Ube Cookies are crunchy, purple sugar cookies with delicious nutty vanilla flavor from the ube yam. Enjoy this quick and easy Filipino recipe in under 30 minutes.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Make crunchy, bright purple cookies in thirty minutes with no chilling required.
- The slightly nutty ube plus vanilla make a delicious flavor combination.
- There is food coloring in the ube flavoring which combines with the natural purple color in the ube powder to create a beautiful purple cookie with no additional food coloring needed.
Ube is a purple yam grown in the Philippines and Hawaii. The toasty vanilla and nutty flavor makes it a popular ingredient in Filipino desserts.
When ube powder and ube flavoring is added to this classic sugar cookie, the result is a bright purple cookie with gentle coconut aroma and especially wonderful flavor.
Ingredients
- Ube powder is a Filipino product that can be found in international grocery stores, some Asian supermarkets, and online. Brands vary. You will use the entire 110-115 gram envelope in this recipe.
- Ube flavoring is a Filipino product that can be found in international grocery stores, some Asian markets, and online. I like the McCormick brand.
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Combine the ingredients to form the cookie dough.
- Use a 2 tablespoon (medium) cookie scoop to form dough balls. Roll the dough balls in decorating sugar.
- Place the sugar coated dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and gently flatten slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes.
Storage
Store Ube Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. The cookies will get crunchier over time.
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Tips
- The flavor in these cookies continues to develop during the first few days after baking, giving them even more delicious ube flavor.
- Both ube flavoring and ube powder are less expensive when purchased in an Asian/International grocery store rather than online. Be sure to check if the store carries Filipino ingredients.
- This is a crunchy cookie. For a slightly chewy texture, bake for no longer than 10 minutes and keep a slice of white bread in the storage container to provide moisture.
Frequently asked questions
Ube is a purple yam native to the Philippines and Hawaii. Ube jam (halaya), ube powder, and ube flavoring are used in many Filipino dessert recipes.
Ube has a warm, slightly nutty vanilla flavor.
Ube flavoring and ube powder can be found in the continental United States at Asian/International grocery stores that sell Filipino ingredients or online. The flavoring is sold in tiny bottles and the powder is sold in 110-115 gram envelopes.
The butter in this ube cookies recipe provides creamy flavor and the vegetable shortening provides a light, flaky crumb to the cookies and less spread.
Related Recipes
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Sprinkle Sugar Cookies are crunchy cookies coated in festive nonpareil sprinkles that are sure to make both adults and children smile.
Pink Cookies (Polvorones Rosas) are another popular Mexican bakery cookie that are great with a glass of milk or along side a cup of coffee.
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Ube Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup ube powder unsweetened, 100-115 grams
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons ube flavoring
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 5 tablespoons purple decorating sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, wisk together the flour, ube powder, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter, shortening, and sugar for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Mix in egg, ube flavoring, and vanilla extract.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture, just until combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoons) to shape the dough into balls.
- Place the purple decorating sugar in a small shallow bowl.
- Roll the ball of cookie dough in the decorating sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet about 2" apart.
- Gently flatten each dough ball with the bottom of a drinking glass to slightly thicker than ¼".
- Bake for 10-11 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store baked cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week. The cookies will get crunchier over time.
Notes
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- The flavor in these cookies developes further during the first few days giving them even more delicious ube flavor.
-
- Both ube flavoring and ube powder are less expensive when purchased in an Asian/International grocery store rather than online. Be sure to check if the store carries Filipino ingredients.
-
- This is a crunchy cookie. For a slightly chewy texture, bake for no longer than 10 minutes and keep a slice of white bread in the storage container to provide moisture.
- Wrap pairs of cookies, bottoms together, in plastic wrap.
- Stack the bundles in a column in a ziplock freezer bag.
- Remove as much air as possible from the bag before sealing.
- For shipping times longer than 7 days, vacuum sealing is recommended.
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