Hello Friends! Did you know that December 24th marks the birthdays of our "Friend of the Month", Little Twin Stars - Kiki & Lala? Let's celebrate this special day by making Little Twin Stars inspired mochi!
As one year ends and another begins, the Japanese tradition of mochi making is one that brings generations of families together. This holiday season, make some for your friends and family to show them that you love them to the moon and back! Just a taste of this dreamy sweet treat and the stars will align for a joyful & prosperous new year!
Bonnie Eng is a content creator & recipe developer based out of Southern California. She has a passion for cooking, baking, crafting and all things tea. To see more of her work, please visit her Instagram or blog.
Now let's get started on this supercute recipe!
Little Twin Stars Mochi
(Makes 6 filled mochi.)
Ingredients:
{Fruit Filling}
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 Tbsp instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1 Tbsp powdered sugar
- fresh tangerine wedges
{Kiki & Lala Mochi Wrappers}
- 2 cups mochiko (glutinous rice) flour, divided
- ½ cup white sugar, divided
- 2 cups water, divided
- food coloring, in peach, blue, & pink
- ¼ cup katakuriko (potato starch)
{Baked Rainbow Mochi}
- 1 ½ cups mochiko (glutinous rice) flour
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ cup water
- food coloring, in teal, yellow & pink
- ¼ cup katakuriko (potato starch)
{Star, Moon, & Cloud Mochi Cut-Outs}
- ½ cup mochiko (glutinous rice) flour
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ cup water
- food coloring, in yellow, pink, blue, or purple (optional)
- 2 Tbsp katakuriko (potato starch)
{Kiki & Lala Mochi Decorations}
- chocolate pearls
- brown food marker
- 2 Tbsp white icing, tinted blue
- star sprinkles
Materials:
- Mixing bowls
- Hand mixer
- Cookie dough scoop that holds 3 Tbsp
- Cookie sheet fitted with parchment paper
- Flat edged rubber spatula
- Whisk
- Plastic wrap
- Work surface
- Rolling pin
- Pastry brush or mesh sieve
- 3 1/2” round cookie cutter
- Rectangular fluted tart pan
- Roll cutter
- Thin straw with pointy end
- Toothpicks
- 6” square pan, greased with nonstick spray
- Sheet of foil
- Star, moon, & cloud cookie cutters
- Piping bag fitted with #44 tip
Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream, pudding mix, and powdered sugar to stiff peaks. Spoon some cream into a cookie dough scoop until it is half full, then place 1-2 wedges of fresh tangerine into the middle of the scoop. Top with more cream, then level off with a flat-edged rubber spatula. Place the scoops of cream on a baking sheet, then chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour until firm.
2. While you are waiting for the cream fillings to set, create the mochi for their faces. Combine the 1 cup mochiko, ¼ cup white sugar, 1 cup water, and 1 tiny drop of peach food coloring in a large bowl. Whisk to create a peach-colored, smooth batter. Cover with plastic wrap, then microwave the mixture for 1 minute.
3. Carefully take the bowl out of the microwave, mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula, then cover and microwave again for 1 minute. Remove, mix, cover again, then microwave again for 1 minute. The mochi dough is ready when it is translucent and no longer powdery in appearance.
4. Carefully spoon the hot mochi dough out onto a work surface generously dusted with katakuriko. Sprinkle a generous amount of katakuriko on top of the blob of dough, then use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to an 8” square with 1/8” thickness. Use a pastry brush to dust off excess katakuriko.
5. Use a 3 ½” round cookie cutter generously coated with katakuriko to cut out 4 rounds of mochi dough. Gather the scraps, lightly knead them into a dough again, then re-roll and cut out 2 more rounds.
6. Remove the fruit-filled whipped cream portions from the freezer. Wrap each semicircle of cream in a round of mochi dough. Pinch the edges together to seal, then turn over and finish shaping into a slightly oval round. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge.
