Extra soft chocolate chip mochi cookies that melt in your mouth. These buttery cookies are stuffed with chewy mochi and have a melty chocolate centre.
I always say that if something is already perfect, you probably shouldn’t mess with it. And we can all agree that soft chocolate chip cookies are perfection. Well, that was until I discovered chocolate chip mochi cookies.
These mochi cookies have one of the most unique texture combinations that works so well. Soft and buttery chocolate chip cookie with an extra chewy middle and a molten chocolate centre. Need I say more?
Mochi is one of the greatest dessert trends and the possibilities are endless! From Strawberry Cheesecake Mochi, to Taro Mochi and Mochi Donuts, mochi desserts are never boring.
If you’re looking for more amazing Asian-inspired treats, check out my collection of Asian recipes.
Mochi cookies are pretty much what it says on the tin: cookies stuffed with mochi. The flavour combinations are endless, as you can use many different types of cookies. Strawberry, lemon, raspberry, matcha cookies, ube cookies or my personal favourite chocolate chip cookies.
The same goes for the mochi filling: it can be left plain, flavoured or with a molten chocolate core. And since we never do things halfway on this blog, this recipe features a melty chocolate centre inside the mochi. See the section below on Flavour Variations for more fun and creative flavour combinations.
Whichever flavour combination you choose, one thing is for certain: you will fall in love with mochi cookies!
What do they taste like?
Mochi cookies taste like buttery, soft cookies with a chewy and stretchy mochi core. The centre is a wonderful surprise as it brings a very different texture. Softness and chewiness are a perfect pair, and these mochi cookies prove it.
In terms of flavour, it depends what type of cookie dough is used, and what flavour mochi. In the recipe below we are making chocolate chip cookie dough. This is then stuffed with plain sweet mochi and a molten chocolate core.
Recipe Highlights
- Extra soft and chewy texture: Mochi cookies are soft and melt in your mouth, and the mochi filling brings in chewy texture. This combination makes for a unique and exciting cookie.
- Molten chocolate middle: This recipe also features a molten chocolate middle. A piece of chocolate is added inside the mochi, then everything is stuffed inside a chocolate chip cookie. The chocolate centre melts when baked and makes for a delicious treat!
- Easy to make: This recipe is designed to be easy to follow, with helpful step-by-step photos below. No special tools or equipment is needed for this cookie recipe.
- Easy to customise: The flavour combinations for this recipe are endless! You can use the base cookie and mochi recipe below to customise your favourite cookie. See section on Flavour Variations for more ideas.
Ingredient round-up
Almost all ingredients needed for this recipe can be found in regular shops. The only exception is glutinous rice flour, which can be found in most Asian supermarkets. Although the ingredient list looks a little long, the recipe itself is very easy. We are essentially making two different recipes into one.
For the cookie dough
- Butter – plain unsalted butter works best
- Brown sugar – I recommend using light brown sugar, as it adds a caramelised flavour. You can also replace it with plain sugar in the same quantity
- Egg – large eggs are required, ensure they are at room temperature
- Salt – helps balance out the flavours. I like to use fine Himalayan salt or sea salt. Any other type of fine salt works just as well.
- Flour – regular all-purpose flour is needed. I do not recommend using self-rising flour, as it contains baking powder. We do not want the cookies to rise, instead they need to be chewy.
- Baking Soda – is what makes the cookies soft and chewy. Cannot be swapped for baking powder.
- Chocolate chips – Optional, but highly recommended. Any type of chocolate chips work, but I recommend using dark chocolate chips. This way the cookie won’t be too sweet.
For the mochi filling
- Milk – regular milk is needed. This can also be replaced with plant-based milk or water. For extra flavour you can also use flavoured milk (like chocolate, banana, or strawberry).
- Sugar – powdered sugar is needed to create a smooth texture. You can also use regular sugar, just make sure it’s properly dissolved in warm milk before adding the flour.
- Glutinous rice flour – I recommend using Mochiko flour, a superior type of glutinous rice flour. This yields the softest and chewiest mochi, with an extremely smooth texture.
- Butter – added to make the mochi less sticky and softer. Regular unsalted butter works best.
- Chocolate pieces – any type of chocolate bar or chocolate chips will work. We will need small chocolate pieces to stuff the mochi, so cut them into the desired size.
- Corn starch – used to dust the mochi dough. You can also use tapioca starch.
This recipe is essentially 2 recipes in 1. One part is the chocolate cookie dough, and the other is the mochi filling. Let’s begin:
Cookie dough
- In a large bowl or stand mixer bowl, add all the wet ingredients. Combine well into a smooth paste.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just about combined. Do not over-mix, as this makes the cookie tough.
- Place the cookie dough into plastic wrap and chill for at least 1-2 hours.
- Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces. Place on a tray and chill until ready to use.
Mochi filling
- Combine the milk, sweet rice flour and sugar into a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then microwave to cook the paste.
- Use a spatula to mix the mochi dough well until smooth and sticky. Add the butter and combine well.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let cool down.
- Dust the work surface and mochi dough with corn starch. Divide the dough into small coin-size pieces.
- Add a small piece of chocolate inside each mochi piece. Wrap the mochi around the chocolate and roll into a small ball.
- Roll a piece of cookie dough into a ball, then flatten it into a disc. Add a piece of chocolate mochi in the middle.
- Wrap cookie dough around the mochi, ensuring it’s all sealed in well.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add chocolate chips on top of each cookie. Bake and enjoy!
Flavour Variations
If you leave out the chocolate chips, you can use this recipe as a base for any type of cookie. The same goes for the mochi centre.
