Mooncake Recipe made of Brownies + Shortbread

I decided to create my own homemade Mooncake recipe by combining the best of both worlds. A chocolate brownie for my mooncake fillings with a crispy shortbread cookie on the outside.

This year more than ever, China has been in the news every day so I decided to tell you something that I discovered a few years ago and absolutely loved, the mooncake. It inspired me to make my own Mooncakes along with the traditional brownie that Americans love.

Some of the traditional mooncakes are made with golden syrup, duck yolks, lotus seeds, red bean paste, and let's not forget some have lotus paste. The variety of mooncakes is endless with Asian ingredients. If you go to an Asian market from the month of August to September, you will find endless rows of Mooncakes. We just went to our favorite Asian stores this past weekend with endless rows of beautiful mooncakes wrapped in pretty boxes.

The moon cake may as well be its own holiday, oh wait it kinda is in Chinese culture. Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋節). The festival is about lunar appreciation and Moon watching with mooncakes which are regarded as a delicacy. It is a custom to give Mooncakes between friends or family members while gathering to celebrate the festival. 

What is the Mid-Autumn Festival or Mooncake Festival?

In Asian Cultures, the  Mid-Autumn Festival which is also called the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival happens in the middle of September. It is a traditional festival celebrated by many Southeast Asian people.

The second-most important holiday after Chinese New Year with a history dating back over 3,000 years. It was a way to worship the moon for bountiful harvests. The ancient Chinese believed in rejuvenation being associated with the moon and water.

How to Make the Mooncake Recipe

This mooncake will take some time to make so, I would make these when you have some time to start to finish. You will need a mold to make the mooncake recipe. I bought mine on Amazon

Prepare the Cookie Dough

1. Add flour, cornstarch, and salt to a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside. Combine butter, and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted. Cream the butter mixture on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla at medium speed until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. 
2. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined. 
3. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten it into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
4. Cut dough into 8 equal portions Take one piece out and return the rest to the refrigerator.
5. Take each piece into a ball between your hands. One at a time, dip a ball of dough into flour and set it on the work surface. Roll out into a circular shape.

Prepare the Brownie Balls

1. Prepare the brownie mix with the package instructions. Take out 10 minutes before the time on the package so it is a little gooey. 
2. Let the brownie mix cool off where you can handle it by hand. Scoop with a spoon and form a ball.
3. Set the balls aside so you can use them for the center.

Combining the Brownie Ball and Cookie Dough

1. Take the dough in one hand and place the brownie ball in the center. Cover the brownie by pinching the dough in one direction until a dough ball has been formed. 
2. Dip cookie stamp in flour, remove, and press down on the ball of dough until it is about 1-inch thick. Remove stamps. Transfer mooncakes to a parchment baking sheet, arranging them about 1 ½ inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
3. Once you have stamped out all the cookies, chill in the freezer until very firm, about 10 minutes. Set the oven temperature to 350 º degrees. When cold, brush off any excess flour with a dry pastry brush and do an egg wash on top. Place the mooncake on a prepared baking sheet with parchment paper underneath.
4. Bake mooncakes until they turn golden underneath, about 12 to 14 minutes, switching the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time.
5. Remove the mooncakes and cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. Enjoy!

Where to Buy the Mooncake Mould

The intricate pattern on top of the mooncake is made with a mooncake mold. The best thing to do is buy the mold on Amazon. It is cheap and you can get it the next day. I also dust flour inside so it is easier to remove the Mooncake. Buy Mould

Traditional Chinese Mooncake

Most homemade mooncakes are made with a sweet filling in the middle. In Asian culture, the most common filling is made with mung bean paste and lotus seed paste but my favorite is the ones with the salted duck egg yolk or salted egg yolks. The lotus mooncakes with the egg yolks are the most common.

Tip & Tricks

• If the dough gets soft, place it back into the refrigerator to harden the dough a little.
• Make sure to have a floor on the mold so the dough does not get sticky. 
• To make different color Mooncakes, add food coloring to the dough when mixing.
• Store in an air-tight container.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make it ahead of time?
I would definitely make these ahead. They take a while so it's not a last-minute recipe

How to store the mooncakes?

• Best stored in an air-tight container or wrap with plastic once they are completely cool off.

How long will the mooncakes last?
They lasted about 3 to 5 days, after that the outside layer is not crisp like any good cookie!

More Asian Recipes

• Gluten-Free Butternut Squash With Sage Quiche
• Bourbon and Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie
• Savory Stuffed Pumpkin for Thanksgiving Dinner
• Mini Vegan Pecan Pie Recipe

Fall Travel Guides

• Road Trip Saratoga Springs NY
• Couples's Getaway In Virginia
• Shenandoah National Park in the Fall
• Fall Vegetables at the Farmers Market

I hope you liked this recipe and I do admit it does take a little time to make but it did make 8 boxed cookies so I could give for gifts. Nothing like a cookie to say, "thank you for being a nice neighbor" See ya next time!

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Mooncake Brownie Shortbread Cookies

Lizzy Cascalheira

A delicious Mooncake recipe with a chocolate brownie in the middle of a crispy shortbread cookie on the outside that melts with every bite.

4.06 from 17 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Asian

Servings 8

Calories 668 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Mooncake Mold

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more as needed
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 box brownie mix

Instructions

 

Prepare the Cookie Dough

• Add flour, cornstarch and salt to a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside. Combine butter, granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted. Cream the butter mixture on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla medium speed until well combined. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed just until combined.
  
• Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined.
  
• Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
  
• Cut dough into 8 pieces. Take one piece out and return the rest to the refrigerator.
  
• Take each piece into a ball between your hands. One at a time, dip a ball of dough into flour and set on the work surface. Roll out into a circular shape.
  

Prepare the Brownie Balls

• Let the brownie mix cool off where you can handle it by hand. Scoop with a spoon and form a ball.
  
• Set the balls aside so you can use them for the center.
  

Combining the Brownie Ball and Cookie Dough

• Take the dough in one hand and place the brownie ball in the center. Cover the brownie by pinching the dough in one direction until a ball has been formed.
  
• Dip cookie stamp in flour, remove and press down on the ball of dough until it is about 1-inch thick. Remove stamps. Transfer mooncake to a parchment baking sheet, arranging them about 1 ½ inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough.
  
• Once you have stamped out all the cookies, chill in the freezer until very firm, about 10 minutes. Set the oven at 350 º degrees.
  
• When cold, brush off any excess flour with a dry pastry brush.
• Bake mooncakes until they turn golden underneath, about 12 to 15 minutes, switching the baking sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time.
• Remove the mooncakes and cool for a few minutes on a wire rack. EnJoY!

Notes

• If the dough gets soft, place back into the refrigerator to harden the dough a little.
• Make sure to to have floor on the mold so the dough does not get sticky. 
• To make different color Mooncakes, add food coloring to dough when mixing.

Nutrition

Serving: 8gCalories: 668kcalCarbohydrates: 91gProtein: 7gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 61mgSodium: 336mgPotassium: 41mgFiber: 1gSugar: 44gVitamin A: 709IUCalcium: 12mgIron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!