Matcha Yatsuhashi With Anko and Cinnamon

Looking for a Japanese sweet to fold around anko, sweet azuki bean paste? The yatsuhashi in this recipe is soft, with matcha and cinnamon in its rice dough. Steaming and cooling bring the total to 1 hour for sixteen triangles.

• Preparation 30 minutes
• Cooking 15 minutes
• Cooling 15 minutes
• Total time 1 hour
• Makes 16 triangles
• Tools a saucepan, a steamer basket with a lid, a heatproof dish, two bowls, a fine sieve, a spatula, a rolling pin, a knife, and parchment paper

Kura-ge sells Matcha Essence for cooking; here it goes into a sweet dough. Folded around anko, this soft rice dough makes yatsuhashi a hand-held sweet in our Japanese dessert selection.

Matcha yatsuhashi ingredients

• 2.8 oz (80 g) glutinous rice flour
• 1.4 oz (40 g) non-glutinous rice flour
• About 2/3 cup (160 ml) water
• 1.94 oz (55 g) sugar
• About 3 tsp (6 g) matcha
• About 3/4 tsp (2 g) ground cinnamon
• 5.6 oz (160 g) sweetened azuki bean paste, or anko
• 0.7 oz (20 g) kinako, roasted soybean powder, for rolling

How to steam and fold yatsuhashi

1. Bring the water in the saucepan to a simmer below the steamer basket.
2. Divide 5.6 oz (160 g) anko into sixteen portions (10 g each).
3. Sift 2.8 oz (80 g) glutinous rice flour, 1.4 oz (40 g) non-glutinous rice flour, about 3 tsp (6 g) matcha, and about 3/4 tsp (2 g) cinnamon into a bowl.
4. Add 1.94 oz (55 g) sugar.
5. Gradually pour in about 2/3 cup (160 ml) water.
6. Stir until the batter is smooth.
7. Pour the batter into the heatproof dish.
8. Place the dish in the steamer basket.
9. Cover the basket.
10. Steam for 15 minutes, until the dough is set with no powdery patches.
11. Dust the parchment paper with about 2 tbsp (10 g) kinako.
12. Place the dough on the dusted paper.
13. Let cool for 15 minutes.
14. Dust the dough with the remaining kinako, about 2 tbsp (10 g).
15. Roll it into a square about 12.6 inches (32 cm) on each side.
16. Cut sixteen squares about 3.1 inches (8 cm) on each side.
17. Place one portion of anko in the center of each square.
18. Fold each square into a triangle around the anko.
19. Press the edges lightly to seal the triangles.

Soft, ungrilled yatsuhashi isn't the dry cookie baked after steaming. This pliable version folds around anko. If you're expecting a crisp cookie, the result will be quite different.

Which matcha works with the cinnamon?

We choose Essence matcha for desserts in this sweet cinnamon dough. Sift it with the flours to spread the color without concentrated green spots. Cinnamon remains noticeable and would cover the delicate notes of a matcha reserved for drinking with water.

How do you keep the triangles even?

Roll the dough into a square before cutting the sixteen pieces. If it's too thick, the folds will be hard to close; kinako keeps it from sticking to the paper while you shape it.

Our tip. Divide the anko before cutting the dough. Your sixteen portions will be ready while the squares are still pliable.

Allergens. Soy from the kinako. Check the ingredients of purchased anko too.