Milk Tea Panna Cotta
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This Milk Tea Panna Cotta takes inspiration from brown sugar bubble tea, the famous confectionery drink from Taiwan, but without boba.
I am back sharing another recipe to complete my Tea Panna Cotta Series. Today’s recipe is inspired by the popular beverage from Taiwan, brown sugar bubble tea since I craved this drink a lot lately. I think there is no better than incorporating my favorite drink with my favorite dessert panna cotta. That’s how I came up with this Milk Tea Panna Cotta recipe.
This Milk Tea Panna Cotta is created by infusing black tea into the cream mixture and drizzled with brown sugar syrup for the finishing touch. It tastes smooth and creamy in every bite with bitter earthy black tea flavor and complex caramel flavor from brown sugar.
What Is Brown Sugar Bubble Tea?
If it is one thing that I cannot get enough of here, it is bubble tea. Bubble tea is a dessert drink originally made with Taiwanese black tea, milk, sugar syrup, topped with chewy tapioca pearls. In recent years, bubble tea has come out with a lot of variations, and brown sugar bubble tea is one of them.
If you are completely new to the bubble tea game, have you seen those cups with caramel streaks inside the cup and milk tea inside? If you don’t, I think you are missing the good stuff.
Choosing Tea for Milk Tea Panna Cotta
Good quality tea is essential here because it is the primary flavor here. The best kinds of tea to use are those that have a robust flavor since you will infuse the tea with milk and cream. These black teas tend to have a full body and strong flavor that can stand up to the addition of other things without being lost in the noise. In many cases, milk also helps soften the hearty, slightly astringent character of these teas, resulting in a mellower cup of tea without as much bite.
I used Assam loose black tea for the recipe, but any strong tea will work. I also prefer making this with loose tea since it is more flavorful and stronger than tea bags.
More Tea Dessert Recipes
If you don’t know, I have tons of tea dessert recipes on my blog. Check these out!
- Poured Matcha Tiramisu
- Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies
- Matcha Panna Cotta
- No-Bake Thai Tea Cheesecake
- Eggless Matcha Tiramisu Cake
- Earl Grey Burnt Cheesecake
Ingredients
Milk Tea Panna Cotta
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
- 5 tbsp (63 gr) white or brown sugar
- 3 sheets gelatin
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (15 gr) Assam/strong black loose leaf tea
Brown Sugar Syrup
- 1/4 cup (50 gr) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
Milk Tea Panna Cotta
- If you plan to unmold the panna cotta onto plates, lightly grease the inside of the glasses with vegetable oil and use a paper towel to wipe out most of the oil, leaving only a light residue. Otherwise, you can leave them uncoated.
- Soak the gelatin sheet in cold water until soft. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat milk, heavy cream, and sugar until simmer (do not boil). Remove from the heat.
- Squeeze gelatin to remove any excess water and add it to the pan, stirring constantly until the gelatin is melted.
- Add vanilla extract and loose leaf tea. Allow the mixture to steep for 10-15 minutes.
- Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and pour evenly among the prepared molds. Refrigerate until set for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- To remove from the mold, dip the bottom of the mold into a pot of hot water for 5 seconds to loosen the panna cotta. Slide a knife around the edge, then carefully turn it over onto a serving plate.
- Serve with brown sugar syrup if desired.
Brown Sugar Syrup
- In a saucepan, stir in brown sugar, water, and cornstarch until well combined. Heat on low heat until the sauce boils and thickens slightly. Let it cool completely before using.
Can you substitute something else for the gelatin sheets? They are very expensive.
How about gelatin powder? I don’t recommend substituting gelatin with other products.
I found your post from Instagram by chance and I knew I had to make this panna cotta. I think the idea behind is brilliant but will be nicer with real boba for topping like what bubble milk tea should be. Overall, the taste is spot on and the texture is just right in my opinion. Can’t wait to try the other panna cotta flavors from your blog.