Kirbie's Cravings

Mochi Brownies

Chocolatey, fudgy, chewy mochi brownies. These are a perfect blend of chocolate brownies and butter mochi cake. They look just like traditional brownies, but they have a chewy texture when you bite in. They are also gluten-free.
close-up photo of a stack of three mochi brownies

This is a chocolate variation on Hawaiian butter mochi. Recently my brother came back from a trip to Hawaii and asked me if I had made mochi brownies before. I have made them before– many times– including when we were living together. But it’s been a few years since I last made them so the conversation had me craving the chocolatey treats again.

However, instead of going back to my usual recipe, I wanted to improve on it. The previous version I made was more of a chocolate-flavored mochi cake. I wanted to make a brownie mochi that also looked like a brownie, complete with those crispy edge pieces.

This mochi brownie is exactly what I was hoping for. It has a crackly shiny crust, crispy edges, a rich chocolate flavor and a chewy texture. It is the perfect blend of brownie and mochi.
photo of brownies lined up on parchment

Mochiko

The key ingredient to making mochi is mochiko. Mochiko is a type of glutinous rice flour or sweet rice flour that is also naturally gluten-free. It produces a sticky, chewy texture when you cook with it. It cannot be substituted with regular rice flour or other types of flour.

Cocoa Powder versus Melted Chocolate

  • The rich chocolate flavor comes from the cocoa powder. You can use natural or dutch process. I tested variations where I used both melted chocolate and cocoa powder but found that just cocoa powder worked best, much like my favorite fudgy brownies.
  • I did add chopped chocolate on top of the brownies. This is optional, but I found that the chopped chocolate was a nice contrast to the crackly surface and kept the crackly top from being too delicate.

Cooking Tips

  • I recommend using parchment paper to line your baking pan rather than just greasing it. The brownies are cooked until the edges are very firm and crispy and this tends to make the edges stick to the pan if you don’t use parchment paper.
  • The brownie batter is very liquidy so it will take about an hour or a little over an hour to fully cook.
  • Make sure to let the mochi brownies fully cool before cutting. If you try to cut while the brownies are still warm, the sticky interior will stick to the knife, making it very difficult to cut the brownies.

photo of a stack of chocolate mochi brownies

More Recipes to Try


photo of a stack of three mochi brownies

Mochi Brownies

Servings: 12 pieces
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
A mix of fudgy chocolate brownies and chewy mochi cake.
4.67 from 27 votes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mochiko flour
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 cup granulated white sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 12 oz whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tbsp chopped dark chocolate

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  • In a medium bowl, add mochiko, cocoa powder, sugar and baking powder. Whisk together until evenly mixed.
  • In a large bowl, add melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until evenly combined and no egg streaks remain. Add in dry ingredients. Mix until evenly blended.
  • Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle surface with chopped chocolate.
  • Bake 60-70 minutes or until mochi is set. A toothpick inserted should come out mostly clean. Let mochi cool completely before slicing and serving.

Video

Notes

  • You can replace whole milk with other milk substitutes. Keep in mind that different milks may make the brownies more or less rich.
  • You can use natural or dutch proces cocoa powder. I used dutch process.
  • Make sure to let the mochi cool before cutting. When it is still hot, it will be very sticky and difficult to slice.
  • Uneaten mochi can be stored in a sealed container at room temperature up to 2-3 days.
  • I used Koda farms mochiko sweet rice flour.*
  • *Some of the links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!

 

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Recipe Rating




124 comments on “Mochi Brownies”

  1. Thank you for this recipe! It was very easy and so tasty, my mum and I loved the texture. Will make it again ?

  2. I love this recipe a lot, but when I was making my brownies I just had the issue that the brownie mix separated from the mochi batter, so I ended up with something that was like a brownie layer on top and a cakey mochi layer on the bottom, and I’m wondering why this might have happened so that next time I can make them perfect?

    • We’re sorry you had issues! Without more details, it’s hard to know what went wrong but maybe the batter wasn’t mixed enough before you baked it.

  3. I used a 9×9 baking pan with the parchment paper and found that it only needed about 35 minutes at the set baking time. I also needed to add the melted butter last, and only a little bit at a time, all while whisking in order to make sure that it didn’t curdle. I love the finished texture–I love all things mochi. It’s a big hit with my friends!

