Post published: 07/30/20 Updated: 04/24/2024
Inspired by Hawaiian butter mochi, these nutty black sesame mochi muffins are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
WATCH BLACK SESAME MOCHI MUFFINS RECIPE VIDEO BELOW:
Has anyone been to Third Culture Bakery in Berkeley, California? I have heard so much about their Original Mochi Muffins and have always wanted to try them. I also keep seeing them on Instagram, which makes me want to try them even more! Since it is nearly impossible and unsafe to travel due to the pandemic, I've decided to make my own to satisfy my cravings, for now.
Disclaimer: I personally have never tried them, but I have done plenty of research and tested numerous recipes. I also got friends and coworkers to taste-test and they all approved! My recipe and the flavor might be totally different from Third Culture Bakery, but it is what I imagined their muffins would taste like. Regardless, I'd eat anything with mochi in it.
INGREDIENTS:
- Butter, melted
- Eggs
- Coconut Milk
- Brown Sugar
- Sweet Rice Flour (I used Mochiko)
- Baking Powder
- Salt
- Black Sesame Seeds
- Honey
Based on my intense online research and readings, their gluten-free mochi muffins are made with Mochiko sweet rice flour. Coconut milk and butter give the muffins their richness and sesame seeds on top added a toasty flavor. I also read that they use pandan for sweetness. For texture, their muffins are dense and chewy in the center, and crispy on the exterior.
For this recipe, I incorporated my homemade black sesame paste. The result is less buttery, but more of a nutty flavor. Every single bite is like an explosion of sesame seeds. They are really gooooooooood. I also used dark brown sugar for sweetness and caramelization, since it was more accessible. Next time I do want to try using pandan and coconut sugar.
HOW TO MAKE BLACK SESAME PASTE:
- Toast black sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat. Keep stirring until you smell the aroma and hear light popping sound. You can also place sesame seeds onto a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes.
- Using a coffee grinder, blender, or food processor, grind the toasted seeds until grainy. Add honey and mix until smooth.
If you've had the original mochi muffins from Third Culture Bakery, please let me know what they're like, and how this recipe compares to theirs!
OTHER RECIPES YOU MAY ENJOY:
- BLACK SESAME MOCHI COOKIES (GLUTEN FREE)
- BLACK SESAME STEAMED BUNS
- SESAME BALLS RECIPE (5 INGREDIENTS)
- MATCHA MOCHI MUFFINS (GLUTEN FREE)
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Make sure you also tag me @onehappybite on Instagram and hashtag it #onehappybite so I can see your creations!
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Black Sesame Mochi Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
Inspired by Hawaiian butter mochi, these nutty black sesame mochi muffins are crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet rice flour
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 13.5 oz coconut milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup sesame seeds, toasted
- ½ cup honey
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously brush cupcake or muffin tin with butter.
Sesame Paste
-
Toast black sesame seeds in a pan over medium heat. Keep stirring until you smell the aroma and hear light popping sound. You can also place sesame seeds onto a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes.
-
Using a coffee grinder, blender, or food processor, grind the toasted seeds until grainy. Add honey and mix until smooth. Set the sesame paste aside.
Sesame Mochi Muffins
-
In a large bowl, prepare dry ingredients. Mix flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
-
In another bowl, prepare wet ingredients. Whisk together melted butter, coconut milk, and eggs.
-
Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix until smooth. Then add sesame paste into the batter, stir until well combined.
-
Fill each muffin tin with batter up to just below the rim. Sprinkle some black and white sesame seeds on top (optional).
-
Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until the tops and edges are golden brown. Remove muffins from the tin and let cool completely before eating. Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe inspired by Snixy Kitchen’s Butter Mochi Cupcakes and New York Times’ Brown Butter Mochi recipes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American, Chinese, Japanese, Taiwanese
Keywords: mochi, muffins, sesame
Emma King says
Love these! They turned out so yummy! Money browned in about 30 min.
★★★★★
Christian says
Yay! So happy they turned out great for you 🙂
silvana says
I just made them, they came out deeeee-licious! I happen to live close to Third Culture in Berkeley, and regularly pick up their goodies, so I can verify that these are strong contenders, if not a little bit better.
I made 2 tweaks:
- substituted coconut sugar for brown sugar for a bit healthier option, and it didn't impact the moisture in my opinion.
