You know how I mentioned my afternoon mooncake ice cream sandwich break has been the highlight of my day? Well, the week prior, cutting up a mint chocolate snowskin mooncake into little petals with my afternoon tea was it for me. These fudgy and chewy mooncakes are “too good” as my husband put it. I will probably make these again in the spring when Shamrock Shakes are back in season.

If you’ve never had a snowskin mooncake before, they are the unbaked and more mochi-like cousin of the classic baked mooncake. The dough or the crust is made from glutinous rice flour and is cooked in a pan rather than in the oven. The filling often leans on something creamy, custardy, and even jammy and is typically served cold. In this case, these have a brownie batter like filling with the perfect touch of mint for a refreshing finish. If you’re not a mint person then just omit it and enjoy your brownie batter moment! If you’re still a little weary about committing to baking mooncakes then I recommend you give these beautiful mooncakes a try. They are low stress, no-baking necessary, and so delightful to eat.

Mint Chocolate Snowskin Mooncakes

Makes 10 small mooncakes

filling:

125g (1 cup) all-purpose flour (microwave)

38g (1/2 cup) cocoa powder

120g (1/2 cup) coconut butter, softened (or softened unsalted butter)

100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

1 tsp mint extract

1/2 tsp coarse salt

dough:

180g (1 cup) glutinous rice flour

40g (1/4) cornstarch, more for dusting

2 tsp matcha powder (optional for color)

100g (1/2 cup) sugar

240g (1 cup) milk

24g (2 tbsps) neutral oil

1. Make the filling: Place the flour in a heat safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds so it is safe to eat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk to combine. In a medium bow, cream the coconut butter, sugar, mint extract, and salt until very smooth. Add the flour and mix until a smooth dough forms. Scoop 1 1/2 tbsp portions of dough, a cookie scoop is perfect for this, and roll into smooth balls. Place the chocolate balls on a parchment lined plate or quarter sheet pan and set in the fridge until ready to assemble.

2. Place a silicone baking mat on the counter (parchment paper is also fine) and liberally dust the surface with cornstarch and keep extra on the side to dust the dough.

3. Make the dough: In a medium nonstick saucepan (you can use non-stick but the dough will stick more to the pan), whisk to combine glutinous rice flour, cornstarch, matcha, sugar, milk, and oil. Heat the pan over medium low heat while constantly stirring with a flexible spatula. Continue to stir until the batter thickens and transforms into a tacky dough, 6 to 8 minutes. Scrape the sides and transfer the dough to the cornstarch dusted baking mat. Sprinkle the top of the dough with cornstarch and allow the dough to cool until warm to the touch, about 10 minutes. Dust a rolling pin with cornstarch and roll out the dough until it is about 1/4” thick. Allow the dough to completely cool.

4. Assemble the mooncakes: Cut 10 3 1/2” rounds of dough with a cookie cutter, or cut into squares (this results in a slightly less even layer of dough around the filling). Place a ball of chocolate filling in the dough and bring the edges of the dough together to fully seal. If the dough isn’t self sealing on its own, you may have a little too much cornstarch, so just dab the edges with a little water. Lightly dusted the ball of dough with cornstarch and place inside a 50g or 75g mooncake mold. Press the mold firmly against the counter and press down on the plunger. Gently release the pressure and remove the mooncake from the mold.

5. Serve the mooncakes immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days (any longer and the dough tends to harden).