Boba, or bubble tea, is a popular tea-based drink in Taiwan that includes chewy, tapioca pearls (referred to as boba), with a variety of flavours and toppings you can choose from. One of my favourites - brown sugar boba milk - actually doesn't include tea. Brown sugar boba milk simply includes boba, brown sugar syrup, and milk.

Boba is not difficult to make on your own. The only ingredients needed are brown sugar, water, and tapioca starch, making this candy-like treat a go-to recipe whenever I'm craving something sweet.

Step 1: Make the Boba

To make the boba balls, you will need:
- 1 medium pot
- 25 g dark brown sugar
- 40 mL water
- 45 g tapioca starch + more for dusting

Combine the water and brown sugar into a pot over medium-high heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Remove the pot from the heat and add a tablespoon of the tapioca starch and stir to combine. Put the pot back on the heat and stir until the mixture has slightly thickened.

Remove from the heat again and add the remaining tapioca starch. Stir until combined. The dough will be really sticky.

Dust the countertop and your hands with tapioca starch and begin kneading the dough. If the dough is too sticky add more tapioca starch. Once the dough is smooth and soft divide into three sections. Wrap two of the sections in plastic to help retain their moisture while you work on the other section.

Roll out the dough into a log approximately 1/2" thick or smaller and cut smaller pieces 1/4-1/2" thick from the log. Roll the pieces in your hands into a ball and coat with more tapioca starch. The boba will expand once cooked so do not make the balls too big. Repeat with the remaining two sections of dough.

Step 2: Cook the Boba

To cook the boba, you will need:
- 1 medium pot
- 1 medium bowl filled with ice water

Once you have made all your boba balls, bring a pot of water to a boil and add in your boba. Cook until all of the boba have floated to the surface, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes, and then turn off the heat and let the boba sit in the pot covered for another 10-15 minutes.

Drain the boba and transfer into the bowl of ice water. This will help remove some of the stickiness of the boba and make them chewy.

Step 3: Make the Brown Sugar Syrup

To make the brown sugar syrup, you will need:
- 1 medium pot
- 50 g dark brown sugar
- 40 g water
- 5 mL vanilla extract (optional)

Once you have transfered your cooked boba into the ice water, begin making the syrup by combining the water, sugar, and vanilla extract into the pot over medium-high and cook until the sugar has dissolved.

Add in your cooked boba and increase the heat to high. Keep stirring the mixture until the begins to bubble and thicken into a syrup consistency.

Step 4: Assemble the Boba Milk

To make the boba milk, you will need:
- 1 jar/cup
- 500 mL milk of choice

Once the boba and syrup is ready, add the desired amount of the boba/syrup mixture into your jar.

Rotate the jar around to coat the sides with the syrup.

Add in your choice of milk, here I used almond milk, and ice. If you wanted to make milk tea instead, you can brew some tea in a pot with the milk and add that instead. Top off with more boba if desired.

Serve right away and enjoy!

Check out breadandbananas on Instagram for more food inspiration and recipes!