  4. I was expecting a chewy brownie but this turned out to be mochi, with a flaky topping (which I guess is exactly what the recipe advertised, but I was hoping for a chewy brownie, kind of like mochi donuts or something). Regardless, the recipe still turned out great. I followed Tuty’s comment about adding the chocolate chunks 20 min after putting it in the oven, which ensured that the chocolate didn’t all immediately sink to the bottom. Using metric measurements, I used 355ml of milk, 72g of butter, and 112.5g of chocolate chunks. I also ended up only using half the amount of sugar, but the brownies actually turned out a lot less sweet than I anticipated, so I think I should’ve used the full cup of sugar. Brownies were baked for 70 minutes and rested for about an hour at room temp. This was a really easy recipe and I loved that all the ingredients are things I tend to already have in my kitchen

    • Thanks for sharing your experience! Yes these are not meant to be like mochi donuts. They are supposed to be like Hawaiian mochi brownies which are more like a chocolate version of butter mochi.

  5. Halve the cocoa powder, recipe gives brownies they have an unpleasant cocoa crust.

    • They are meant to have a crust similar to traditional brownies, so not sure why you found it unpleasant. Can you share a few more details – many people have made this recipe and loved it, so maybe something went wrong with yours.

  6. Just tried your recipe and it turned out so yummy! I tried it with almond milk and it still came out really good, and with a flaky top! I just found it extra gooey on the inside, even after baking it for ~80min. Not sure if it needed even longer or if it just doesn’t hold together as well with the low fat content. Haven’t tried it with whole milk yet so can’t compare, but I have the feeling it was supposed to have a more chewy texture?

    • They should have a chewy texture – if yours were gooey they might have needed more baking time, but it could be the almond milk causing the issue, too.

  7. Hi,

    Did you use dark chocolate chips? If so, when do u add them in?

    • We use chopped chocolate – it’s sprinkled over the top before you bake them. If you want to use dark chocolate, we recommend using chopped chocolate because it melts better.

  8. These mochi brownies are AMAZING!  So fudgy, so “moussey” and so easy!  The texture is so different than traditional brownies, but oh, so good!  Will definitely be making these again!  

  9. Hey! Can I use almond milk instead of whole milk? 🙂 thank you!

    • Sorry, but we haven’t tried almond milk. It should work but the texture and appearance may not be exactly the same

      • I really wanted to love these; I followed the recipe exactly, but they were so bland. Did I do something wrong or are they supposed to be less sweet?

      • It’s hard to say what might have gone wrong. They definitely should be sweet – there’s one cup of sugar in the recipe – so are you sure you measured correctly? It could also be the dark chocolate – it makes the brownies rich but is also not as sweet as semisweet or milk chocolate. Mochi bars are generally not supposed to be supersweet, so maybe it is just not to your personal taste preference.

  10. I am fairly new to the mochi baking world. After trying a cake mix from Trader Joe’s I bought some mochi flour and struck out on my own. These brownies are fabulous! They baked up beautifully, taste deliciously rich and the edges do not dry out like traditional brownies. Thank you!

  11. Excellent texture and deep chocolate flavor.  In addition, I have made many homemade brownie recipes, and this was the easiest! 

  12. I really love your recipes and have made several time for the chocolate oat cake.
    I wonder whether you could provide me this Mochi Brownies recipe in grams? As I can’t find the correct amount in grams when i google. (eg. 1 cup mochiko flour is different, some 150g and the other 130g)

    Thank you very much in advance.

  13. Can these be stored in the fridge to last longer?

    • We don’t recommend storing them in the refrigerator because the texture will change, they are best stored at room temperature.

  14. The recipe was great! Just a question, what should the consistency of the batter look like? Mine looked really liquidy. So I added more Mocthiko flour and It turned out fine. Overall, Great recipe !

  15. They taste really great and have such a fun chew to them! I’m gluten free due to low FODMAP right now and I made these with lactose free milk. Perfect snack on a restricted diet. Only thing is that the texture of mine was much different – the pic texture looks super fudgy and dense. Mine turned out with a cake-like look to them, lots of little air bubbles instead of dense. Wondering why this might be?

    • We’re glad you liked them! The cake-like texture might have happened if you mixed the batter too much. You only need to mix until the batter is smooth – any more and you will incorporate air that can create bubbles.

  16. So good. I put the chocolate chunks 20 minutes after it started baking. Definitely taste even better the next day. Not too sweet for my taste. The butter and chocolate aroma are the highlights of this decadent dessert.
    Thank you, Kirbie.

  17. In the recipe it calls for 3TB chopped dark chocolate, but it is not included in the instructions?

    • It’s in step 4 – sprinkle the chopped chocolate over the top of the batter in the pan. Hope that helps!

    • Hi, is there anyway of getting the flour, cocoa powder, white sugar and butter quantities by weight?

      Always find it difficult to get good results with volume measurements, try though I might. & weights are just so much more exact.

      If you know them, I’d really appreciate it.

      Happy New Year,

      Jas

  18. Can I use coconut milk instead of evaporated milk for this recipe? I’d like to make it dairy free. Just wonder what would happen. Your recipe looks really great. I would want to try out if I an substitute with coconut milk. 

