Rice Flour Kokuto Cookies
米粉黒糖クッキー
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
These are the simple cookies we bake for snack time at preschool: rice flour, potato starch, a little oil and soy milk, sweetened with kokuto, the unrefined cane sugar from Okinawa and the islands of southern Japan. Kokuto gives them a deep, almost caramel-like flavor that children love, while the rice flour and potato starch make them light and crisp rather than heavy. There is no egg, dairy or wheat in the dough. The dough comes together in one bowl and is cut with a knife, so little helpers can join in too.
Contains kokuto (Japanese brown sugar), which should not be given to babies under 1 year old.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Seasonings
- 7.5 gkokuto (Japanese brown sugar)An unrefined dark cane sugar from Okinawa with a deep, molasses-like flavor. Substitute: Dark brown sugar or muscovado.
- 10.2 gsweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu)Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
- 10.2 gvegetable oil
- 0.5 gbaking powder
Ingredients
- 24 grice flour
- 6 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- kokuto (Japanese brown sugar) (黒砂糖)
- An unrefined dark cane sugar from Okinawa with a deep, molasses-like flavor. Substitute: Dark brown sugar or muscovado.
- sweetened soy milk (Japanese chosei tonyu) (調製豆乳)
- Japanese 'prepared' soy milk that is lightly sweetened and flavored to taste milder than plain soy milk. Substitute: Regular (original, lightly sweetened) soy milk from the supermarket.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
- 1
Mix the kokuto and soy milk together well. Add the oil and mix until emulsified.
- 2
Add the rice flour, potato starch, and baking powder, mix well, then gather the dough together into one ball with your hands.
- 3
Roll out the dough and cut it into rectangles with a knife (dust with a little rice flour if the dough sticks).
- 4
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in an oven preheated to 170°C (340°F) for about 20 minutes.
For toddlers in the final stage of weaning (around 12 to 18 months), swap the kokuto for regular sugar. The cookies are fragile straight out of the oven, so let them cool completely before plating.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 229.5 kcal | 459 kcal | 229.5 kcal |
| Protein | 2 g | 3.9 g | 2 g |
| Fat | 10.6 g | 21.3 g | 10.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 32 g | 63.9 g | 32 g |
| Fiber | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.2 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g |
| Calcium | 33 mg | 66 mg | 33 mg |
| Iron | 0.5 mg | 0.9 mg | 0.5 mg |
| Potassium | 130.5 mg | 261 mg | 130.5 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 229.5 kcal | 2 g | 10.6 g | 32 g | 0.3 g | 0.2 g | 33 mg | 0.5 mg | 130.5 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 459 kcal | 3.9 g | 21.3 g | 63.9 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g | 66 mg | 0.9 mg | 261 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
