Toast the black sesame on a dry pan over medium-low heat until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes. If the nuts are not roasted, you can toast them on a dry pan over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes
Roughly chop half of the peanuts for texture. Blend the black sesame , half of the peanuts and sugar into a fine texture.
Add the softened butter and roughly chop peanuts and combine into a paste. Have a taste and adjust the sweetness to your preference. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour
After 1 hour, they are easier to handle. Lightly oiled your palms and portion into 25 grams balls. Keep them in the fridge until you are ready to use them
Prepare the snow skin dough:
Place 30 gr of glutinous rice flour on a dry non-stick pan over medium heat. Stir fry for about 15 minutes or until the flour started to smell slightly nutty/toasted. Let it cool down completely. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature and they can be kept for weeks or even months
Combine all the ingredients in a heat-proof mixing bowl. Strain the batter if necessary to get rid of any lumps
Place this batter in the steamer and steam over high heat for 15 minutes. Wrap the lid of the steamer with a cloth to prevent condensation drips onto the dough. If you stick a knife in the middle of the dough, it will come out clean, though the top of the dough may appear a bit watery at first. Use a spoon to stir the steamed mochi while it’s still hot to form a large mass of dough
Cover with a cloth for about 10-15 minutes so it's not too hot for your hands to knead. Don't use a plastic wrap as condensation will form and drip into the dough, making it wet
When it's cool enough to handle, oil your palm lightly and knead the dough a few times to form a smooth non-sticky dough. The dough is very elastic and stretchy
You can also use your stand mixer with a dough hook attachment to knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic
I pinch of about 1/4 of the dough and add 1/4 tsp of the black sesame powder. This is optional. I want to create a "marble" effect but I think I added too much and it ends up more black than white :) Combine both the black and white dough
Shaping and moulding:
Since I used 50-gram mould, I portioned the dough into a 25-gram piece. Roll each ball in white sesame seeds. Keep them covered and work with one dough at a time. Flatten the dough and roll out into about 4 inches round. Place the filling in the middle and wrap around it
Dust the dough with cooked glutinous flour you prepared earlier. Dust off excess flour. Place this into the mould cavity and press to imprint the pattern on the dough. Repeat with the rest of the dough and filling
How to store:
Transfer the snow skin mooncakes to an air-tight container and keep chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 days for the best result, though they can go as long as 1 week. The longer you keep, the drier and tougher the snow skin will get
Snow skin mooncake freezes well. I put them on a baking tray lined with wax of parchment paper, not touching each other and then put it in the freezer for about one hour. They won't harden completely, but won't stick to each other. Transfer to a freezer bag or container. They can be kept this way for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, thaw at room temperature and they are ready to be served