7. To make Kiki’s blue hair, combine ½ cup mochiko, 2 Tbsp white sugar, ½ cup water & 1 drop blue food coloring in a small bowl. To make LaLa’s pink hair, combine ½ cup mochiko, 2 Tbsp white sugar, ½ cup water & 1 drop pink food coloring in another small mixing bowl. Cover each bowl with plastic wrap. Cook each bowl of dough individually in the microwave for a total of 2 minutes, mixing and covering again after the 1st minute.
8. Carefully spoon the blue Kiki hot mochi dough out onto a work surface generously dusted with katakuriko. Sprinkle a generous amount of katakuriko on top of the blob of dough, then use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to a 9” x 5” rectangle with a 1/8” thickness. With the fluted edge of the tart pan, cut the dough into 3 equal pieces, each 3” x 5”. Use a pastry brush to dust off excess katakuriko. Shape a piece of the dough around a filled mochi as Kiki’s hair, trim off any excess with a roll cutter, then tuck the edges under and pinch to seal.
9. Carefully spoon the pink Lala hot mochi dough out onto a work surface generously dusted with katakuriko. Sprinkle a generous amount of katakuriko on top of the blob of dough, then use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to a 9” x 5” rectangle with a 1/8” thickness. With the fluted edge of the tart pan, cut the dough into 3 trapezoids. Use a pastry brush to dust off excess katakuriko. Shape the dough around a filled mochi as Lala’s hair, then tuck the edges under and pinch to seal.
10. Use the pointy end of a thin straw to cut out the part of their hair where it sticks up. You will need to punch out 2 teardrop-like shapes from the blue Kiki dough and 2 teardrop-like shapes from the Lala dough. To attach, push the narrow ends of the cut-outs into their mochi “hair” using a toothpick.
11. To make the Rainbow Mochi, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix 1 ½ cups of mochiko, ⅔ cups sugar, ½ tsp baking powder, and 1 ½ cups water in a large bowl. Divide the batter evenly between 3 small bowls. Mix in a drop of food coloring into each bowl--teal in one bowl, yellow in another bowl, and pink in the final bowl.
12. Pour the teal batter into the greased square pan, then cover with foil and bake for about 12 minutes or until the mochi is just set. Remove the pan from the oven, pour the yellow batter atop the blue, then again cover with foil and bake for about 12 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven once again, pour the pink batter atop the yellow, then again cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. The mochi is done when the middle is set and translucent and the edges appear slightly puffed.
13. Allow the rainbow mochi to cool to room temperature. Use a flat edged spatula to remove the mochi from the pan. Place the cake on a work surface generously dusted with katakuriko. Use a chef’s knife to cut out thick strips (for a full rainbow) or smaller pieces. Use a pastry brush or mesh sieve to dust off excess katakuriko.
14. To create star, moon & cloud mochi cut-outs, heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix the ½ cup mochiko, 2 Tbsp sugar, ¼ tsp baking powder, and ½ cup water in a small bowl. If you prefer, mix in a drop of food coloring in a shade of your choice. Pour the batter into a greased square pan, then cover with foil and bake for about 12 minutes or until the mochi is just set. After it has cooled to room temperature, use a flat edged spatula to remove the mochi from the pan. Place the cake on a work surface generously dusted with katakuriko. Use cookie cutters to cut-out star, moon & cloud shapes. Use a mesh sieve or pastry brush to dust off excess katakuriko.
15. To attach Kiki & Lala’s eyes, use a toothpick to pierce a small hole into the mochi, exposing the sticky mochi underneath the surface. Push a chocolate pearl into the mochi. Use a brown food marker to draw their smiles.
16. To create the star behind Kiki, use a medium star cutter to create a cut-out. To create Lala’s wand, follow Step 14 to create some yellow cut-out mochi. Cut out a small star from the finished mochi cake. Stain a toothpick with a brown food marker, then use it to pierce the small star cut out.
17. Pipe Lala’s hair band from blue tinted frosting. Stick 2 star sprinkles off to the side of her hair band and she’s done!
Now you can enjoy these supercute Little Twin Star Mochi's!
