Mango Sticky Rice Cookies

A labor of love (and dishes)

I used to hate coconut. Coconut milk, coconut flakes, coconut everything—which was unfortunate, because coconut was an essential ingredient in most of the Vietnamese desserts I grew up around. All this changed however, when I had my first bite of Thai Mango Sticky Rice. The rich sweetness of the coconut milk paired with the delicate tart mango was truly invigorating. At that moment, my years of distaste were vanquished.

These cookies are my attempt to replicate this iconic Thai dessert that literally rewired my taste buds, but in cookie form. Made with a simple, buttery cookie base with a hint of coconut, these cookies primarily highlight the textures and flavors of its mix-ins. Swirled with mango jam and chunks of coconut sticky rice, they are moist and chewy, indulgent yet refreshing. And yes, surprisingly enough, the rice works great with the cookie!

A quick warning, these cookies are more labor intensive than your typical cookie. They have three major components (mango jam, coconut sticky rice, and cookie dough), which all need to be prepared separately before assembly. If you are good at multitasking, it is possible to knock some steps out simultaneously, but be sure to plan accordingly. It’s taken me many trials, iterations, and dirty dishes to reach a result I am happy with. So if I have any advice aside from my procedures and notes, it would just be to keep experimenting, keep practicing, and to have fun. Now onto what you’re all really here for:

Ingredients:

Mango jam:

• 200g frozen mangoes (if using fresh, see notes)

• 1 tbsp white sugar

Coconut Sticky Rice:

• ¼ cup uncooked sweet rice

• ⅓ cup coconut milk

• 3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk

• hot water (for soaking)

Cookie dough:

• 113g unsalted butter (softened)

• 100g light brown sugar

• 50g white sugar

• 1 large egg yolk + its thick white (see note)

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• ½ tsp baking soda

• ¼ tsp salt

• 1 tbsp reserved coconut cream (from coconut sticky rice)

• 180g all purpose flour

Topping:

• Flaky sea salt

• Black sesame seeds

Procedure:

Step 1: Cook the mango jam

1. In a small pot, heat the frozen mango chunks on medium low, stirring occasionally with a spatula. Once they’ve softened, mush and divide the chunks into smaller, crushed pieces with your spatula.

2. Stir in the sugar and continue to cook until most of the liquid has reduced and the mixture has reached a jam-like consistency.

3. Set aside in a small bowl to cool before storing it in the fridge.

Step 2: Prepare the sticky rice

1. Place your washed, uncooked sweet rice into a small, heat-safe bowl. Heat some water until it's boiling, then pour it into the bowl until all the rice is covered. Allow the rice to soak for 20 minutes. This will help the rice maintain its moisture and soft texture later on.

2. After soaking, drain the water. Cook the rice using your preferred method (I used a steamer) until it is cooked, but slightly underdone. Transfer the rice to a small bowl.

3. In a small pot, combine the coconut milk and sweetened condensed milk. Heat on medium-low until the mixture begins to simmer and reduce. Turn to low heat.

4. Once the mixture is thick enough to coat your spatula, set 1 tbsp aside in a separate bowl (for the dough) and add in your cooked sweet rice to the rest. Mix in the sticky rice until fully coated. Cook slowly on low, allowing the sticky rice to absorb the moisture and flavor of the coconut cream.

5. Once the mixture has reduced significantly, the rice is plump and soft, and there is little liquid remaining, transfer the sticky rice to a small container. Cover to prevent the rice from drying out as it continues to absorb the remaining coconut cream.

Step 3: Make the cookie dough

1. In a large bowl, cream together your softened butter with your white and brown sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy.

2. Add in the egg yolk and its thick egg white (see note), the vanilla extract, and reserved coconut cream and mix until well combined. Stir in the baking soda and salt until evenly incorporated.

3. Switch to low speed and mix in the all purpose flour until just combined. Be careful not to over mix, as this may toughen the delicate crumb.

4. Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Step 4: Assemble the dough and bake!

1. Preheat the oven to 350^o F. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper.

2. With a spoon, place dollops of the coconut sticky rice and mango jam on the cookie dough as pictured. You may swirl them slightly into the dough with a butter knife.

3. Using a cookie scoop, scoop the dough balls by shaving the dough along the surface, trying to randomly incorporate chunks of mango and rice throughout. Add more dollops of mango jam and sticky rice whenever the surface of the cookie dough is depleted of either. Continue this process until no dough remains.

4. Once all the dough is scooped at least 2 inches apart onto the parchment lined tray, press the remaining sticky rice and mango jam into random chunks and crevices on the dough balls. Be generous!! Depending on how big you make your cookies, you may end up with somewhere between 11-15 cookies.

5. Bake at 350^o for 13-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the center is slightly puffed. Depending on how wet your dough is and how big your dough balls are, it may take shorter or longer. Halfway through, open your oven door and sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top of each cookie.

6. Once your cookies are done, remove them from the oven and bang them on your counter. Scoot them into circles with a spatula and sprinkle flaky sea salt on top.

7. Allow them to cool on your pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Enjoy them fresh!! Or see the notes for storage tips.

Notes:

• Mango jam: I use frozen mangoes for convenience, however I’m sure fresh mangoes will work beautifully as well! If you want to avoid having the mush large chunks into smaller pieces, dice the mangoes into small pieces before you begin cooking. The rest of the procedure should be very similar.

• Sticky rice: Soaking the rice beforehand is optional, though I would highly recommend it to avoid having dry or hard rice. If you don’t have sweetened condensed milk or coconut milk on hand, using ⅓ cup coconut cream is a shortcut that will work just as fine.

• Cookie dough: The thick egg white I refer to in the recipe is the chalaziferous white of the egg albumen. This is the capsule-like, thicker part of the egg white that stabilizes the yolk within an egg. You’ll want to omit all of the egg white except this portion, as it adds the slightest moisture and structure to this cookie.

• Assembly: This part is probably the trickiest part of the cookie. You want to be generous with the rice and the mango, though adding too much may make your dough sticky and hard to work with. I personally prefer the described method (dolloping and shaving layers off with a cookie scoop), though any method you can achieve that randomly incorporates the ingredients will suffice.

• Black sesame topping: The reason why I sprinkle the black sesame on halfway through is both for visuals and flavor. I found that sprinkling the black sesame before baking tends to create uneven/less pretty distributions on top as the cookie spreads. Sprinkling them halfway through baking allows you to control their distribution, while achieving a toasty, sesame flavor as the cookie continues to bake through.

• Storage: These cookies are best enjoyed the day of when the sticky rice is still fresh. However, if you can’t finish them all, I’d recommend storing them in the fridge for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, microwave them for 15-20 seconds and the rice will soften up again.