Disclosure: I received Just Date Syrup for review purposes but was not compensated for this post. I was not expected nor obligated to feature this on my blog. As usual, all opinions expressed and images are solely mine.
Have you ever “met” someone and know much more about them than you might say someone that you’ve known for a long time, but not really know them?
Through the Instagram community, I’ve gotten the opportunity to meet a lot of talented, creative, supportive, and amazing women. One of these people is my pal Rezel Kealoha.
Not only is Rezel an amazing photographer and is a mom to the cutest girl!
She shares a love of matcha, pandan, and healthier eating — even going as far as replacing the sugar in her Black Sesame Butter Mochi!
We decided to do a fun collaboration and swap recipes. So today, I’m making her refined sugar-free Black Sesame Butter Mochi with a twist!
WHAT IS BLACK SESAME?
Black sesame is one of those quintessential Asian foods.
It’s a tiny seed that has a nutty flavour and is used in various food, on its own or as a topping.
My first memories of black sesame involved the powdered instant dessert where you take a box of black sesame powder and dump it into a bowl of hot boiling water, stir, and voila… a pasty, thick black dessert. Sometimes you’ll get that or red bean soup as a dessert at a Chinese restaurant.
We’ve come a long way from the instant powdered stuff — which is usually filled with artificial flavours and chemicals.
Black sesame is a healthy food in its own right, but today, we’re taking it to a new level by using a natural sweetener, and eliminating the use of refined sugar.
DATE SYRUP
In its place, I’m using Just Date Syrup, which is a syrup made with just one ingredient: you guessed it, organic California dates!
I love how this company is run by Sylvie Charles, who is a physician-turned-entrepreneur dedicated to the cause of removing and decreasing refined sugar from our diets.
Sylvie was inspired by her Indian heritage when she first started creating bottled sauces without refined sugar. She used dates in one of her tamarind sauces and you know what they say, the rest is history.
WHAT DOES DATE SYRUP TASTE LIKE?
If you’ve never had date syrup, it’s literally nature’s caramel. It’s sweet like honey and sticky like molasses. It’s low-glycemic, which is suitable for diabetics, and contains high levels of magnesium and potassium compared to other natural sweeteners.
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
This recipe is loosely based on my own Matcha Browne Mochi (Brochi) but the idea is inspired by Rezel’s Black Sesame Butter Mochi.
I made some tweaks to her recipe by scaling it down to a 8″ x 8″ pan (’cause we all know my kids aren’t gonna eat anything that’s that black in colour, unless it’s these Charcoal Hotdog Buns!).
Next, I added baking powder to give it some lift so it doesn’t have that typical heavy dense texture. Then, didn’t use ghee as coconut milk has a high fat content in itself. I added some activated charcoal to increase the intensity of the black colour.
Lastly, I added a touch of matcha milk jam swirled on top, which unfortunately doesn’t show very well in the photos. I personally love the combination of matcha and black sesame, but if that doesn’t float your boat, you can omit that.
For this recipe, use black sesame powder, or if you can’t find the powder (not the instant stuff), use black sesame seeds.
Use a coffee grinder to grind up the sesame seeds into a powder.
Then mix the ground-up black sesame with the all-natural date syrup.
GUILT-FREE SNACK
These Black Sesame Charcoal Mochi are chewy, lightly sweet, and have a little smoky nutty flavour — which will have you coming back for more!
Don’t let the blackness of the mochi fool you — they might look devilish, but they’re heavenly delicious! And with the use of date syrup, they’re pretty much guilt-free.
Wrap them up into individual portions and take them on the go for a healthy snack, breakfast, or even as a dessert.
Thanks again to Rezel for partnering up with me on this fun collab! Go and check her out on Instagram @rezelkealoha for more beautiful photos and inspiration! And be sure to check out her version of Collagen Infused Earl Grey French Toast on her blog!
I’d love to know if you make this Black Sesame Charcoal Mochi! Tag me @siftandsimmer on Instagram or leave me a comment below!
Refined Sugar-Free Black Sesame Charcoal Mochi
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
- ¼ C black sesame powder or ½ C roasted black sesame seeds, finely ground
- ½ C date syrup can substitute honey or maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- ½ C coconut milk
- ½ C almond milk or any milk/plant-based milk
- ½ Tbsp vanilla extract
- 227 g ½ box mochiko rice flour
- 1 Tbsp activated charcoal optional, available at health food stores
- 2 Tbsp matcha milk jam optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350Β°F.Β Prepare a 8" by 8" square glass baking container by lining it with parchment paper.
- Combine the black sesame powder with the date syrup. Mix until it looks like a thick paste. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the eggs, coconut milk, almond milk, vanilla, and beat with a whisk until slightly frothy.
- Add in the sesame/date paste to the eggs/milk mixture and whisk together.Β Next, add in the activated charcoal and mochiko rice flour and combine with a spatula until the batter is homogeneous.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking container and smooth out the top. If using matcha milk jam, add a few dollops on top of the batter and swirl the mixture using a knife. Add some black sesame seeds as a garnish on top if you wish.
- Gently bang the baking container a few times on the table to release any trapped air bubbles.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350Β°F or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Top should be slightly brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely over a cooling rack.
- Cut into squares using a sharp serrated knife and serve at room temperature.
- Black sesame charcoal mochi may be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Recipe inspired by and adapted from Rezel Kealoha.
Many thanks to Just Date Syrup for sending me the samples to try.
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