- I didn't have coconut milk, so I combined a ratio of coconut cream and coconut water to make a substitute.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I will surely be using it again!
★★★★★
Serena Kohar says
Made these last night and loved them soon much! Perfect texture, perfect mochi pull and when they came out of the oven, the tops were so crispy I literally died and came back to life. My boyfriend can't get enough of them either
★★★★★
Christian says
Oh my goodness!! Thank you for taking the time to try the recipe and write a review. I'm so glad you and your boyfriend like them!!
Tiffany Huang says
So excited to make this for a friend! I have a jar of black sesame tahini (unsweetened) -- do you think this would be possible to substitute in place of making the black sesame paste in steps 1-2?
Christian says
Hi yes, you can substitute with black tahini. The muffins may come out less sweet, but it should work!
Mateen says
I've just moved away from Berkeley and I've missed the mochi muffins from Third Culture Bakery + all the cafes they supply so much. I've made them twice now with your recipe and they are so good + so similar! I didn't have black sesame seeds on hand, so I made the first batch with white sesame seeds and they were delicious! The next day I tried it with a few changes:
- coconut paste instead of sesame paste
- pandan extract instead of vanilla extract
- dessicated coconut on top instead of sesame seeds
and it was SO good too! Thank you so much for this recipe, can't wait to make them again + try out new flavors as well! :')
★★★★★
Christian says
Thank you so much!! Glad to know that they taste similar, you just made my day!
Christina says
Hi!!. I made yesterday and just tried it... Delicious 👏🏻👏🏻. It’s so chewy and soft. Thank you!
★★★★★
Christian says
Thank you for trying the recipe! So glad you like it!
Caroline says
Can I use the same measurements if I already have sesame powder?
Christian says
You should be able to! Just replace sesame seeds with sesame powder and add honey for sweetness.
kim says
Hi! I've been wanting to try these mochi muffins in Berekely, but sadly haven't been able to drive over 🙁 Thank you for your recipe! I can't wait to try it out! I don't have a cupcake tin, but do you happen to know if I'll be able to bake these in silicone cupcake molds instead?
Christian says
You should be able to use silicone molds! I would still make sure to grease the mold with cooking spray or butter. Let me know if it works 🙂
Caroline says
Thank you! My whole family loved it!
★★★★★
Christian says
So glad you and your family enjoyed the muffins!
Michelle says
This was so good! I substituted butter with ghee and dark brown sugar with organic cane sugar since we didn't have any. It was bombs! 🤤🤤🤤
★★★★★
Christian says
Thank you so much, I'm really glad you liked them!
Emilia says
Hi! I had never thought about making muffins with mochi flour, and the addition of black sesame makes me super curious to try them. I do have one question: do you think I could substitute the eggs with chia seeds or psyllium husk? I know the flavour is going to change if I do, but mostly I was wondering about the texture and structure.
★★★★★
Christian says
Oh, it is so good you have to try it with mochi flour! And if you like sesame, you would absolutely love these muffins. I have never tried it with eggs substitute, so I am not sure how the muffins will turn out, sorry!
Kirthi H says
Hello! I actually haven’t tried this recipe, but I have everything needed...so I can’t wait to try it! I do have a question though. I already have black sesame paste, so I’m wondering how much of that would I use? I’m thinking it would end up being 1C (1/2+1/2), but since the seeds get blended with honey I don’t feel confident about that being right haha. What amount would you recommend?
★★★★★
Christian says
Hi! If you already have black sesame paste, then just use 1/2 cup! Can't wait for you to try it !
Cheryl says
The muffin was really good! A tad sweet for my liking but the taste is spot on. I used paper liners and they’re all stuck so I’m actually disappointed in that. Will bake without them next time!
★★★★★
Christian says
I'm glad you like the muffins! I find that greasing generously with just butter or ALOT of cooking spray works better than paper liners. Hope you make them again 🙂
CC says
Do you know what's one cup of mochiko in grams?
Christian says
1 cup of mochiko flour is about 150-160 grams!
Kirthi says
Hello, it seems my comment didn’t post earlier. I was wondering, since I already have the sesame paste. How much would I add instead of the homemade sesame paste. Would it still be 1 cup? Thanks!
★★★★★
Christian says
Hi, if you have already-made sesame paste, then you would only need 1/2 cup!
Jessica says
Just made these today and they are wonderful!!! Great recipe!! Thanks for sharing it. Many happy bites for sure.
