Description
Mochi Ice Cream is a delightful Japanese-inspired dessert featuring smooth, chewy mochi dough wrapped around your favorite ice cream flavors. This recipe provides easy-to-follow steps to make soft and stretchy mochi dough using glutinous rice flour, then encase cold ice cream scoops for a refreshing treat perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Mochi Dough
- 1 cup glutinous rice flour (Sweet rice flour, preferably shiratamako or mochiko)
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 cup water
- Food coloring, optional (to change the color of the dough)
- Cornstarch or potato starch (for dusting and rolling)
Filling
- Ice cream, your favorite kind (for filling mochi)
Instructions
- Freeze Ice Cream Balls: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Quickly use a small ice cream scoop to form tight, flat-edged scoops of ice cream and place them on the parchment. Freeze these scoops for 1 hour to firm up.
- Make Mochi Dough: In a microwave-safe bowl, mix glutinous rice flour, sugar, and powdered sugar. Add water (and optional food coloring) and stir until smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for 1 minute. Wet a spatula to prevent sticking and fold the mixture. Cover and microwave again for 1 minute. Fold again and microwave for 30 seconds. If not shiny, microwave an additional 30 seconds until the dough looks slightly shiny and cooked through.
- Roll Dough: Place parchment paper on your countertop and dust it with cornstarch evenly. Transfer the hot mochi dough carefully onto the parchment, dust the top with cornstarch, and roll out into a roughly ¼-inch thick rectangle. If the dough sticks during rolling, dust more cornstarch on top. Place the rolled dough with parchment on a sheet pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Prepare Wrapping Material: Cut large squares of plastic wrap, one for each ice cream ball, to wrap mochi pieces individually after filling.
- Cut and Fill Dough: Remove chilled dough from the fridge and use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles. Brush off excess cornstarch using a pastry brush. Working quickly to prevent ice cream from melting, place one ice cream ball onto the center of each dough circle. Fold and pinch the mochi edges tightly around the ice cream, fully sealing it. Place wrapped mochi on plastic wrap and twist tightly at the top to seal.
- Freeze Final Mochi Ice Cream: Place wrapped mochi ice creams back in the freezer, twisted side down. Freeze for at least 1 hour before serving. Store wrapped mochi in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Allow mochi to soften slightly before eating for best texture.
Notes
- Variations on fillings include nutella, peanut butter, fresh strawberries, or traditional red bean paste (anko).
- To flavor the mochi dough, try stirring in 2 tablespoons peanut butter after microwaving, 1 teaspoon cocoa powder before cooking, 1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or 1 tablespoon coconut milk before cooking.
- Any ice cream or sorbet flavor works well for the filling.
- Use cornstarch or potato starch to prevent sticking during rolling and shaping.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes (microwaving dough total time)
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Microwaving
- Cuisine: Japanese
