White Chocolate Blondies with Matcha Swirls

This recipe was really, really popular at my lab. I was surprised myself with how good they were- you don't even need to do the usual brownie/blondie-making step of dissolving the eggs in the butter over boiling water. Instead, you use a can of sweetened condensed milk to give a nice, chewy texture. I love white chocolate in almost everything, and this a great way to showcase the flavour of a high-quality white chocolate.

I added matcha powder in a pretty swirly-pattern on top so that there'd be a little bitterness to balance out the intense sweetness. You can also use earl grey tea, cocoa or expresso powder to the same effect. You can also just skip the swirl and top with some powdered sugar.

White Chocolate Blondies with Matcha Swirls
From Broma Bakery

115 g. (1/2 C.) Butter
1 C. White chocolate, chopped (or good quality chips or pieces)
1 Egg
1 Can (14 Oz.) Sweetened condensed milk
2-3 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1/2-1 Tsp. Salt
1 1/2 C. All purpose or pastry flour
1 Tsp. Matcha powder

Preheat oven to 180℃. Grease and line an 8"x 8" or 9"x13" pan with buttered baking parchment.

Melt the butter in a microwaveable bowl or in a bain-marie and add the white chocolate. Heat until both are dissolved.

Let cool until just warm when the side of the bowl is touched. Whisk in the egg, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and salt.

Sift in the flour. Separate 1/4 of the batter and whisk in the matcha powder. Pour the plain batter into the pan first, then spoon 4-5 blobs of the matcha batter over the top and swirl with a fork, knife or chopstick until a nice swirly pattern forms.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, then remove and let cool at least 15 minutes before removing from the pan.

Matcha Mochi Muffins

Quite literally a combination of muffin and mochi, these cakes are chewy and dense like a mochi on the inside but crispy and puffy like a cupcake. These were very popular, though at first glance most people have no idea what they're supposed to be- and introducing them as matcha mochi muffins is kind of a tongue twister.

These are very aromatic because of the evaporated milk and matcha, and their bouncy, chewy texture makes them really unique. I like having a few sweetened canned red beans in each one, but you can skip them just as well. Other possible flavours to try in the future include black sesame-peanut, coconut pandan, and taro. You can try substituting some or all of the evaporated milk with coconut milk, or using coconut oil instead of butter. 

Matcha Mochi Muffins
From My Buttery Fingers
Makes 12-16

220 g. Mochiko or Thai glutinous rice flour
1 Tsp. Baking powder
5 g. Matcha powder
Pinch of salt
2 Eggs
155 g. Sugar
85 g. Butter, melted
190 g. Evaporated milk
Sweetened red beans or red bean paste, optional

Preheat oven to 180℃. Grease a cupcake pan, or line with paper cups.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and matcha powder.

In a separate bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add the butter and evaporated milk and mix well. Lastly, mix in the dry ingredients. Pour into pan.

If desired, put a spoonful of red beans or bean paste into each. Bake for 20-25 minutes.