Japanese Dessert Recipes

Make Authentic Japanese Candy Treats That Taste Delicious

Authentic Japanese dessert recipes from the late 1800s and early 1900s are not easy to find, but I found some in Grandma's recipe collection. Here are several old-time, homemade candy recipes that you will really enjoy trying.

The sweet potato candy recipe is quite simple to make, and the candy is remarkably delicious.

Some ingredients like "mirin sauce" and "kadzu starch" might not be available in every supermarket, but you should be able to purchase them in most Chinese and Japanese food stores, or improvise.

These traditional candies would make a perfect treat after a meal of sushi. Try one of these Japanese dessert recipes today.

Owa Okashi

A favorite Japanese candy. It is made of sweet rice roasted over an open fire, same as popcorn, mixed with goma seeds [black sesame seeds], and held together in pressed bars with barley sugar. It is an improvement over the American popcorn-peanut balls.

Chestnut Kintons or Cream Candy Recipe

One quart of chestnuts; one pint of sweet potatoes; one pound of sugar; three-quarters pint of mirin sauce; one tablespoonful of vinegar. Blanch the chestnuts and place them in lukewarm water. Boil, changing water several times, until you can pierce the nuts with a needle. Strain off water, then add one pound of sugar, three-quarters of a pint of mirin sauce, and boil slowly.

Have ready sweet potatoes, which have been peeled and boiled for twenty minutes. Add to them the vinegar, and strain and press through a sieve. Gradually mix with the chestnuts, and slowly boil, stirring constantly, until dry, then mold into desired shapes. Roll in powdered sugar. This might be called the Japanese Fudge recipe.

Yomoga Ga Shima

Either sugar or honey may be used as a sweetener in this authentic Japanese dessert recipe.

This crisp little Japanese cake comes prepared in boxes. It acquired fame through its being the favorite cake of the late Mikado. To make it, boil to a paste fresh or dried (previously soaked) lima beans. When they are cooked, set them aside to cool and thoroughly dry, then pound them to a fine flour. Roll on a floured board into thin crackers, and bake in a hot oven till crisp. They can be sweet or not, as desired.

Dai-Kan or Orange Jelly Candy Recipe

One-half pound of Kanton (seaweed jelly); three-quarters pound of fine white sugar; three tablespoonfuls of kudzu starch; two oranges. Wash half a pound of dry seaweed jelly, and soak it for two and a half hours in cold water. Then squeeze out all the water and break in small pieces. Boil in about a quart of water, until well melted, then mix three-quarters of a pound of sugar with this, stirring with chopsticks or wooden spoon. Strain into another pan, and boil over medium fire.

Take three tablespoonfuls of kudzu starch and dissolve in a little cold water. Then, drop by drop, gradually drop this into the jelly, while stirring with wooden spoon. When it becomes transparent, squeeze in the juice of two oranges and immediately remove from fire. Pour into a wooden box, and set in cool place for two hours to harden.

Sweet Potato Candy Recipe

This is loved by Japanese children, and is easily made. Boil sweet potatoes, mash and roll them into little balls, then toss into boiling syrup. Let them brown. Take out, and set to cool and become brittle.

Japanese Rice and Nut Candy Recipe

This rice candy recipe calls for seeds which are unnamed in the original recipe. The seeds are optional, but this simple Japanese dessert recipe could be made using sesame seeds.

These candies come in a great variety of ways. They are made chiefly of boiled rice pressed into balls with chopped nuts, tossed into boiling syrup, and then allowed to cool and harden. Seeds are often added, but these cannot be obtained in America.