Tamago Boro (Egg Biscuits)
Tamago Boro (also known as egg biscuits, (蛋果子 or 小馒头)) is a very popular snack among kids. You can find them in supermarkets, Japanese specialty stores or local snack shops. My son had never tasted them before. So, he was very excited when he knew that I was going to make them for him.
I have made these Tamago Boro successfully based on a recipe I have adapted and modified from 『君之』的手工烘焙坊. It uses simple ingredients with easy-to-follow steps. But if you want to make super tiny, nicely browned and flawless tamago boro biscuits like those sold in the store, then it would be a challenge.
To get a perfect looking Tamago Boro, it really requires lots of patience and dexterity with the hands. Having said that, the most tedious part comes from dividing the dough into bits of even weight (one gram each, slightly bigger than the size of a soya bean) and rolling them into 280 miniature egg boro. For easy rolling, I had to constantly wet my hands as the dough turns dry quickly. This task took me around an hour and half to complete with the help of my hubby. Well, if you think it is too time consuming, you can opt for the short-cut given in the original recipe (please refer to note 2 in my recipe). However, the down side of this option is that the cooked egg biscuits will be coated with a layer of flour and their shape may not be as round as the first method and may have more crack lines.
During baking, it is important to use the right temperature setting and monitor the baking process closely. This is to prevent these mini balls from cracking and browning too much. Spraying some water on them before and during baking can help to minimize crack lines from developing. At times, you can also place a baking sheet on top to cut down the heat.
I bake these egg biscuits for 25 minutes, longer than the recommended time stated in the original recipe. This reason is because my son prefers the texture to be crisp and crunchy, and its taste is more flavourful.
I don’t know how they fair when compared to those commercial tamago boro as I can’t even recall when I last ate them. However, the miniature size of these biscuits (about 1cm or less in diameter) makes them look incredibly adorable and irresistible!! My son loves popping them into his mouth while doing his homework. When he shared them with his classmates, the responses he received were overwhelming. After all, who will say no to these cuties?
These egg biscuits are low on oil and sugar. It is a perfect snack for kids but I would not recommend it for babies (especially below one year old) as it contains egg and sugar, and may cause choking.
Get the recipe and step by step tutorial at PAGE 2 BELOW.
I remember those 小馒头…used to buy them, but like you, can’t remember when I last time had one. Yours have turned out great!
Angie: Yeah, it used to be our childhood’s favourite snack. 🙂
Hi hi.. I have those kitchen mixer , can I use that instead of using hand whisk ?
Anvie: Yes, you can. I would recommend you to make the dough with spatula and whisk instead as the task is pretty quick and straight forward. 🙂
These are definitely popular with kids…and adults alike! And they will be gone within minutes.
Tigerfish: Yes, you’re absolutely right. 🙂
Love your blog, your recipes for all the children. Although i am not a mum, i adore all your beautiful creations.
regards hellosweetdessert.wordpress.com
Jong Belegen Kaas: Thank you for your wonderful compliment! 🙂
Can I ask, how long do we need to cover the dough with damp cloth before shaping them? Thanks
Melanie: You need to cover the dough with damp cloth all the time so as to prevent it from turning dry. 🙂
i’ve never seen these before. they look so cute. i’d love to try them!
Dina: Yes, they are very tiny and adorable! Love to hear your feedback after trying it out! 🙂
My son is allergic to dairy. Is there any substitute I could use for the milk?
Cindy: You may substitute the amount of milk powder with potato starch. This is just a suggestion as I haven’t tried this substitution before. 🙂
My parents always tell the story of when they used to entice me with these to get me to crawl/walk to them. Thanks for bringing back those memories! I will be making these in the future.
Anne: Do share your feedback after trying it out. Happy trying! 🙂
Awesome! These are just so cute, and a nostalgic reminder of my childhood too 🙂 Yours look so adorable; and round…really tempting! 😀
Christy: Thank you! Do give it a try! 🙂
Hi, the egg liquid mentioned in the recipe is it whole egg?
