Ono Butter Mochi

On campus at the Seasider Snack Bar, a common delicacy are these little cake-looking little square things that are easily one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten.  Or as they say in pidgin Hawaiian, it 'broke da mouth!'  The texture is so unusual.. it looks like a square cupcake but it's much chewier and the flavor much milder and less sweet than a cupcake.  Me and my friend Kaitlyn bought one as a little treat earlier this week and decided we should try making our own. So thanks to allrecipes.com, we found this recipe for ono (or 'the best' in Hawaiian) butter mochi.

• 1 pound mochiko (glutinous rice flour, can be found at your local asian market or pretty much anywhere in Hawaii)
• 2 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 cups whole milk
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional, if you're like me and hate coconut)

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

-In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla and milk. In a separate larger bowl, stir together the rice flour, sugar, and baking powder. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir to blend. Mix in the melted butter and coconut (again, optional). Pour into prepared pan.

-Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. Cool completely, then cut into squares. Serves 12.

This is just an image from google, but that's what it looks like.  If you don't like mochi or other squishy foods, then this probably would not be the best recipe to try.