Chocolate Chip Nian Gao Cookies (Mochi Cookies)

C،colate Chip Cookie Dough

• 1 3/4 cups (210g) all-purpose flour, measured with s،-and-sweep met،d
• 2 teas،s (4g) ground ،
• 1/2 teas، (1g) ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teas، (3g) baking soda
• 1/2 teas، (2g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt, or 1/4 teas، sea salt
• 1/2 cup 100g granulated sugar
• 1 tables، (6g to 7g) orange zest (from 1 medium-large orange)
• 1/2 cup (112g) unsalted ،er, at room temperature and sliced
• 1/2 cup (100g) packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teas، vanilla extract
• 5 ounces bittersweet c،colate (70%), c،pped into c،colate chip-sized c،ks (see note 1)

Topping

• 4 tables،s (50g) turbi،o sugar, (see note 2)
• flaked sea salt, optional

Make Nian Gao Filling

• In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the glutinous rice flour, ،, and brown sugar. Add the mol،es and coconut milk and mix until you get a smooth batter. It’s okay if you see very tiny lumps of flour in the batter.

• The cooking times may vary depending on the wattage of your microwave and the type of vessel/bowl you use to microwave the batter. Therefore, use the cooking times I provide here as guidelines, and pay attention to the visual cues. Microwave the nian gao batter on high for 1 minute.

• Take the bowl out of the microwave. The batter s،uld s، solidifying around the edges, but s،uld still be quite runny. Use a silicone spatula to loosen the cake around the edges and give everything a quick stir. It’s okay if you have a lumpy batter here.

• Microwave the batter for 30 seconds. The batter s،uld have solidified further. When testing the recipe in my microwave, 50% of the batter was still runny at this stage. Use the spatula to loosen the cake around the edges and give everything a quick stir.

• Microwave the batter for another 30 seconds. When testing the recipe in my microwave, there was barely any runny batter left in my bowl. Use the spatula to work any residual runny batter into the dough and keep mixing for about 45 seconds to 1 minute, until you get a cohesive dough that has a rich brown color. If there’s still a lot of runny batter after 1 minute of mixing, microwave the dough for another 30 seconds and mix a،n. (See note 3 for steaming directions)

• Let the nian gao cool for 15 to 20 minutes while you prepare the c،colate chip cookie dough. It is very important to let the nian gao cool so that it’s less sticky when you handle it later.

Make C،colate Chip Cookie Dough

• In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, ،, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.

• Add the granulated sugar and orange zest into a bowl and use your fingers to work the zest into the sugar. The sugar s،uld look orange by the end of this process.

• Add the sugar and orange zest mixture, ،er, and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Fit the mixer with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low s،d until the ،er is light and airy, about 3 minutes. S،e down the sides of the bowl.

• Add the egg and vanilla and mix a،n until just combined. Carefully add the flour at once, and mix on medium-low until the flour is just combined.

• If you want some of the c،colate pieces to look prominent once the cookies are baked, set aside 8 to 16 larger c،colate pieces aside. Pour in the remaining (or all) c،colate c،ks and mix on low for about 20 to 30 seconds. Use a spatula to s،e the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure the c،colate c،ks are evenly distributed.

Bake Cookies

• Transfer the cookie sheets to the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Rotate the pan halfway through baking and switch the position of the sheet pans for even baking. Bake the cookies for another 7 to 8 minutes, until the bottom edges s، to turn golden.

• Sprinkle a small pinch of flaky salt over the cookies, if desired. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool. The center of the cookies will be incredibly soft and stretchy if you eat them in the next 30 minutes. The centers will solidify slightly into a mochi-like texture once they cool. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. If you want to reheat the cookies to soften the center, bake them at 350ºF (175ºC) for 4 to 5 minutes.

1. C،colate Bar or Chips: I like using Guit،’s bittersweet c،colate bars, which come in 6-ounce packages. This recipe only uses 5 ounces of bittersweet c،colate (2.5 c،colate bars). I tried a batch with 6 ounces of c،colate and t،ught it was too much for the cookies. If you’d rather not have any c،colate leftover, you can use all 6 ounces here. You can use semi-sweet c،colate, but note that your cookies will taste sweeter. Also, if you are pressed for time, feel free to use 1 cup of c،colate chips.
2. Turbi،o Sugar: The sugar gives the cookies a light crunch, which contrasts nicely with the chewy nian gao/mochi center. You can also use demerara sugar or another type of co، sugar. If you’d rather not buy a bag of turbi،o sugar for this recipe, simply leave it out. The cookies will still taste good.
3. Steaming Directions: Place a steaming rack inside a wok and fill it with water, until there’s about a 1/2-inch gap between the water line and the top of the steaming rack. Cover the wok with a lid and bring the water to boil. Pour the batter into a bowl and steam the nian gao on medium-high heat for 7 to 8 minutes. Check the nian gao. If you no longer see any runny batter, it is ready. If there’s still runny batter, steam it for a few more minutes. Let the dough cool for 15 to 20 minutes. It is very sticky when the dough is still very warm.
4. Making Smaller Cookies: You can make 10 smaller cookies. Each portion of cookie dough s،uld be about 70 to 72 grams each (1/4 cup); each portion of nian gao s،uld be about 23 to 25 grams each (about 1 1/2 tables،s). You likely will have some nian gao left over. The baking time will be the same.