Blog Sharing: The Gastronomy Gal

I t’ried to reblog this, but I had to cut and paste because I couldn’t get more than the title to come up. I love this blog!

Blackout Mochi Brownies with Raspberry Filling (GF + Oil-Free)

BY JAMIE LIN ON FEBRUARY 5, 2021 • ( 30 COMMENTS ) 41 Votesn’

These gluten and oil-free mochi brownies stuffed with raspberry chocolate take brownies to the next level!

If you have followed my website for a while, you must know that I love anything that is mochi (sweet rice flour) related. From my coconut matcha butter bars to mochi baked donuts to red bean and mochi manju, the possibilities are endless! You can catch me experimenting with mochi in all sorts of dishes, so I decided to make brownies with sweet rice flour instead of all-purpose flour because why not? I went a bit above and beyond and did more than just a typical brownie… I made a blackout mochi brownie, stuffed with raspberry chocolate. Whew! That’s a long name, so let me break down each component of the dessert for you.

Blackout brownies are brownies made with black cocoa powder which has a smooth, non-bitter and less chocolatey taste. I got inspired by the blackout brownies from a cafe in Singapore called Bundt by Backyard Bakers.
Mochi brownies are brownies made with sweet rice flour instead of all-purpose flour. The best thing about these brownies are that they’re gluten and oil free! Perfect for anyone who has some sort of gluten intolerance or allergy. These turned out way better than I expected and I think I may prefer mochi brownies over regular ones.
I made my own raspberry chocolate to pipe into these brownies and the flavor combination is spot-on. The brownies are slightly sweet and the raspberry chocolate is a bit sour which complements the sweetness of the brownie so well! My homemade chocolate consists of white chocolate chips, raspberry powder, and a bit of cream. You can also consider using ruby chocolate, a naturally pink chocolate with a fruity taste.

I chose to use black cocoa powder instead of regular cocoa powder for this recipe since I wanted the dark black to contrast more with the pink chocolate. The common Dutch-processed cocoa powder is brown rather than black.

What is black cocoa powder?

Black cocoa powder, as it sounds, is literally pitch black. It is cocoa powder that has been processed with alkaline and yields a less bitter and less chocolatey taste. I do like it because the flavor isn’t as dense. The most popular use of black cocoa powder is in Oreos. Black cocoa powder is responsible for Oreo’s signature black, not brown, color. I had difficulty finding black cocoa powder in person so I ordered The Cocoa Trader black cocoa powder online.

What is mochi (sweet rice flour)?

Mochi or sweet rice flour is flour high in starch, made from short-grain glutinous rice. It is commonly used in East and Southeast Asian cuisines to make desserts and entrees. The flour produces a chewy and elastic product and is usually used in a dessert, although it can be used in savory dishes as well. Sweet rice flour should not be confused with other flours such as glutinous rice flour or tapioca starch. The most common sweet rice flour is Mochiko, which can commonly be found in the International aisle and Asian grocery stores. Bob’s Red Mill also sells sweet rice flour.

How do you make the raspberry chocolate filling?

The raspberry chocolate filling is simply made with white chocolate, raspberry powder, and a bit of heavy cream. You can microwave the mixture or melt over a double broiler (recommended) to prevent scorching. I use Food to Live raspberry powder, which is made from freeze-dried raspberries and is slightly sweet and sour. The filling is viscous rather than solid since you want the filling to ooze out when the brownie is cut open. If you don’t have raspberry powder, you can also use ruby chocolate, naturally pink chocolate made from pink cocoa beans. It has a sour and fruity taste, making it a good alternative for raspberry chocolate.

Blackout Mochi Brownies with Raspberry Filling

yield: 9 brownies (8 x 8 pan)

total cook time: 1 hr. 30 min.

Ingredients:

For brownies:

2 large eggs
185 g. or 1 c. minus 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
4 g. or 1 tsp. vanilla extract
360 g. or 1 1/2 c. whole milk
260 g. or 1 1/2 c. + 1 tbsp. sweet rice flour (such as Mochiko or Bob’s Red Mill)
40 g. or 1/2 c. black cocoa powder (I use The Cocoa Trader black cocoa powder)
2 g. or 1/4 tsp. salt
6 g. or 1 tsp. baking powder
45 g. or 1/4 c. chocolate chips, optional

For filling:

120 g. or 2/3 c. white chocolate chips
15 g. or 1 tbsp. heavy cream
20 g. or 1 1/2 tbsp. raspberry powder (I use Food to Live raspberry powder)
Additional raspberry powder to dust the top.

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, sugar, and vanilla extract.
Add in the sweet rice flour, cocoa power, baking soda, and salt and whisk until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using. Pour mixture into an 8 x 8 in. baking pan linked with parchment paper and bake at 350 F for 55-60 min.
In the meantime, use a double broiler to melt white chocolate chips. In a small bowl, mix together the raspberry powder and heavy cream until a pink thick paste forms. One the white chocolate chips have melted, add in the pink paste and stir until combined. Remove the chocolate from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature and chill for 20 min. The mixture will thicken but not solidify.
Once the brownies have baked, remove the pan from the oven immediately and let the brownies cool in the pan for 10 min. Then place on a cooling rack to cool for 30 min. Cut the brownies into 9 squares.
Once the raspberry filling has thickened, place into a piping bag attached with a narrow piping tip. Use a small knife to core the inside of the brownie from the side and pipe some raspberry filling into the brownie brownie. Cover the raspberry filling with the cored brownie. OR, if you choose not to cover the cored brownie, you will have the filling exposed which looks great as well. Repeat for the rest of the brownies and then sift some raspberry powder on top of the brownie and enjoy!

