Smooth nut butter, melty chocolate, crunchy sesames, umami miso + caramel-y, toasty hojicha tea make a chewy, craveable adventure of a cookie.
In my mid-twenties, I found myself living in Japan. We stayed for five years, and though small in the scale of a lifetime, this timedeeply shaped elements of my being that I don’t think will ever fade; an aesthetic, an appreciation for the smallest gesture, a connection to nature. There are smells, signs, sights and memories that are as vivid in mind now as then, over twenty years ago. Spinning along the cerulean ocean on my bike, picking birds of paradise in the yard, rinsing the sand off my feet when I would walk home from the beach, watching the aunties harvest seaweed at low tide.
One of my most poignant memories was of hiking Mt. Fuji. In a 24 hour period, we bought hiking boots at a tiny outdoor outfitter on the island, flew to Tokyo, caught a train, rented a tiny car, drove to an onsen, stayed the night, woke up early the next morning and were headed to the summit and back. Most of the huts along the journey were closed, but the few of them that were open were selling cans of oxygen and had hojicha to drink. The smell was so intoxicating, so warm against the increasing chilliness of the mountain. Eventually, we reached the top (in gale force winds and fog no less) and headed back down. We loaded back in the car, drove the car back to the train, and flew back to Tokyo and home.
As the summit of this incredible fabled mountain disappeared in the rear view mirror, the scent of the hojicha, mixed with the rain in my hair and sun that had dried it didn’t and it’s stuck with me ever since.
I have so many sensory memories like this; of warm wash cloths, sea salt, steaming rice and hinoki. These memories are postcards, but also teleportation devices in a time when I’m traveling a bit less, and pining a bit more; I’m currently in the adventure of having a small child and balancing the our ever-expanding places in the world, as individuals and as a pair – mother and son. Sometimes, ok, often – the adventure is right here at home.
So when CAP Beauty released their hojicha a few weeks back, I was immediately intrigued and ordered a tin. Quickly I was transported back to Japan, to that day on Fuji, the roasty, toasty smells of tea steeping the sense of accomplishment when you’re standing on top of the world, and the grounding nature of this warm, smoky, umami-rich drink. I’ve been drinking it occasionally since, especially on the cozy spring days when I need an uplifting thought or feeling. And, of course, I started baking with it. First at the instigation of Aran Goyoaga and the hojicha cookies she created. And then, at last, using ingredients I have on hand all the time, and my own sense of adventure. The Fuji-san Cookies were born.
Hojicha is a high quality green tea that’s roasted (instead of steamed like most Japanese teas.) It’s traditionally made from bancha (late-harvest tea leaves) or sencha that are roasted at high temperatures to create a nutty, smoky and caramel-like flavor, instead of the grassy matcha flavor that many have grown accustomed to. The roasting process has another added benefit in that hojicha has less caffeine than green tea as well, making it a balanced choice for those with an abundance of vata or pitta in their constitutions. As a person who doesn’t drink coffee or caffeine, it’s the perfect drink to enjoy for flavor and comfort, and just the right tiny boost (if a boost is what the day calls for.)
No! I gave up delicious, divine coffee years ago now. Not because I don’t love it, or enjoy it. And not because it’s “bad for me.”
After a seasonal reset a few years back where I had removed coffee for several weeks, I found that much of the clarity, calm and coolness I enjoyed during the reset came rushing back when I got back into what I figured was my ordinary morning routine. A lack of spaciousness was the culprit, but so too was the introduction of a pungent, bitter substance that irritates my digestive tract and elevates energy first thing in the morning. No, I needed and craved slow, collected mornings. And coffee didn’t really fit that vibe. So, I just cut it out. And I replaced it with other substances that bring me joy, routine and ritual. I never looked back, and find that my presence of mind, energy and focus are easy for me to maintain without the use of caffeine…so I don’t miss it.
I’m not averse to the occasional little boost for myself, however, and that’s where this hojicha sitting on my shelf comes in.
The tin of hojicha sitting in my pantry has started to feel like the most special little treat, something I enjoy on a chilly, cozy, or focus-required day. Much the same way that I recall thinking about a special coffee blend sitting on my countertop. And, it’s got me thinking about all sorts of ways that I could use it instead of coffee, and loving the way that everything it touches seems to transport me back to Japan. My weekly kitchen practice to stock up snacks for our tiny, mighty, active and very hungry household is a complete non-negotiable now that summer has arrived and we’re getting out for bigger runs, rides, hikes and adventures and in a recent kitchen sesh I started experimenting. These Fuji-san Cookies are a perfect mountain fuel that seem to ignite both my memories of Japan and the sense of awe and wonder I experienced there, AND the sense of adventure I have for scaling the mountains in my backyard this summer.
Are L O A D E D with flavor: roasty, caramel-y hojicha, sweet oats and rice, melty chocolate, smooth almond butter, and crunchy sesame seeds – all in a chewy, mountain-worthy cookie. Rather than being super sturdy, these cookies are thin and chewy, so pack accordingly if you’re porting them up a mountain. (I recently traveled with them in a little tin – see above!) The use of maple syrup and the addition of almond butter makes them a balancing trail fuel, and the miso in the batter is a smart way of adding an umami/salty presence with a bit more depth of flavor.
In the recipe notes below, I share more details on their ingredients and some logical swaps.
I hope this one finds it’s way into your pockets, and that hojicha finds it’s way into your lower-caffiene routine!
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