Mochiko Cupcakes...

I recently had to come up with a dessert recipe using rice for Honolulu's 3rd annual Rice Festival.

Coconut Mochi cupcakes with Pumpkin frosting and crispy rice brittle

Chef Mavro and I got to demonstrate how to to make the Coconut Mochi cupcake recipe that I chose as one of the 'celebrity chef' appearances along with Hawaii News Now's Stephanie Lum and Shawn Ching...

We had a lot of fun and I wanted to share the recipe...

Coconut Mochi Cupcakes (makes 5 dozen mini cupcakes)

1 lb Mochiko sweet rice flour

1 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher salt

3 each eggs

1 1/2 cups rice milk

3/4 cup coconut oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line mini muffin pan with paper liners.  

In a large bowl combine the rice flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  In another bowl combine the eggs, rice milk, and coconut oil.  Pour the egg mixture into the rice flour mixture and mix thoroughly with a whisk.  The batter will be stiff, keep mixing to combine well.  

Transfer batter to a piping bag and fill the mini muffin cups 3/4 full.  Bake about 20 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.  

Top the cupcakes with your favorite frosting.  I used a Pumpkin Cream Cheese frosting recipe that I found online and garnished it with a bite size crispy rice brittle.

Took my favorite peanut brittle recipe and in the spirit of Rice Fest substituted crispy rice cereal for the peanuts...

Chef Mavro and I prepping for our
Rice Fest demonstration.
I'm breaking up the
brittle into pieces.  

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

2 cups crispy rice cereal

1 1/2 tsp baking soda 

1 tsp vanilla

In a large pot combine the sugar, corn syrup, water, and butter.  Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat to 275 degrees F (use a candy thermometer).  Add the crispy rice cereal and continue cooking, stirring constantly to 300 degrees F.  Add the baking soda and vanilla and mix just to combine.  Pour onto a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch baking sheet and spread evenly.  Allow to cool before breaking up into bite size pieces.  

I was surprised how great these cupcakes turned out.  They were nice and crispy on the outside and had the familiar chewiness of mochi on the inside.  The combination of coconut and pumpkin was an interesting fall flavored treat with a tropical twist.  Hope you enjoy the recipe!

and although it's embarrassing to see myself on the stage with a microphone I'll share this clip with you:)