kat's easy dark chocolate taiyaiki with gooey cookie dough and marshmallows filling recipe
i can eat 4 of these myself in one sitting lol
dear fam,
I don’t remember when I had taiyaiki for the first time, but I’ll always remember how they make me feel.
Weird.
It’s a dessert shaped like a fish. Fish are meant to be savory. And bony.
To bite into a sweet taiyaiki just messes with my brain. And then when it’s savory, it messes with my brain even more.
I struggling with the headnote here today. I’ve been having a massive headache for the past week now, so I think that little tumor by my pituitary gland is getting bigger. It’s benign, so I’ve left it alone. But it has the potential to grow, and eventually press on my optical nerve… but that’s something to worry about tomorrow, and not right now.
And what does all this have to do with taiyaiki?
Well, if you can’t tell I’m stressed, I am. It’s been a ride, working full-time for Tasting Table as a food writer, marketing my second book while writing a third cookbook, developing new recipes for this substack, and building Instagram content so I can market my cookbook. One of my recipe testers, Laura, asked me how I do it all. I literally work from 8 am to 12 am, with breaks, of course, but that’s what you do when you work on passion projects. You work endlessly to achieve your goals and dreams. Oh and I’ve been on Duolingo, maintaining a 50 day streak and learning Japanese, and that Duo stresses you out. A digital owl with his little threats, it’s an effective learning system.
So, back to stress and needing comfort. Taiyaiki, as odd as they are and as weird as they make me feel, are so comforting and so, so easy to make.
If you don’t have a taiyaiki pan or maker, that’s okay. You can use a waffle maker or turn these into pancakes.
They are not too sweet because I add in 1/4 cup of dark cocoa powder. What makes up for the lack of sweetness, however, is the wad of cookie dough you stuff inside. I used store-bought cookie dough and added some marshmallows as well.
Without further ado, my dear friend, here is the full recipe:
Reel for reference:
scroll down for the recipe ⬇️
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A note on taiyaki: Taiyaki is a popular Japanese street food known for its distinctive fish shape. These sweet treats contain a crispy, waffle-like batter with various ingredients, such as traditionally sweet red bean paste. However, modern variations include custard, chocolate, cheese, and sweet potato fillings. Taiyaki are made using a special fish-shaped mold, giving them a unique appearance. The name "taiyaki" literally translates to "baked sea bream," with "tai" (sea bream) being a symbol of good luck in Japan, making these snacks not just delicious but also culturally significant.
Here’s the recipe: (unlock it and get 12 months of all my premium substack recipes for free when you preorder my new cookbook)\
Choco and Cookie-Stuffed Taiyaiki by Kat Lieu
Ingredients:
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