• Stir fry about 2 Tbsp of glutinous rice flour on a dry pan over low-medium heat until the flour is very lightly golden in color and smells slightly nutty. Remove from the heat to let it cool down. This can be prepared few days ahead and stored in an air-tight container once it has cooled down completely

Prepare the apple pie filling: (can be prepared a few days ahead)

• Cut the peeled and cored apples into very tiny pieces. I put them in a food processor and pulse a few times to save me time
  
• Place the grated apple, lemon juice, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Put over medium heat and cook until the apple starts to release some juice. Lower the heat a bit and continue to cook until the mixture is bubbly and starts to thicken.
  
• When you draw a line on the bottom of the pot with a spatula, it doesn't fill in because it's thick enough
  
• Let it cool down completely before folding it into a whipped cream. Keep them covered and stored in the fridge if not using the same day.
  

Fold into the heavy cream:

• Make sure the apple pie filling has cooled down completely. Put the cold heavy cream into a bowl and use a hand mixer to whip until it is medium soft. Add the apple pie filling and continue to whip until it is firm. Take care not to overbeat until the cream turns grainy and break.
  
• Keep this covered and chill in the fridge while you prepare the mochi dough
  

Prepare the mochi dough by microwave:

• Combine all ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl with a microwave-safe lid or cling wrap. Poke a few small holes in the wrap to allow steam to escape.
• Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Remove and stir the batter with a silicone spatula.
• Continue microwaving in 1-minute intervals, stirring each time, until the mixture thickens and becomes sticky and translucent. Usually, this takes about 4–6 minutes total, depending on your microwave wattage.

Prepare the mochi dough on the stove:

• Bring water in the steamer to a boil before you start preparing the mochi batter
• Mix all ingredients for mochi dough in a mixing bowl. Make sure it's smooth and no lumps. Strain the mixture if necessary.
• Pour the batter into a shallow dish that has been oiled to prevent sticking. You can also place a parchment paper on top of the dish and pour the batter on top. Cover with a cling wrap and poke a few holes to prevent water from dripping onto the dough
  
• Place the batter inside the steamer and steam for 15-20 minutes or until the batter turns into a solid mass. Steaming time may be longer if you use a thick bowl to steam the batter

Knead the dough:

• Use a flexible silicone spatula to help you fold the dough over and over to sort of "knead" it. Because it's still very hot, we can't knead it with our hands yet.
  
• The dough may seem oily now and that's normal
• When it has cooled down and cool enough for you to handle, transfer to a working surface and wear a disposable plastic gloves if you have one so the dough won't stick to your hand. I use the parchment paper to help me knead at the beginning until it's not too hot and continue kneading the dough until the oil is absorbed by the dough and it is very smooth and stretchy.
  
• It is important to knead the dough to get that soft and chewy texture and the mochi stays soft longer too
  
• I then flatten the dough and wrap it up to let it cool down completely before using it to wrap the apple pie cream filling. The warm dough will melt the filling. So it's important to let the dough cool down completely at room temperature
  
• Use a knife or bench knife to divide the dough into 10 equal portions (roughly about 27-28 grams each). Round them up into dough balls and keep them covered
  

Shaping and filling:

• Work with one dough at a time, dust your work surface and your fingers with some toasted glutinous rice flour. Flatten the dough by stretching it with your fingers to form a round disc, about 3-4 inches in diameter
  
• Use a spoon to scoop a heap spoonful of the apple pie cream filling and place the filling on the center of the dough. Try not to overfill as it will be harder for you to wrap especially if you are new to making this
  
• Carefully bring the edges over to enclose the filling
  
• Gently pinch the dough together to seal the seams.
  
• Turn the seam side down and gently roll the mochi to make it round.
  
• Place it on a baking pan lined with a parchment paper or a cling wrap. Repeat with the rest
  
• The mochi are best eaten when it's cold. Store the mochi truffles in an air-tight container for at least 15 minutes so the filling can firm up again and not too melty after all the handling and wrapping