  19. can i use other types of glutinous rice flour or does it have to be mochiko

  20. just awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  21. Could you sub coconut milk for the regular milk in this recipe? Thanks!

    • Coconut milk can be used as a milk sub in many recipes, but we haven’t tried it in this one. If you do, please let us know how it worked!

  22. I’m not a “technical” Baker which usually means i dont measure or follow all the steps and that my baking ventures fail hard. I subbed the baking powder for vinegar and baking soda and things turned out surprisingly well. Good super easy recipe!! My boyfriend really liked it too

  23. Can I use a silicone pan instead of lining a pan with parchment? I love sweet rice flour. These look so good.

  24. This sounds wonderful!   I cannot have cow’s milk, and I know you stated that alternate milks would work, but I was wondering specifically about full fat coconut milk?  Would that be too heavy?  I can stick with Almond or Soy if so.  Thank you!

    • The coconut nut milk could change the flavor so we recommend sticking with the alternative milk substitutes listed in the post.

  25. How do I adjust the ingredients so I can bake it on 9 x 13 pan?

  26. Hi can I make this in a 9 x 9 pan without making it too thin somehow?

    • they will only be slightly thinner in a 9 x 9 pan. since they are pretty thick to start out with, it should be okay to do a 9 x 9

  27. Really want to try this recipe, but was just wondering if it is really sweet. Would I be able to cut the sugar down to make it less sweet? Or would it mess with the texture? Can’t wait to try the recipe over the weekend!

    • I don’t think this recipe is super sweet, so I would recommend making it as is. You can reduce sugar a little but reducing too much will change the texture and reducing sugar will also change the top crackly layer.

  28. My family and I really, really like this recipe. I make a few small tweaks and I ALWAYS double it (because an 8×8 pan just isn’t enough mochi brownies). I add instant espresso powder (1-2 tsp) to make the chocolate flavour even richer, cut back about 1/3 of the sugar, and add about a teaspoon kosher salt to the dry mixture. It’s really lovely. Served with some warmed caramel and a heaping scoop of vanilla ice cream? Yes please!

  29. I can’t wait to try this.  Ive been looking for recipes for Sweet Rice Flour and this looks amazing!

  30. This looks so good! I’d love to make this for a friend’s birthday but I’m wondering do I measure the butter before or after it’s melted? Sorry for the silly question, I’m a bit of a novice ?

  31. Have you tried it with sugar alternatives like splenda or a mix of sugar and splenda

  32. Hello I really want to try this recipe out but I’m not sure what size pan you recommend to use?

  33. Great recipe! It was devoured in no time at my house. The only thing was that I used chocolate chips instead of chopped chocolate so they stuck to the bottom. Are your pieces chopped finely so they stay on the surface?

  34. Wow! I never knew I needed these in my life. They are soooo delicious. I ate half the batch by myself the first night. ?definitely need to let it cool completely before cutting. I’ll be making this again soon that’s for sure. 

  35. Hi Kirbie, how long do you suggest I increase the baking time if I am using a 7×7-inch pan instead? I also have another pan that comes in individual squares measuring 6cm x 6cm and 2.5cm deep for each cup but I am unsure whether using that is advised for this specific recipe.

    • I think you may have some difficulty using a pan smaller than 8 x 8 because the brownies will be very thick. It will be hard to cook them all the way through and also difficult to eat because of the texture of the mochi brownies.

  36. I made mochi brownie that is inspired from your recipe. I halved the recipe and bake it in a 9×5″ loaf pan. I had a leftover chocolate milk so I used it. and since the chocolate milk already had sugar I reduced the sugar and also used coconut sugar instead of white. I was a bit worried since the batter was very thin and my chocolate chip just sank, but in the end it turned out great! Mine took about 35 minutes to cook. I love the texture and the crispy top. Though it’s delicious but I feel like it needs a little kick to bring out the chocolate flavour. So I guess I would add about 1/4-1/2 tsp of instant espresso and a big pinch of salt next time. Thank you for the recipe!

    • I’m glad you got it to work for you. You can definitely try adding espresso powder, however, using white sugar also enhances the chocolate flavor so I think you substituting it with coconut sugar is what caused the chocolate flavor to be lacking.

  37. Very tasty and very easy! I only had a chocolate bar with nuts and raisins, it worked very well. Baked for 80 mins just in case. Thank you for the recipe.

  38. Didn’t have whole milk on hand so I subbed soy milk… Delicious! Came out perfect, love the texture and taste. Will definitely make this again, thank you for the recipe!

  39. Hi! I tried this recipe and my whole family loves it. Perfect with coffee too! But my brownie mochi didn’t have that brown crunchy top. I did everything in the recipe though. Where did you think I went wrong?