Storage notes: The brownies should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I recommend microwaving the brownie for about 10-20 seconds. The chocolate filling may melt a little which is fine.

*Nutrition facts are estimates.

Look What I Found!!

I’ve gotten many suggestions for what to do while stuck inside the way we all are. I took one suggestion: watch videos on the internet, and I fell down a rabbit hole like you wouldn’t believe! I was lost for hours following links, checking out videos and watching channels. I haven’t subscribed to anything yet, but I have developed a great appreciation for vloggers let me tell you.

One site I am going to be going back to regularly – for now – is Hideout TV. This comes out of the UK it appears. I’m mainly watching cooking videos as I haven’t looked at much else because the cooking videos have me hooked. LoL.

There’s a cook on there called Pettite who is just so energetic when he talks, he reminds me a bit of Julia Child and her cooking show. In fact, of all the cooks on here, I like him the best. He uses rock music in his intro and doesn’t have music drowning out his voice.

There are videos on here that don’t have the cook speaking, You just see their hands and there’s writing overlaid on the video. There’s always some funky music playing as well, but I find these boring.

I’m enjoying watching other people cook. The variety of videos on here is nice to see too. I’m not just watching vegan dishes, I’m watching all kinds of food being made. Just watched a video on how to make bread in a Dutch oven. 🙂

I’m a solo act at home so cooking for me is something necessary but not really that much fun. I try to eat healthy so there’s that too. Still, I don’t go all out on a meal unless I’ve seen something I want to try. That led me to learning how to make pierogies from scratch as well as Vietnamese Pancakes. Those are addictive!

Not only do they make dishes, they make sauces – OMG!! Yes, I’m watching the channel while I write this. I love chunky sauces like chutney. I also like sauces that are all natural like Tahini sauce. I don’t use a lot of sauce when I cook because I prefer food that’s flavorful on its own. Still, a good chutney with veggies or cheese is quite delicious.

You can find Hideout TV here and I hope you like it. 🙂

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Personal Update – March 20

The world is under attack by a virus – something that acts like the flu but is much worse. It hits people over 60 and those with chronic conditions that weaken their immune systems harder than anyone else. New cases pop up all the time it seems, and the death toll is rising. Countries are closing their borders, banning travel out of, into and through out their lands. The media is having a field day reporting only bad news and not really sharing the good news. The good news, more people have recovered from this virus than have died from it. You don’t hear about that though.

I am one of those who are “at risk” as I take a medication that suppresses my immune system. I tested positive for the virus, the COVID-19, and I’m on self isolation until I either recover or get worse which will mean quarantine at an air force base in Houston Texas, or possibly Beaumont. I haven’t asked about that because I don’t think I’m going to be that bad. I hope not at any rate.

Keeping Busy:

This is what the futon in my livinroom looks like with my last two projects on it. The plush is the Valentine’s gift my gentleman friend got for me because he knows how much I like cats. He’s so sweet! I have decided to go through my bookmarks and make the projects on those pages. I have quite a few bookmarks so it’s going to take me a while. Currently, I have two afghans and a body pillow in the works. When I run out of yarn, I have crochet thread I can work with. 🙂

Work: I had to quit my job. Not just because I have an infectios virus but because I could get sick again working there. The company doesn’t provide paid sick days. It penalizes you for missing even a single day, and it doesn’t excuse more than one or two days even with doctor excuses. People come to work with the common cold, flu, bronchitis, even pneumonia with several I only heard about!! The place is kept cold, sure, but I am susceptible to even the smallest, most benign of these conditions. My doctor advised me I needed to find a different job or I risk getting sick again. The second time might not be so gentle on me.

Cooking:

I found a recipe for pierogis online, and I love pierogis so I decided to make some. The recipe said I could use anything for the filling if I didn’t want to go traditional. I didn’t have any potatoes or sausage so, I used what I had. I diced up two different kinds of squash, some yellow onion and some mushrooms. I used ricotta cheese as well. The sauce is Tahini sauce, just a little thicker than what you find in restaurants. I love the smoky taste of the roasted sesame seed this sauce has, and it was perfect for the pierogis!! I’m going to make more when I can get more flour and some potatoes for a more traditional dish. Next experiment: Korean pancakes!!

Writing: I’m doing some freelance writing while I slowly put the second draft of Golden Knave on the computer. I don’t really like typing on a computer, but I’m getting better at it from all the stuff I’m doing. I’m learning a lot about freelancing, and I might write some posts about my experiences, if anyone is interested. Let me know, please.

Randomness: I tried watching Harrow, but I’m having a hard time relating to the man, Harrow, himself. I can’t stand his girlfriend, one of the others in the ensemble cast. I don’t like how she behaves. The rest of the cast is okay. I watched three episodes of Manifest and lost interest. I watched half of the first season of 9-1-1, and I like it.

I’ve also read the book before the newest one by J.D. Robb, and I’ll write a review for it soon.

I watched a couple of movies, The Osiris Child and the 10th Kingdom. I’ll write reviews for them too.

Not much else is going on right now since I’m stuck inside, but I’ll try to keep writing articles for you to read. 🙂

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!