Here are some of my favourite flavours:
Cookie base
- Chocolate chip cookies – add chips to the base recipe. You can use milk chocolate, dark or white chocolate
- Dark chocolate cookies – add cocoa powder to dough
- Raspberry cookies – add freeze dried raspberry powder
- Strawberry cookies - add freeze dried strawberry powder
- Lemon cookies – add 1 teaspoon of lemon extract and 2 teaspoons of lemon zest
- Matcha cookies – add 1 teaspoon of matcha powder
- Peanut butter – replace butter with peanut butter in the same quantity
- Nutella – replace half of the butter with Nutella
- Gluten-free - try this Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe for the base
Mochi stuffing
- Plain mochi
- Molten chocolate mochi – see recipe below
- Red bean paste mochi – fill mochi with red bean paste
- Taro mochi – fill with Taro Paste
- Strawberry mochi – fill with strawberry jam
- Cheesecake mochi – fill with sweetened cream cheese
Success Tips & Tricks
- Good quality mochi flour: The secret to chewy and soft mochi is high quality glutinous rice flour. I recommend always using mochiko flour for the best results.
- Do not add extra flour: The cookie dough will appear quite soft but resist the temptation to add extra flour. Adding more flour will make the cookie dense and bread-like.
- Chill the cookie dough: Although we want a soft cookie dough, it can be difficult to shape into cookies. To help, ensure the dough is properly chilled before shaping. It needs at least 1-2 hours in the fridge for the butter to harden.
- Don’t overbake: The cookies will appear very fragile and soft after baking. This is normal, so do not bake for longer if you want soft and chewy cookies.
- Serve fresh: Mochi cookies are best served fresh, ideally half an hour after baking. This way the centre will still be soft and the chocolate melty.
How to store
Mochi cookies are best stored at room temperature for up to 2 days. However, I recommend eating them within a day for the best texture. Before storing, ensure they are completely cooled to room temperature. Place in an airtight container and store in a dry place at room temperature.
Do not store them in the fridge, as this can make the mochi inside too rubbery and unpleasant.
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Recipe
Mochi Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (100 grams)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (100 grams)
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour (200 grams)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (2 grams)
- ½ cup semi-sweet dark chocolate chips (80 grams)
Mochi filling
- ½ cup mochiko flour* (60 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons powdered sugar (15 grams)
- ⅓ cup milk, warm (100 grams)
- 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened (10 grams)
- 1 bar milk chocolate
Extra
- corn starch, for dusting
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- In a large bowl add the softened butter, salt, and brown sugar. Use a hand mixer to combine until pale and fluffy, for about 2 minutes.
- Add in the egg, then mix again to combine into a smooth paste.
- Sift in the flour and baking soda. Use a hand mixer to combine, only mix until the dough is just about combined. Do not over-mix! The cookie dough will be very soft, but do not add extra flour.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1-2 hours. Chilling will make the dough harder and easier to handle.
- Once hardened, divide the dough into 12 equal parts using an ice cream scoop.
- Roll the pieces into small balls. Place them on a large plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Mochi filling
- In a small glass bowl, add the mochiko flour, sugar, and warm milk. Mix well to combine into a lump-free paste.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, then poke a few holes in the film with a toothpick. Microwave for 30-45 seconds.
- Remove plastic wrap from bowl, then use a spatula to mix the paste and break up larger chunks. Cover the bowl with the pieced plastic wrap, then microwave again for 45 seconds to 1 minute.
- Remove foil, then mix well with a spatula. At this point, the mochi dough should be very sticky. Keep mixing until the dough looks smooth.
- Add butter into the cooked mochi and mix well until the butter is fully incorporated. Cover and let cool down completely.
- Dust a plate with corn starch and place the mochi dough onto it. Dust the top with more corn starch, then press down on the dough to flatten it. Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces the size of a coin.
Assembling the Mochi Cookies
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Flatten the mochi piece with the palm, then place a piece of chocolate in the middle.
- Wrap the sides of the mochi dough over the chocolate, encasing it inside. Roll in palm to make it round.
- Flatten each piece of cookie dough into a disc. Place a chocolate mochi in the middle of the cookie dough. Wrap the dough around to encase the mochi completely.
- Roll the cookie to make it round. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Place all cookies on the baking sheets, leaving at least 2-3 inches between them.
- Add chocolate chips on top of all the cookies, pressing down to make it stick to the dough.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden-brown in colour.
- Let the cookies cool down on the tray for 10 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. Enjoy whilst still warm for the best texture!
Notes
- I recommend using a kitchen scale in grams for more accuracy. The cups used for the conversion are standard US customary cups (1 cup flour = 136g). There are many different types of cups across the globe, which is why I strongly recommend using grams instead.
- Mochiko flour can be replaced with any other type of sweet glutinous rice flour.
- Nutritional value is estimative and it's calculated per serving (this recipe makes 12 cookies).
- Serve within a day for the best texture.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for maximum 2 days.
Nutrition
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Jo says
When I visited South Korea years ago I had Hershey's chocolate mochi cookies and have been looking for them ever since, but you can't find them in the States. I added a little cocoa powder to the cookie dough and omgg these taste so similar! I didn't use the chocolate inside, and it was still amazing!
Emma Em says
OMGG I've been looking everywhere for these! So happy I finally found the recipe and could make them. It was a little tricky to get the mochi to stick properly, but it worked out well in the end. They taste so good fresh, but they go a little chewy after 2 days.
Sam says
I used store bought mochi for the center but it still came out really good and chewy.