    • Hi did you use mochiko flour and whole milk? The recipe still works with other sweet rice flours/glutinous rice flours and other milk substitutes but I found that the substitutions result in less of a crinkly top.

      • oh maybe that’s why. Mochiko isn’t really available in my country so i have to use a different glutinous rice flour and I also have to substitute the whole milk since it’s also really hard to find. Thank you!

  40. Just made these amazing mochi brownies. This is my first time making mochi and let me tell you my boys were blown away by these.  So easy and the texture is amazing. I had no issues in cooking. I used 1% milk which is what we use and let them cook for 70 minutes. They came out perfect.  Thank you!

  41. These were delicious! They have a perfect mochi texture. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  42. I was wondering if Mochi brownies could be made from boxed brownies since I have a box in my pantry to use up. 

  43. Hi! I’m looking forward to making these. Do they freeze well? 

  44. Hi there,

    Is butter completely necessary to make this recipe? Can we omit it or replace it with a good substitute?

  45. Hi Kirbie! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. The taste is delicious but the texture turned out kind of soft and gooey even after it’s fully cooled. Do you think I underbaked it? I did 350F convection for 60 minutes. I did the toothpick check and it came out clean. Thanks for the advice!!

  46. Hi! Mochiko isn’t available where I’m from. Can we use regular glutinous rice flour?

  47. I made 2 batches yesterday but only had 4 oz. of goat milk, so the first batch was a mix of almond and goat milk. Also, didn’t use chopped dark chocolate (but I have dark chocolate chips that are meant for baking, do those work?). This dessert is an intriguing hybrid of mochi and brownie texture; I’ve never thought about the two being combined, but since I like both mochi and brownies, I thought I’d like mochi brownies. As a testament to their deliciousness, between 6 family members, it’s been barely 24 hours since the first batch came out of the oven and we’ve already consumed about 21 servings out of the total 24 (whoops). I could feel the familiar mochi texture, but I’d prefer it to be more firm / packed together (pieces keep flopping around when distributing onto plates and it’s hilarious but also gets annoying after a while). Any advice on that? All in all, I’m really happy that I happened to stumble across this recipe 🙂

    • I’m actually not sure what you mean about the pieces flopping around. They should be as firm as regular brownies

  48. I was wondering why the mochi turns out not too firm, i expected it to be a little more firm

  49. Have you tried baking this as cupcakes vs. 8×8 inch plan? Thanks in advance!

  50. Hello! With quarantine and all I was looking for some super yummy recipes to try and I love your’s! I only have dark chocolate to melt 🙁 you said you tried it before how would you r recommend using it? Should i decrease the amount of butter used?

    Any suggestions appreciated and am excited to try this recipe!!!

    • the recipe should be made with cocoa powder. using melted chocolate will change the texture of the cake

  51. Hi Kirbie! Thanks so much for this recipe. Have been wanting to bake and play with Mochiko and when looking up mochi brownie recipes, this one stood out to me!!! I love the addition of choc. chunks on top to get a more brownie like texture on top. So delicious and I agree with your description – such a good combo of mochi and brownie flavor/textures going on!!!! So excited I get to share this with my aunt too, who eats gluten free and LOVES chocolate!

  52. Can inuse cacao powder instead of cocoa powder?

  53. I added some taro and red bean paste and substitute milk with coconut milk cause I only have coconut milk at home and it turns out perfect! Everyone in my house love it. Thanks for the recipe <3

  54. Wow!! So easy and sooooo yummy. Wow this was great! I had a few mishaps of my own doing: brown sugar clumped together and issue with cold milk + melted (warm) butter. I was worried the recipe wouldn’t work out but it did! Yay!!! Love that this is a GF recipe so I can share with my GF friends.
    I didn’t use whole milk and used brown sugar instead. Worked out well.

  55. Kirbie, my daughter and I just got this out of the oven let it cool and now we are devouring it. Can’t believe this recipe didn’t get a lot of reviews. I’m giving it 5 stars. It was easy! just FYI, I slightly reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup and it still works. Other than that followed the recipe. IMHO it takes better than the traditional brownies. Now that we are on lockdown, gonna take advantage of the mom-daughter time to make more desserts. Best, Linda

    • I’m so glad you and your daughter enjoyed this recipe! I really love it and have made it several times already recently. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.

      • Hi Kirbie, it’s me again. Was wondering if ground black sesame seeds could be added to this mochi brownie recipe to give it a more “nutty” flavor, if yes; how much to add and would it affect the butter/oil quantity?

      • Sorry I am not sure. I have not tested it with ground black sesame seeds

  56. I’ve never tried mochi brownies, I didn’t even know that existing =)Looks super delicious I have to make it! Thank you