Arare Cookies

(Japanese Rice Cracker Cookies)

October 1: Homemade Cookies Day

In a previous post in pidgin (Hawaiian creole language), we put mochi crunch in popcorn to make Hawaiian hurricane popcorn. We also add arare in cookie dough to make a uniquely-flavored “salty-sweet-crumbly-crisp” cookie.

Mochi crunch and arare are often used interchangeably but both refer to the bite-sized Japanese rice crackers. Japanese immigrants brought them to Hawaii when they came to work on the sugar plantations. Locals love these snacks made of glutinous rice and soy sauce and eat them straight out of the package or use them as an ingredient in other foods, such as hurricane popcorn and arare cookies.

Make the most of mochi crunch and bake a big batch of arare cookies for Homemade Cookie Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Honolulu Star-Bulletin)

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon shoyu (soy sauce)
• 1 egg
• 3 cups flour
• 1 ¾ cup rice cereal (we used Kellogg’s Rice Krispies)
• 1 ½ cups arare mochi crunch (we used Tomoe brand), crushed

Directions

In a zipper-top plastic bag, place the arare and crush into crumbs with a rolling pin. Set aside while preparing the cookie dough.

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar. Mix in the baking soda, vanilla and soy sauce.

Beat in the egg. Gradually add the flour. Fold in the rice cereal. Add the crushed arare. Mix until all the ingredients are incorporated into the dough.

Pinch out one-inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (optional). Space them about two inches apart. Slightly flatten each ball. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for five minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a wire rack. Cool completely to a crisp. Store in an airtight container. Yield: Approximately 6 dozen cookies.

Notes

• Mahalo nui loa to Islander’s Daddy for buying the arare at the Pearl Harbor commissary for us.
• Arare may be found in Asian food markets on the mainland. Make sure that the mochi crunch are still crisp and not stale by checking the manufacturing date on the package.
• Search our blog for other homemade cookie recipes.