Kitsby x Kristina Cho: Coconut and Peanut Mochi Ball Kit + Cookbook

I could eat these snowball-like confections by the handful. They’re also one of the few gluten-free Chinese bakery options, thanks to glutinous rice flour. Think of them as sweet dumplings: chewy mochi is stuffed with crunchy roasted peanuts mixed with honey, some peanut butter, and a generous pinch of salt. It’s the satisfying amalgamation of chewy and crunchy that makes the treats so popular. My filling deviates slightly from tradition—the addition of peanut butter and honey provides a little moisture, which helps the filling stick together better. The filling is plenty sweet, but the salt gives it that sweet-salty contrast I love. — Kristina

Kristina Cho is a Bay Area-based food blogger, recipe developer, and cooking instructor. She's originally from Cleveland, Ohio, where her family owned and operated a Chinese restaurant. Cooking and sharing culture through food were always a huge part of her life. Before becoming a food blogger, Kristina studied and worked in architecture and interior design. Architecture instilled in her a designer's attention to detail, a disciplined approach to iteration, and creative artistry. But between sketching and coordinating construction drawings, she spent all her time exploring new flavors, shopping for the freshest ingredients at her local farmers markets, and developing recipes for her blog, Eat Cho Food. 

Today she has dedicated her professional career to making, teaching, writing about, and photographing her unique interpretations of Chinese food—everything from noodle soups to dumplings, and of course, baked goods. 

SERVINGS: 20 mochi balls
LEVEL: Easy
PREP TIME: 1 hr
COOK TIME: 20 min

Ingredients:

For the Mochi
Coconut milk
Glutinous rice flour
Sugar
Cornstarch

For the Filling
Roasted unsalted peanuts
Peanut butter
Honey
Coarse salt
Finely shredded unsweetened coconut

Tools:
Nonstick saucepan
Whisk
Flexible spatula
Silicone baking mat
Rolling pin
Food processor

Contains: Peanuts