Six Japanese-Inspired Sweets We're Obsessed With Right Now
Through a riot of texture, color, and precision married with ingredients like miso, red bean, and yuzu, Japanese confectioneries capture our imaginations and our taste buds wherever we encounter them. These six Japanese-inspired confections, ranging from chocolate bonbons to luscious cheesecakes and, of course, some truly magical mochi, draw on their makers' heritage and childhood memories. Call it the ultimate indulgence, but when it comes to dessert time in Japan, we're all just kids in a candy shop.
SUGOi Sweets
These iridescent, hand-painted bonbons from chef Elle Lei are filled with memorable flavors such as milk tea, guava cheesecake, and mango–passion fruit caramel. There's not a single dud in the box of 24. $69 at sugoisweets.com
K. Minamoto Confections
Think mochi, sugar-coated fruits, sweet red bean paste–stuffed cakes, and more delivered to your doorstep. We recommend ordering the variety box of their seasonal treats to sample the whole lot of offerings. from $26 at kitchoan.com
Lady M Confections
Inspired by desserts from his childhood trips to Tokyo to visit his grandmother, Ken Romaniszyn's Lady M Confections makes delicate yet towering dessert centerpieces: mille crêpes in flavors like green tea, chestnut, and pistachio. $95, at ladym.com
Patisserie Tomoko
Pastry chef Tomoko Kato's crowd-favorite chewy mochi stuffed with truffle-like fillings in flavors such as fudgy Earl Grey chocolate ganache, green tea, and black sesame make for an explosive combination of gooey textures and bright flavors. $59 at goldbelly.com
Deux Cranes Chocolates and Confections
To develop flavors like matcha-almond-yuzu and miso-almond for her geometric chocolates, Michiko Marron-Kibbey draws from her Japanese heritage and a stint studying pastry in Paris. $12 at deuxcranes.com
Basuku Cheesecakes
Borrowing technique from Basque cheesecakes as well as jiggly, soufflé-style Japanese cheesecakes, Basuku has achieved cult status. They often sell out almost instantly, and nationwide shipping is in the works. $35 at @basukucheesecakes on Instagram