Matcha Mochi Cupcakes

Being the start of summer, I thought it would be appropriate to put a cupcake spin on the traditional Japanese New Year's dessert, mochi.  I've been eating mochi my whole life.  My mom would usually whip up a batch for our New Year's feast of chicken, sushi rice, rice balls, red bean rice, and, of course, mochi.  Plain mochi is simply pounded sweet rice (also called glutinous rice, though it contains no gluten).  Commonly, it is filled with 'an', sweetened red bean paste.  Growing up, my favorite way to eat mochi was to toast it in the oven until it puffed up and was golden brown on the top.  I would then dip the delicious gooey, toasty, chewy delciousness in a sauce made of shoyu (soy sauce) and sugar.  Yummy!  I've since grown to appreciate the taste and texture of an-filled mochi.  I think that growing up, I associated the taste/texture of an with peanuts.  I realize they are nothing alike, but when you've never actually tasted peanut butter and know that it could kill you, random associations tend to be scary and off-putting.  My other favorite types of mochi are black sesame mochi and green tea mochi.  Peach mochi is also fabulous (even though I make the cheater's version).