These butter mochi bites are delightfully chewy, mildly sweet, and just oh-so-good! They are wonderful with a cuppa coffee or tea and taste even better the next day. Super easy to make and gluten-free!
In a bowl, combine the glutinous rice flour and baking powder. Whisk together and set aside.
In a 1-quart measuring cup or medium-sized bowl, add the melted butter, maple syrup, egg, vanilla extract, and coconut milk. Whisk together to mix well.
Add the rice flour mixture to the wet ingredients and whisk together until there are no lumps.
Grease 6 cups of your muffin tin with butter.
Divide the batter evenly among the 6 greased muffin cups.
Bake for 20 minutes. (Mochi bites will be puffed up and rounded when they come out of the oven, but will slowly sink which is exactly what you want!)
Let cool 10 minutes before removing from the tin, then let cool completely on a rack.
Store in an airtight container on the counter and enjoy within 2-3 days for best texture.
Notes
Glutinous rice = sweet rice flour
Mochiko is a well-known brand of sweet rice flour, but there are many brands out there that will work.
Do not use regular rice flour because it will not give you the right chewy texture.
The crust on the mochi will soften the next day after baking.
You can refrigerate the mochi, but be sure to bring it to room temperature again before eating it or you can warm it slightly in the microwave to soften it.