Sweet and Easy Japanese Desserts: Matcha, Mochi and More!, written by Laure Kié, features a vibrant collection of 42 traditional and modern recipes paired with beautiful photos and a variety of techniques. A few highlights include Dorayaki Red Bean Pancakes, Castella Cake, Chocolate Fruit Tempura, Lemon Matcha Tartlets, and Sesame Tuile Cookies. I will also be sharing her recipe for Matcha Butter Almond Cookies following the review.
Disclosure: I received this book from Tuttle Publishing in exchange for my honest review. All opinions and statements are my own.
This book was originally published in French by Mango Editions as Patisseries Japonaises and translated into English by Marie S. Velde.
Laure Kié
Laure Kié is a cookbook author and culinary instructor born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother and a French father. She is currently based in France and teaches Franco-Japanese cooking classes in the Drôme.
Laure is the author of multiple cookbooks, including Delicious Japanese Street Eats.
Sweet and Easy Japanese Desserts
Laure begins Sweet and Easy Japanese Desserts with a short introduction before going over a few basic ingredients, utensils, and techniques.
For those without easy access to ingredients, she has included base recipes for Anko (Sweet Red Bean Paste: both Tsubu-an/textured and Koshi-an/smooth), Shiro-an (Sweet White Bean Paste), and Mame-an (Sweet Fava Bean Paste). Laure also covers other foundations such as Mochi Sticky Rice Flour Dough and Nerikiri Dough, plus working with Agar-Agar and Matcha.
Chapters are divided according to the following: Basic Recipes, Traditional Wagashi Pastries, Modern Desserts, Matcha Desserts, and Other Asian Desserts. The contents page has a list of included recipes with page number for easy reference. The title is also written at the bottom right corner of the page. I especially appreciated this as I was flipping through the book.
The photography is provided by Patrice Hauser. Every recipe is paired with at least one full-page photo of the finished dessert. There are also many step-by-step photos demonstrating specific techniques from forming Sakura Mochi to assembling Melon Pan.
Measurements are listed in US Customary and Metric. There is a measurement chart in the back of the book, as well. Titles are written in Romanized Japanese and/or English. Each recipe has a headnote with background information, preparation/cooking/resting time, yield, ingredient notes, and helpful hints.
Matcha Butter Almond Cookies
To pair with the review, I made Laure’s Matcha Butter Almond Cookies! These rich, buttery cookies are packed with green tea and ground almonds. They are especially perfect for serving with tea.
Simply mix together the ingredients to form a firm dough, roll into a log, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Once solid, slice into individual rounds and bake in a 350˚F (180˚C) oven just until set.
Matcha
Matcha is a powder created by grinding whole green tea leaves. I have been able to find it in markets with Japanese ingredients and more recently in the tea section of larger grocery stores.
Be careful when storing matcha. It can become stale and brownish when exposed to oxygen.
A Few Matcha Butter Almond Cookie Tips
Laure recommends roasting the almonds before grinding to intensify the flavor. For even less prep, they can be swapped for almond meal. If avoiding almonds, simply omit them (you may need to add a little more flour) or trade for another ground nut such as pecan on hazelnut.
Mix everything together to form a firm dough. If still too crumbly after a couple of minutes, knead in a splash or two of water. If too sticky to handle, add a little more flour.
More Desserts
I also made Strawberry Daifuku Mochi, Japanese Cheesecake, Black Sesame Madeleines, and Matcha Tiramisu.
A particular favorite of my daughter’s, Strawberry Daifuku Mochi is a refreshing springtime variation pairing a mochi dough with shiro-an (white bean paste) and a hulled strawberry in the center. There are also tips for swapping the strawberries with other fruit such as kiwi, melon, or persimmon.
I made the Japanese Cheesecake from the Modern Desserts chapter for my husband’s birthday and it was such a hit. This crustless cheesecake has a light and airy texture perfect for a variety of occasions.
The Black Sesame Madeleines are definitely striking with the use of both black sesame seeds and black sesame paste to create a notable dark color in the little cakes. For an even deeper color, you can add a spoonful of bamboo charcoal powder.
The Matcha Tiramisu from the Matcha Desserts chapter was my personal favorite. This decadent dessert pairs ladyfingers with a sweetened mascarpone cream and a generous dusting of matcha. It is a wonderful option for making ahead since it requires at least 2 hours and ideally overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Sweet and Easy Japanese Desserts is a fun pick for those interested in a variety of traditional and more modern treats with Japanese flavors. Recipes range from quick and easy cookies to the more intricately decorated, stunning wagashi. There are even a few desserts from outside of Japan in the last chapter of the book.
Having a market nearby with Japanese ingredients will be helpful to locate items such as black sesame seeds/black sesame seed paste, sticky rice flour, silky tofu, kinako, agar-agar powder, tempura flour, warabiko starch, cherry tree leaves, kuzu starch, and adzuki beans.
Matcha Butter Almond Cookies Recipe
Excerpt from Sweet and Easy Japanese Desserts
Matcha Butter Almond Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) flour I used all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons (80 grams) superfine sugar
- 1/3 cup (40 grams) ground roasted almonds
- 2 tablespoons matcha powder
- pinch salt
- 5 tablespoons (70 grams) diced butter at room temperature
- 1 egg I used a large egg
Instructions
- In the bowl of a mixer, combine the flour, sugar, ground almonds/almond meal, matcha and salt.
- Add the diced butter.
- Mix on medium speed to form a loose consistency, then fold in the egg.
- Mix until a firm ball of dough forms. If needed, adjust with a little flour or water.
- Form the dough into a log (I made the diameter 2 inches/5 centimeters) and wrap it in plastic wrap.
- Chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F (180˚C).
- Remove the plastic wrap and slice the log into 20 disks. Set them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, depending on the degree of doneness you prefer (I baked them for 10 minutes).
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