Best Asian Desserts

By Food & Wine
Updated April 17, 2017
Whether you're looking for a classic recipe, like mochi, or want to discover new ways to use Japanese matcha powder, these Asian desserts are perfect for everything from Chinese New Year to a casual night at home.
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Coconut Mochi Ice Cream Sandwiches

John Kernick
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Pastry chef Jen Yee of Lafayette Grand Cafe & Bakery in Manhattan makes these fun and pretty sandwiches with a simple Japanese dough that combines sweet glutinous rice flour, sugar, water and coconut milk.

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Coconut Tapioca Pudding with Mango and Lime

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Chunky, fresh mango with tangy lime is a great counterpoint to the creamy tapioca pearl puddings here.

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Green-Tea Fortune Cookies

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Joanne Chang likes having fun with the fortunes she puts inside these large cookies, like "Give the chef a big kiss." Shaping the tuiles while they're hot can be tricky, so consider using cotton gloves.

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Black Sesame Chocolate-Banana Loaf Cakes

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Blogger Sarah Bolla of Lemon Fire Brigade uses oil and silken tofu to create these deliciously moist, grown-up, dairy-free cakes.

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Matcha Mochi

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This version of mochi--a sweet Japanese rice cake--gets its pretty green color from matcha powder and a creamy sweetness from coconut milk.

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Vietnamese Coffee Sundaes with Crushed Peanut Brittle

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The Vietnamese love drinking superstrong iced coffee combined with copious amounts of sweetened condensed milk. Joanne Chang created this simple ice cream sundae as a way to enjoy the same flavors. Shards of peanut brittle made with a generous pinch of cinnamon add great flavor and crunch.

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Coconut Crème Caramel

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Coconut milk enriches and flavors this custard. Zang Toi suggests using fragrant pandan juice (from the palm-like pandan tree) instead of vanilla for a more Malaysian flavor.

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Bananas in Coffee Bean Syrup

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Every morning in Nha Trang, Marcia Kiesel topped yogurt with these bananas steeped in warm, bittersweet coffee syrup; they're also delicious over vanilla ice cream for dessert. Make sure the bananas you choose for this recipe are ripe but still firm, so they don't get mushy.

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Matcha Shortbread Cookies with Black Sesame Seeds

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These buttery shortbread cookies by blogger Molly Yeh combine two classic Japanese flavors--matcha green tea and black sesame seeds.

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