These mochi muffins are packed with umami flavor from miso paste and perfect amount of nuttiness from tahini.
Ever since I made these Black Sesame Mochi Muffins, I can’t stop thinking about that chewy texture and sweet nutty flavor. To be honest, I don’t really like cupcakes or muffins. I only make them if customers placed an order or if friends and family requested them for special occasions. Mochi muffins are different…they are not too sweet, have great texture, and easy to devour without making a mess. Lately I’ve been obsessed with incorporating different flavor combinations into mochi muffins. I’ve been experimenting with many exciting ingredients, so stay tuned for more.
When thinking about the next flavor to try, the first thing that came to mind was white sesame seeds. Black sesame was delicious, so why not try white sesame this time? Instead of making my own sesame paste, I happened to have a jar of tahini in the fridge. Perfect! Tahini is basically ground toasted sesame seeds. In the past, I have used tahini in bread and brownies. Its rich luscious flavor and velvety smooth texture are the perfect addition to many desserts.
Check out other recipes made with Tahini:
Almond Butter Chocolate Swirl Banana Bread
Gluten Free Tahini Fudge Brownies
MISO
Miso is often found in many savory dishes – salad, salmon, soup, or noodles. But adding miso into muffins? YUP. Miso is not just for miso soup. Miso has all kinds of interesting flavor dimensions. It’s hard to describe miso in just one word. It is salty and savory. It has a hint of butter, a little bit of nuttiness, and a wonderful umami flavor.
After I made the first batch of muffins with tahini, I felt like something was missing. The flavor was good, but it didn’t make me go back for second. I tried adding salt and caramel sauce, but still was not good enough. Then I remember reading an article about miso and how it can add depth and intensify flavor in desserts such as chocolate and ice cream. So I added miso into the batter, and it was the best decisions I’ve ever made.
In this recipe, I used white miso paste. White miso is the mildest on the market and it is less intense than red miso. The buttery texture and the amount of saltiness is perfect for sweet applications. You can find it on Amazon or most grocery stores. It is often in the refrigerated section, kept with tofu, vegan cheese, and alternative meat. Or go to your local Asian grocery store for cheaper deal!
You don’t have to add miso paste if that’s not your thing, but I highly recommend adding into the muffins for that extra “wow” flavor!
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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Miso Tahini Mochi Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
Description
Chewy and crispy, these mochi muffins are packed with umami flavors from miso paste and perfect amount of nuttiness from tahini.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup + 2 tbsp Mochiko sweet rice flour (about 270g)
- 1 cup + 1 tbsp coconut sugar*
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 13.5 oz can coconut milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup tahini
- 2 tbsp white miso paste
- white sesame seeds (optional)
- white chocolate for drizzle (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Generously grease the cupcake/muffin tin with butter.
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In a large bowl, prepare the dry ingredients. Mix flour, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt together.
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In another bowl, prepare the wet ingredients. Whisk together melted butter, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla extract.
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Add dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Whisk until smooth and no more lumps. Then add tahini and miso paste into the batter, whisk until well combined.
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Fill each muffin tin with batter up to just below the rim. Sprinkle white sesame seeds on top (optional).
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Bake for 45-50 minutes*, or until tops and edges are golden brown. Remove muffins from the tin and let cool for 15 minutes.
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If desired, melt some white chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzle on top of the muffins.
Notes
You can substitute coconut sugar with brown sugar
Muffins can be stored in an air tight container up for up to 5 days.
If using a lighter muffin tin, it may need longer baking time.
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American, Japanese
Keywords: miso, mochi, muffins, tahini
Would almond flour work?
Since it’s a mochi muffin, you must use sweet rice flour for the mochi texture, preferably Mochiko Flour!
THESE ARE SO GOOD!!! Everything I was looking for in a recipe 🙂 Thank you so much
★★★★★
Im glad you like them! Thank you for trying the recipe!