Instead Of Water, Transform Your Brownie Mix With This Japanese Swap

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Brownies are a sweet, simple, yet indulgent treat. Even the most basic homemade brownie recipe can potentially uplift just about anyone's day. Of course, like many recipes, there are various ways to improve upon them by swapping or adding ingredients. However, one you probably never thought to add to brownies is hojicha, a sweet and smoky green tea that's considered a Japanese comfort staple. Given its deep, yet mellow profile, hojicha can be teamed alongside many other ingredients that are sure to make crowd-pleasing brownies.

Adding hojicha to brownies is a simple step, but there are a few points to consider when incorporating it into the recipe. While brewing a bold batch of hojicha tea is always an option, a good quality powder is the better way to go here. This format provides a naturally potent flavor as the entire tea leaf is ground and directly applied to the mix. When added, hojicha adds a smoky, earthiness, which is accompanied by a nutty aroma when baked. Depending on the brand, some hojicha powders have distinctly differing profiles that could directly impact the brownie batch. For example, Sorate is said to resemble dark chocolate and could emphasize its fudgy flavors. On the other hand, Midori Spring is a well-reviewed brand that's available on Amazon and could be an excellent choice for the confection. According to Reddit users who claim to have used it, while it contains cocoa flavors, it's said to be more reminiscent of cooked caramel. Here, Midori Spring's lean into hojicha's sweet, smokiness could be beneficial as it introduces an elevated richness to brownies.

In short, like matcha, hojicha is a form of green tea that has been charcoal roasted. This imbues its leaves with a rich, dark brown hue rather than its variety's usual green appearance. As a result of the same roasting process, hojicha also tends to have a smoother, richer yet mellow flavor, and warm nutty aroma. This has assisted in hojicha being commonly used in latte recipes, or even in yogurt and cocktails. Since hojicha has very low caffeine (clocking in at approximately 7 – 20 milligrams per 8-ounce mug), it acts as an option for someone to enjoy a relaxing afternoon tea, or in reflective, meditative moments. 

Of course, half the fun in the culinary arts is finding ways to make a recipe better. Fortunately, hojicha is a very experiment-friendly ingredient. Using the hojicha brownie recipe as a springboard, one could incorporate brown butter for an added savoriness. Given that hojicha's flavor profile perfectly fits other baked recipes like Oreo-topped cookies, it'd translate as an excellent addition to cookies'n'cream stuffed brownies. Alternatively, anyone wanting to elevate taste and texture may benefit from hojicha mochi brownies. In addition to the hojicha's notes, mochi's glutinous rice flour creates a delightful chewiness that would result in a fun, tasty treat.