Osmanthus Longan Jelly Mooncakes
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A healthier version of mooncakes: these Osmanthus Longan Jelly Mooncakes feature a lightly sweetened osmanthus jelly studded with osmanthus flowers, goji berries, and longans. Plus, they are gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan-friendly.
Jelly mooncakes are not the traditional mooncakes you usually find during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Unlike other mooncakes with lots of sugar, oil, and flour, jelly mooncakes are very light, refreshing, and nutritious. Plus, they are super easy to make with just a few ingredients.
This year, I decided to make these easy Osmanthus Longan Jelly Mooncakes, a traditional Chinese dessert jelly filled with the colors of autumn and delicately scented with the floral scent of osmanthus flowers. Osmanthus is an edible flower that is quite common in Chinese desserts and tea blends. What does osmanthus taste like? It has a sweet floral aroma with a smooth, refreshing taste, often described as having honey or apricot notes.
The Osmanthus Longan Jelly Mooncakes are easy to prepare. You steep the dried osmanthus flowers in hot water as if you are steeping tea. Strain the tea and mix with agar powder, jelly powder, and sugar. Add goji berries and longans and allow the mixture to set in the fridge. The jelly is served chilled.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Easy and quick to make. This dessert is very easy and quick to make compared to other mooncakes.
- Not too sweet. The jelly is just slightly sweetened. The main sweetness comes from the longans.
- Light and refreshing. The jelly is perfect for those who want something light and not heavy.
- Healthy and nutritious. Osmanthus tea is rich in antioxidants, promotes relaxation, and aids digestion. Goji berries are good for your eyes. Agar and jelly are high in fiber, they aid digestion and relieve constipation. Longan has been used in Chinese medicine to nourish heart blood and calm the mind.
Ingredients You Need
- Dried osmanthus flowers. Osmanthus, or guìhuā in Mandarin (桂花), is a sweet, tiny, fragrant yellow-gold flower native to East Asia. You may find it as a dried tea, in syrup for baking Chinese desserts, or as a flavoring in wine for braised meat dishes.
- Rock sugar. Or you can substitute with granulated sugar.
- Agar powder. Agar or agar-agar, a jelly-like substance, derived from seaweed. Agar-agar sets into a firm, dense, and slightly brittle or crunchy structure.
- Jelly powder. The setting agent for the jelly. It makes the jelly elastic, springy, and bouncy. Agar helps the dessert hold its shape firmly at room temperature without melting easily. The jelly powder adds a pleasant, mouth-friendly chew.
- Goji berries. Also known as wolfberries. They are red in color and most commonly sold dried.
- Canned longan. You will use both the longans and the syrup in this recipe.
You can find these ingredients at your local Asian supermarkets or grocery stores.
How to Make
- Prepare the osmanthus tea. Steep the dried osmanthus flowers with hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Make the jelly. Strain the osmanthus tea into a saucepan. Add agar powder, jelly powder, sugar, and canned longan syrup. Cook on medium heat until the mixture boils. Turn off the heat. Add 2 tsp strained osmanthus flowers and goji berries.
- Arrange the longans. Put 3 longans in each jelly mold cavity.
- Cool the jelly. Let the jelly cool slightly. If you add the jelly when it is still hot, the osmanthus flowers will sink to the bottom of the molds. You can speed up the cooling process by putting the saucepan in an ice bath.
- Pour the jelly. Pour the cooled jelly into the molds.
- Chill. Put the jelly in the fridge for at least 2 hours until it sets.
Troubleshootings
- Jelly powder substitute. If you don’t have jelly powder, you can substitute it with 1 teaspoon (2 gr) agar powder. Please note that the jelly will have a denser texture and not be bouncy.
- Agar and jelly powder clump. Never mix agar powder with warm/hot water, as it will clump and become impossible to dissolve. Stir into room-temperature water first and stir to dissolve before adding the mixture to the warm osmanthus tea.
- The osmanthus flowers sink. To keep osmanthus flowers and other ingredients from sinking or floating when making a jelly mooncake, let the mixture cool until it reaches a semi-set, syrupy state before pouring it into the mold. If you have poured the jelly into the molds and find the flowers sinking, you can stir up the flowers just as the jelly is setting so they will stay suspended in your jelly.
- The jelly sticks to the molds. To make the jelly release easily, wet the molds with water and leave them wet right before pouring the jelly mixture.
How to Store
Keep the jelly in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Do not freeze the jelly.
More Mooncake Recipes
- Oreo Cheesecake Mooncakes
- Cookies Crust Mooncakes
- Durian Pandan Snowskin Mooncakes
- Honey Pistachio Mooncakes
- Lava Custard Mooncakes
- Thousand Layers Lava Custard Mooncakes
Osmanthus Longan Jelly Mooncakes
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups (660 ml) water, divided
- 2 tbsp (5 gr) dried osmanthus flowers
- 1/2 cup (100 gr) rock sugar or granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp (5 gr) agar powder
- 1 tsp (3 gr) jelly powder
- 2 tbsp (15 gr) goji berries
- 1 can longan
Instructions
- Steep osmanthus with 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) of hot water for 5-10 minutes.
- Strain the osmanthus tea into a saucepan. Reserve 2 tsp of strained osmanthus for later.
- In a small bowl, mix agar powder and jelly powder with 1/4 cup (60 ml) of water. If you add the powder directly to the hot osmanthus tea, it will clump. You should dissolve it in room temperature water. Add the mixture to the saucepan. Stir until well combined. Add rock sugar.
- Strain the longan and reserve the syrup. Add 1/2 cup (120 ml) of longan syrup to the saucepan.
- Heat the saucepan on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture boils.
- Turn off the heat. Add goji berries and 2 tsp osmanthus. Stir until combined. Set aside.
- Brush the jelly mooncake molds with water. This stops the cooling jelly from sticking to the surface of plastic, allowing the set jelly to slide out smoothly without breaking.
- Add 3 longans into each mold cavity.
- Allow your jelly mixture to cool slightly before transferring it to the molds. You can speed this process up by using an ice bath for the pot. Cooling the mixture will prevent the osmanthus from sinking to the bottom.
- Carefully divide the jelly mixture between the molds.
- Chill for at least 2 hours or until the jelly is set.
- Press the sides of the mold to loosen the edges of the jelly. Flip the mold onto a large plate to release the jelly. Serve chilled.