★★★★★
Christian says
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked them !
Olivia says
Can I substitute the coconut milk with other type of milk (regular milk, almond milk, or soy milk?
Christian says
I've tried regular whole milk and evaporate milk before, and they both work for this recipe.
Julie says
Sounds delish!!
Would you consider making a matcha version of this?
★★★★★
Christian says
I do have a recipe for matcha mochi muffins --> https://onehappybite.com/matcha-mochi-muffins-gluten-free/
Monica Ka'auwai says
I made this today! So good ! The flavor of the black sesame is spot on. My family loved them too. Recipe made 19 muffins and baked in 50 minutes. Mahalo for the recipe Christian 😍🤗
★★★★★
Christian says
Yay!! So happy to hear that 🙂
Rand says
We made these last night and I’m officially addicted! Fantastic recipe! We substituted pandan extract for the vanilla, and used coconut sugar, and the flavor was outstanding. Because we love black sesame flavor so much, we were wondering what you think about substituting some black sesame oil for some of the butter. Do you think that would work, and if so, what proportions do you think would be best? Also, we’ve had the Third Culture Muffins before and indeed they are amazing. But I have to say that your version is every bit as good.
★★★★★
Christian says
Hi there! Thank you for visiting my website! I think if you substitute just 1-2 tbsp should be fine, but not too much because too much oil can make the muffins softer, instead of crispy exterior. Hope it works!
Lydia says
Hi Christian, would love to try your recipe. Does it still work if I substitute the coconut milk to fresh milk instead? will it change the texture though? thank you.
Christian says
Yes, you can substitute coconut milk, it should work!
Tiff says
Tried this the other day but added a little bit more mochiko flour bcus the batter seemed watery. However, turned out great! This was a very easy recipe to follow.
I only had silicone cupcake holder so the edges were not as crispy as I’d expect a muffin TIN would bake but my family actually liked the “softer” edges and the top/bottom crunchy!
Thank you for this recipe 🙂
★★★★★
Christian says
Tiff, thanks for visiting my website! Silicone material does create softer texture, so glad your family still love them!
Fern says
These muffins are so delicious! I changed them to vegan however, and they are still incredible! I love the contrast of the crispy outside and the gooey inside and of course the flavor of black sesame which is so unique. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!
ou.christian says
Sooo happy to hear that you love these muffins as much as I do!
Angie says
Hi Christian! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I love third culture mochi muffins, but I'm lactose-intolerant so it's always a bit of a risk stomach-wise since they use quite a bit of butter.
I swapped out the melted butter for melted coconut oil and the recipe still came out wonderfully. I also hadn't made my own sesame paste before, and thought the freshness really added something! Compared to third culture, I think your mochi muffins have a much more moist, mochi middle, which I enjoyed even more than the original. Thank you so much! Trying to stop myself from gobbling these up in one night!
★★★★★
ou.christian says
Hi Angie! Wow, I am flattered! Good to know that coconut oil works too. I find making your own black sesame paste always taste better. Thank you so much for making my recipe:)
Anonymous says
Oh yeah !!! I tried Yesterday and it was so good !!!!!! I used chia seeds instead of eggs. Délicious !!! Thanks ❤️ !!!!
★★★★★
Odile says
Oh yeah !!! I tried Yesterday and it was so good !!!!!! I used chia seeds instead of eggs. Délicious !!! Thanks ❤️ !!!!
★★★★★
ou.christian says
Amazing! I didn't know you can use chia seeds instead of eggs! So glad you liked it 🙂
Renee says
Excited to try this recipe! If I used a silicone mini muffin pan, would I need to adjust the bake time?
ou.christian says
Hi Renee, I am excited for you to try! Silicon pan tends to bake more quickly. I would reduce the baking time and check periodically to make sure the muffins are not burnt.
silvana says
I just made them, they came out deeeee-licious! I happen to live close to Third Culture in Berkeley, and regularly pick up their goodies, so I can verify that these are strong contenders, if not a little bit better.
I made 2 tweaks:
- substituted coconut sugar for brown sugar for a bit healthier option, and it didn't impact the moisture in my opinion.
- I didn't have coconut milk, so I combined a ratio of coconut cream and coconut water to make a substitute.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, I will surely be using it again!
★★★★★
ou.christian says
Thank you so much for your sweet feedback! Glad it worked out for you 🙂