This bubble milk tea panna cotta is super creamy and delicious, and is topped with brown sugar boba pearls for a very easy and impressive dessert! Black tea infused milk, set with just enough gelatin, and just enough sugar for sweetness. If you love boba tea, you will LOVE this simple dessert!EASY - This recipe is easy to make and great for beginners. You can make the process easier with quick cook boba pearls, or use homemade boba pearls if you prefer. US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements (when available) are recommended for accurate results. Metric and US customary conversion button can be used to toggle between the measurements.
15gblack tea leavesI use a combination of Ceylon OP and Assam tea
360mLfull cream milk
67gsugarwhite or brown sugar
Generous pinch of salt
5mLvanilla
360mLwhipping cream35% fat
Brown Sugar Boba Pearls
150gbrown sugar150 g brown sugar
45mLwater
Pinchof salt
½cupboba pearlsYou can use quick cook, or regular, or homemade boba pearls
Instructions
Milk Tea Panna Cotta
Place the water in a bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface. Mix with a toothpick to saturate the gelatin in the water. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes to let the gelatin bloom (absorb the water and swell up).
45 mL water, 8 g powdered gelatin
Place the milk in a saucepan. Heat the milk over medium heat, with the lid on.
360 mL full cream milk
When the milk comes to a simmer, immediately turn off the heat and add the tea leaves.
15 g black tea leaves
Stir the tea leaves in the milk. Cover the pot and let the tea steep for 10 - 15 minutes.
Strain the milk into a measuring jug to separate the tea leaves. Gently press the tea leaves to extract a little more of the milk. But be careful not to press too hard, or you will extract more of the bitter notes. You should get about 1 ¼ cups of tea infused milk.
Wash the saucepan, and add the milk back into it. Add the sugar, bloomed gelatin, salt and vanilla.
67 g sugar, Generous pinch of salt, 5 mL vanilla
Heat the mixture over medium heat, while stirring, to dissolve the sugar and gelatin. Heat the mixture ONLY until the sugar and gelatin are dissolved. DO NOT let the mixture come to a boil.
When the sugar and gelatin are dissolved, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Stir in the whipping cream, and then transfer the milk into a large jug (3.5 - 4 cups capacity).
360 mL whipping cream
Prepare 6 x ½ cup capacity serving dishes. If you'd like to unmold the panna cotta, choose metal or silicone molds with thin walls. Butter the sides of these dishes with a very thin layer of fat. (If you're not unmolding, and simply serving the panna cotta in the dishes, then you do not have to butter the sides of those dishes).
Divide the panna cotta mixture between the six dishes.
Allow the mixture to come to room temperature. Cover each dish with plastic wrap and place them on a tray. Transfer this tray into the fridge, and allow the panna cotta to set overnight.
Brown Sugar Boba Pearls
Start cooking the boba pearls according to package instructions, or the homemade boba pearls according to the recipe here. These homemade boba pearls will take longer to cook, so you need to cook them BEFORE you make the syrup.
½ cup boba pearls
Place the sugar, salt, and water in a saucepan. Heat over medium high heat while stirring to melt the sugar.
150 g brown sugar, 45 mL water, Pinch of salt
Lower the heat to medium, and continue to boil the sugar syrup. Boil the sugar syrup until thick and syrupy (the syrup will be less thick when you add the boba pearls). Set aside.
If you’re making quick cook boba pearls, these can be made while you make the sugar syrup, or after.
Place the cooked boba pearls in cold water, and then drain the water. Transfer the boba pearls into the brown sugar syrup and stir to coat. Let cool until the boba pearls are just a little warm.
Serving the Panna Cotta
Unmolding the Panna Cotta
Have a bowl with warm water ready. Lower the panna cotta mold into the water (making sure the water doesn’t get inside). Gently rotate the mold in the water for a few seconds.
Turn the mold over a serving dish and give it a little shake. This should slowly release the panna cotta from the mold. If it doesn't, return it to the warm water bowl for a few more seconds.
Spoon some brown sugar boba pearls over the milk tea panna cotta. If you'd like the panna cotta to be sweeter, spoon some of the brown sugar syrup on top as well.