Jessica: Yes, you’re right! But you only need the amount stated in the recipe. 🙂
I just bake this recipe. But the dough very sticky and it flatten after roll into round shape. Do u know why? I suspect maybe flour not enough. Thks
Jessica: Yes, the dough is very sticky at the beginning but after a while it will be less sticky. Extra flour will make the dough dry and create crack lines to the biscuits. It is normal if the base of the biscuit is flattened. Can you send me a photo of your tamago boro? My email is foodfortots@yahoo.com.
I loved this snack in my childhood..really it’s delicious. Thank you
Oyasissprings: It’s my pleasure to share. So glad that you like it. 🙂
Wow!! It’s true that the smaller the things, the more effort it requires to make 😀 When I saw the 1.5 hr of rolling, etc, I raise my white flag liao. Salute you and your hubby for such dedication 😀
Ling: Haha! I’m sure that kids would enjoy rolling the biscuits more than the adults. Do give it a try during these school holidays. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this!! My one year old son loves the Want Want 小馒头 and I would love to make this preservative free version for him myself!!
Would you know if we can keep the dough in the freezer? I don’t think I can make so many balls in one shot! Haha!
How about the biscuits? How long can we keep them in the cookie jar?
Von: I haven’t tried freezing the dough before. But I have tried to put it in the chiller for a while and it turned out dry. Maybe you can try to cut down the amount of this recipe. For the biscuits, they keep well for 2-3 weeks. 🙂
Hi Thanks for sharing this recipe! This is so lovely and I love it so much! I would like to give it a try over the weekend and I also would like to know is it possible to substitute the potato starch with the corn starch?
Carmen: I’m not sure of the outcome but you can give it a try if you like. The substitution sounds feasible to me. 🙂
Can I use the baby formula milk powder?
Elaine: Do not use normal baby milk powder as substitute. If you don’t have, you can replace with bread flour. FYI, baker’s dry milk (milk powder) is high heat treated and make your bread better in term of texture, flavour and colour. It can be purchased in local baking supplier shops.(Click on the link to read more: https://www.preparedpantry.com/dry-milk.aspx)
Thank you for this recipe – I’ve made these today with great success (they compare favourably with shop-bought ones from Malaysia anyway). My milk powder had gone off, so I substituted formula (this was ”toddler milk” rather than infant formula). Also, I’d accidentally dumped the icing sugar in with the other dry ingredients (which my toddler helped mix, spilling a few spoonfuls along the way) so we added the egg into that all at once, stirred with a spatula and then kneaded by hand. Our oven is fan assisted, so we baked the biscuits at 150 degrees. So there is a lot more latitude with the recipe than you think!
Cirrus29: Thank you so much for the kind feedback! Great to hear your success story! 🙂
I made these and as you suggested, left them to bake a little longer. The texture was great! Hard yet crunchy. They are a little more dense than the commercial ones which melt in your mouth.
However, they aren’t as flavourful as the ones we buy off the shelves. Be mindful those in the shops are laden with additives!
They were also not sweet enough for me but good for the kids since too much sugar is not healthy.
I would definitely make these again and try to add more natural flavoring in it.
Thanks for the great recipe!
xpetitpoix: Thank you for sharing your feedback!! If you have more discoveries in improving the flavour, do share with me. Thank you! 🙂
Can i use castor sugar instead of icing sugar?
Lilypony: Yes, you can. FYI, icing sugar will yield more crunchy texture. 🙂
Is this recipe okay for dogs?
Yin: Sorry, I have no idea. 🙂
Dear 4 tots, just read your site and realise there high amount of sugar added in the recipe, is there any substitution for sugar such as adding in honey to substitute the icing sugar. Thanks and looking forward to receive your reply.
Peggy Seow: Sorry, I haven’t tried substitute icing sugar with honey for this recipe. 🙂
How long do you need to let the dough rest before shaping it ?
Anvie: I did it straight away after forming the dough. 🙂
Hi I had tried it a few days Ago.. Everything is well except I didn’t get the melt in the mouth kind of texture.. Can advise why ?
Anvie: The texture for tamago boro should be crisp and crunchy. You may try either reducing the baking time or making larger balls to achieve the melt-in-the-mouth texture. 🙂