- Effort - All you need to do is mix the mochi batter, microwave the mochi, then fold in the chocolate.
- Time - It takes 2 minutes to make the mochi batter, 6 minutes to microwave, then 25 minutes to stuff the mochi and roll each piece in cocoa powder.
What is mochi?
Mochi are Japanese rice cakes made of short grain glutinous rice (mochigome). Traditionally, the rice is cooked then pounded with a wooden mallet. Then it is shaped into rectangles or round balls. In this recipe, we streamline the process by using pre-packaged mochiko without sacrificing texture or flavor.
Ingredients
- Chocolate truffles - We use Costco or Trader Joe's chocolate truffles because they are rich but don't overpower the mochi flavor.
- Mochiko Sweet Rice Flour - The glutinous rice flour provides structure for the mochi.
- Cocoa powder - We blend the mochi with cocoa powder to add extra chocolate flavor.
- Sugar - Sugar adds sweetness to the mochi.
- Potato starch - Potato starch keeps the mochi from sticking to each other.
- Food coloring - Add a few drops of food coloring to make these mochi festive.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions
- Shiratamako Flour - Shiratamako flour is another glutinous rice flour you can use to replace mochiko flour. It has a more refined flavor and is easier to manipulate then mochiko flour, but is twice as expensive.
Variations
- Nutella - Stuff the mochi with nutella instead of chocolate truffles if you prefer the light hazelnut chocolate taste. Spread the Nutella onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, freeze for 20 minutes, then cut into squares to make the Nutella easier to work with.
- Kinako mochi -Omit the chocolate and dust the mochi with kinako powder, a roasted soybean powder.
- Strawberry Mochi - Pulse dehydrated strawberries in a blender or food processor to make strawberry powder. Then whisk strawberry powder into Mochiko flour before adding wet ingredients.
- Daifuku Mochi - Daifuku is a red bean paste made from azuki beans. It is a delicious variation on classic Mochi.
- Chocolate Mochi Ice Cream - This delicious treat combines 2 great desserts - mochi and ice cream. The combination is uniquely delicious.
Instructions
- Mix mochi dough - Mix Mochiko, cocoa powder, sugar, and water until smooth. Lightly spray a microwavable glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray or wipe with neutral cooking oil. This helps prevent the mochi from sticking to the bowl. Pour in mochi batter. (Photo 1 and 2)
- Cook mochi - Microwave for 3 minutes at 600 watts. Remove mochi mixture from the microwave and mix with a silicone spatula or rice paddle. Microwave for an additional 3 minutes. Knead the mochi until smooth. The dough will be pliable and sticky. Dust a clean, dry working surface with potato starch. (Photo 3 and 4)
- Work mochi - Dust your hands and a knife with potato starch to make them non-stick. Transfer the mochi from the bowl onto the potato starch. Use knife to cut mochi into workable pieces, one at a time. The mochi will be hot, so put the piece of mochi on the potato starch to lightly coat it before picking it up with your hands to shape it.
- Stuff mochi - Form a disc, place the truffle into the center of the disc, then fold sides over the truffle (Photo 5 and 6). Make sure it is sealed so the chocolate won't leak out. Roll each sealed mochi in cocoa powder, then place each mochi in a cupcake liner to keep the mochi from spreading and sticking. (Photo 7 and 8)
Pro tip - If you are making this recipe for yourself, make a half batch (12 pieces). The mochi are best enjoyed fresh and only good for a few days.
How to Eat Mochi
Mochi are a delicious sweet that can be enjoyed as a snack or dessert. Each piece is small enough to be eaten in a few tasty bites. We love to make a big batch so we can eat some and give some away to friends.
Recipe FAQs
It is pronounced moh-chee.
Yes, mochi has a lightly sweet flavor from the rice flour and added sugar.
Yes, all of the ingredients in this recipe are vegan.
In Japan, it is a symbol of peace, happiness, good fortune, and long life, represented by the stretchiness of the mochi.
In early times, it was part of religious ceremonies. Now, mochi are often made and eaten on New Years. But it can also be enjoyed as a sweet treat year round.
Yes, our chocolate mochi are made with gluten free rice flour and all of the other ingredients are also gluten free.
Storage
These chocolate mochi are best enjoyed fresh, but you can store these rice cakes in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Do not store these mochi in the refrigerator or they will become hard and dry out. When you are ready to eat them again, you can eat them as is or you can microwave them for 7 seconds if you want the chocolate melted in the center.
Top Tips
- Give them as a gift - Chocolate Mochi are a great treat for neighbors and friends during the holidays. In order to give them as a gift, place them in an air-tight container and place each mochi into an individual cupcake wrapper (so they don't stick together).
- Freeze truffles beforehand so they can withstand the hot mochi and won't melt too much. You want the truffles gooey but not completely melted.
- Don't cool the mochi too long before adding the chocolate or the truffles won't melt enough.
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Chocolate Truffle Mochi
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 parchment paper optional
Ingredients
- 2 cups mochiko
- 4 teaspoon cocoa powder plus more for dusting
- 2 cups water
- ¾ cups sugar
- 24 dark chocolate truffles frozen
- potato starch
- food coloring Optional. If you use food coloring, 3 drops will do. As you mix it, the color deepens.
Instructions
- Mix mochi dough - Mix Mochiko, 4 teaspoons of cocoa powder, sugar, and water until smooth. Lightly spray a microwavable glass or ceramic baking dish with cooking spray or wipe with neutral cooking oil. This helps prevent the mochi from sticking to the bowl. Pour in mochi batter.
- Cook mochi - Microwave for 3 minutes at 600 watts. Remove mochi mixture from the microwave and mix with a silicone spatula or rice paddle. Microwave for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from microwave and knead the mochi with a silicone spatula or rice paddle in the bowl until smooth. The dough will be pliable and sticky.
- Stuff mochi - Dust a clean, dry working surface with potato starch. Dust your hands and a knife with potato starch to make them non-stick. Transfer the mochi from the bowl onto the potato starch. Use knife to cut mochi into workable pieces, one at a time. The mochi will be hot, so put the piece of mochi on the potato starch to lightly coat it before picking it up with your hands to shape it. Form a disc, place the truffle into the center of the disc, then fold sides over the truffle. Make sure it is sealed so the chocolate won't leak out. Roll each sealed mochi in cocoa powder, then place each mochi in a cupcake liner to keep the mochi from spreading and sticking.
Notes
- If you prefer to make a less chocolatey mochi, omit the cocoa powder from the recipe and just mix the mochiko, sugar, and water to make the mochi dough. At this point you can use food coloring if desired. If you use food coloring, 3 drops will do. As you mix it, the color deepens.
- Best enjoyed fresh, but you can store these rice cakes in an air-tight container for up to 3 days. Do not store these mochi in the refrigerator or they will become hard and dry out. When you are ready to eat them again, you can eat them as is or you can microwave them for 7 seconds if you want the chocolate melted in the center.
- Give them as a gift - Chocolate Mochi are a great treat for neighbors and friends during the holidays. Just place them in an air-tight container and place each mochi into an individual cupcake wrapper (so they don't stick together).
- Freeze truffles beforehand so they won't melt too much in the hot mochi.
- Don't cool the mochi too long before adding the chocolate or the truffles won't melt enough.
- Use parchment paper as your work surface and sprinkle potato starch on top to make for each cleanup.
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