These soft and chewy Thai tea mochi crinkle cookies are a fun way to enjoy the creamy, fragrant flavors of Thai tea. Each cookie has a crinkly, sugar-dusted top and sweet, gooey mochi inside that stretches with every bite!

Jump to:

• What is Thai Tea?
• What is Mochi and What Does It Taste Like?
• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Equipment
• Ingredients
• Tips and Tricks
• Storage Instructions
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Recipe

What is Thai Tea?

Thai tea, commonly known as "cha yen," is a popular and flavorful beverage originating from Thailand. It has a unique flavor profile, combining the richness of black tea with the creaminess of condensed milk. It is often sweet and can have hints of spices like star anise, tamarind, and crushed cardamom. The resulting tea has a distinct burnt orange color and a unique taste that is creamy, sweet, and slightly spiced!

What is Mochi and What Does It Taste Like?

Traditional mochi is a Japanese rice cake made from mochigome, a sweet glutinous rice. The process involves soaking the rice, steaming it, then pounding it into a smooth dough. It's then molded into various shapes and typically filled with something sweet, like red bean paste. 

But there’s a quicker way too, using glutinous rice flour, called mochiko. This handy shortcut lets you skip the whole pounding step. You just mix the flour with water and sugar, microwave it until it turns into a sticky, elastic dough, and then shape it however you like. It’s an easy way to get that chewy, smooth mochi texture at home without the extra effort.

Glutinous rice flour brings a lightly sweet, almost milky flavor and gives mochi that signature sticky chewiness. That combo of chewy and sweet makes it the perfect filling for these Thai tea mochi crinkle cookies!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Soft-baked with a chewy center. The mochi filling adds a fun, chewy texture to every bite.
• Bold Thai tea flavor. These cookies are packed with that distinct, creamy tea taste.
• Naturally crinkled tops. They look beautifully decorated straight from the oven, no extra effort needed!
• Easy to prep ahead. Make the dough in advance and fill with mochi when you're ready to bake.

Equipment

• Kitchen scale - Used to accurately weigh all ingredients as my recipe is mainly in grams. I also use it to measure the cookie dough evenly so all the cookies are the same size and there’s no dough left over.
• Spice grinder, food processor or mortar and pestle - Used to grind your Thai tea leaves into a fine powder.
• Spatula - Using this will prevent overmixing your cookie dough.
• Cookie scoop - If you don't have a kitchen scale, grab a 2.5 or 3-tablespoon cookie scoop for easy dough portions. I prefer measuring and rolling the dough by hand for smooth, even cookies. But if you’re in a rush or just prefer the rustic style, use the scoop! Both ways get the job done.
• Baking sheet - You'll of course need a baking sheet to bake the cookies on! I recommend this one so you get perfectly baked and easily removable cookies.

Ingredients

Mochi

• Glutinous rice flour - I recommend Koda Farm's Mochiko brand. You can typically find it at Asian markets, but if you can’t, you can order it online. You can also use any other brand of glutinous rice flour; just make sure it says "sweet" or "glutinous" rice flour.
• Cornstarch - Used as a thickener, and when used in combination with flour, it can “soften” the hard proteins in gluten. It's also used to prevent the mochi sticking all over your hands. You can absolutely substitute cornstarch with potato starch.
• Milk - Adds creaminess, enhancing the flavor and softness of the mochi. You can also substitute with water if you don't have milk.
• Coconut oil - You can also substitute with unsalted butter.

Thai Tea Cookies

• Thai tea mix - I mainly use the Pantai brand with success. I have tried other Thai tea mixes (like the ChaTraMue brand) with the same taste, but the color came out a more murky orange. If you want that bright orange color, I recommend using Pantai. Also, make sure you are using the traditional loose leaves and not the instant kind!
• Milk - This does not have to be whole milk. Feel free to use any milk of your choice!
• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Kosher salt - I always use Diamond Crystal's kosher salt. But if you're using regular table salt, I recommend halving the amount of salt called for in my recipe.
• Unsalted butter - Although I usually call for room temperature butter in my cookie recipes, I will be using melted butter instead for these Thai tea mochi crinkle cookies! Working with melted butter gives you a very buttery cookie and will complement the other ingredients well (more about that in the "Frequently Asked Questions" below).
• Granulated sugar - Used to sweeten both the mochi and cookie.
• Egg - Make sure it is at room temperature, or you can leave it in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes if you forget to do this beforehand.
• Vanilla extract
• Granulated sugar and powdered sugar - Roll your cookie dough balls first in the granulated sugar, then in the powdered sugar.

Storage Instructions

• Storing - The mochi in these cookies can firm up and go bad quickly. It's recommended to consume these cookies on the day they were baked. Nevertheless, if stored in an airtight container, they can still be enjoyed for up to 3 days at room temperature. Just have the expectation that they will not look as visually appealing as when they were freshly baked!
• Freezing cookie dough - Make sure your mochi-stuffed cookie dough balls are uncoated in order to freeze them. In this state, they will freeze for up to 3 months. Before baking, let the frozen dough balls thaw at room temperature for at least 15-20 minutes before coating them in the sugars. Proceed with the baking instructions, making adjustments to the bake time by adding a few minutes if necessary.
• Freezing baked cookies - Baked cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw them at room temperature for a few minutes before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my mochi tough and firm?

Extended cooking will result in increased dryness, making the mochi hard and rubbery when microwaved for too long. Also, not covering your mochi with cornstarch or wrapping it will lead to rapid drying, resulting in an unpleasantly hard texture.

Why are you using melted butter for these cookies?

Although traditional crinkle cookies use oil, I found that melted butter works best for my crinkle cookie recipes. This will create a richer and fudgier center, which means chewier cookies with a dense, compact texture. Expect a perfect balance of crisp edges and a soft, chewy center!

Why do you roll your cookie dough in granulated sugar beore rolling in powdered sugar?

The granulated sugar provides a coating that encourages the distinctive "crackled" appearance during baking, while the powdered sugar, applied afterward, contributes to the cookies' characteristic crinkled texture by absorbing moisture and forming a delicate, sweet crust on the exterior. This combination enhances both the visual appeal and the overall taste and texture of the crinkle cookies!

Why did my cookies spread too much?

The primary cause of these Thai tea mochi crinkle cookies turning out flat is inadequate chilling of the dough, as warmer dough tends to spread faster, resulting in flattened cookies. Also, overmixing the cookie dough batter can contribute to cookies with a flatter appearance. When adding in the flour, make sure to mix only until just combined.

Why did my cookies not spread enough?

If your dough is too cold, the cookies may not spread adequately in the oven. If the dough has been chilled overnight, let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before rolling in your sugars.

Why didn't my cookies crack?

Cracks commonly appear on the cookie surface when the top dries out before the interior sets, leading to expansion and cracking. If your crinkles aren't cracking, make sure that your oven is at the correct temperature by using an oven thermometer and that the leavening agent (baking powder) is not expired.

Recipe