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Home » Recipes » Bars & Brownies

Jan 13, 2022(updated Sep 11, 2022)

Fudgy Ube Brownies

4.94 from 15 votes

22 Comments

by Becca Du

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
ube brownies

One ingredient that I started using last year is ube. I absolutely love how it tastes in desserts, and the rich purple color it imparts to any dessert. At the beginning of year, I made a goal of mine to learn more about this Filipino ingredient and to use it more in my recipes. The first ube recipe this year is my ube brownies. I have absolutely loved riffing on brownies on this blog starting with my matcha brownies. Brownies are one of the easiest desserts you can make next to cookies, and they’re the ultimate crowdpleaser. And I can honestly say, these ube brownies are definitely a crowd pleaser.

ube halaya

What is ube halaya jam?

Ube jalaya jam is a Filipino dessert made with purple yam, coconut milk, and butter. It can be eaten as a snack or used in various Filipino desserts like halo halo, cakes, and ice cream. There are so many amazing recipes for ube halaya online, but I opted to buy mine pre-made at the store to cut down on cook time. I purchased the ube halaya jam at my local Filipino grocery store, but if you can’t find it locally, you can also get it on Amazon. If you are interested in making this from scratch, I found this recipe on the blog Kawaling Pinoy that looks really good.

whisked wet ingredients

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

  • Unsalted butter – Browned butter adds a nutty flavor to the brownies.
  • White chocolate – Typically, chocolate is used in traditional brownies, but I chose to use white chocolate so you can see the purple color of the brownies. You can definitely use regular chocolate for these brownies, but you might not be able to see the purple color. Additionally, regular chocolate will make these brownies less sweet.
  • Granulated sugar and light brown sugar – Sugar makes these brownies sweet and makes the texture chewy. The question I always get is “can I make this less sweet?” Yes you can, but the lowering the amount of sugar will make these brownies more cakey. I discuss reducing sugar in the tips section below.
  • Eggs – Adds richness to the brownies and binds the batter together.
  • Vanilla extract – Adds more flavor to the brownies. Substitute with an equal amount of vanilla paste (my preference) or 1 vanilla bean.
  • Ube extract – Ube extract adds the purple color and ube flavor to the brownies. The extract is more responsible for the purple color than the ube jalaya. Technically, you can make this dish without ube extract, but I wouldn’t recommend it because it won’t be as purple and you won’t get a strong ube flavor.
  • Ube jalaya – Ube jalaya adds the ube flavor to the brownies. I included this ingredient because I wanted some actual ube in the brownies. If you can’t find ube jalaya, I would add an additional 1/2 teaspoon of ube extract.
  • Salt for seasoning
  • All purpose flour
brownie batter

Making my ube brownies

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Prepare a 8×8 baking pan by greasing it and covering it with parchment paper. Brown the butter. Heat butter over medium heat until it melts. Then lower the heat to low and cook until brown bits appear. Put the white chocolate into a bowl. Pour the browned butter over the top. Stir until all the chocolate melts. Set aside.

Combine sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, ube extract, ube halaya jam, and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whisk until it becomes a fluffy, light purple color (~5-10 minutes). Pour the white chocolate mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until incorporated. Add the all purpose flour and gently fold it into the mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Take out the brownies and tap on the counter to release air bubbles. Optional: Sprinkle flaky salt on top of the brownies. Put them back in the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes. Let the brownies cool for 20 minutes in the pan before cutting into them.

brownies before baking

Tips on how to make the perfect ube brownies

Use a light coloured pan to brown butter

It is a lot easier to brown butter using a light colored pan because it helps you see the color of the butter as it cooks.

Beat sugar and eggs until thick and creamy

Beating the eggs and sugar incorporates air into the brownies, creating a lift in the final product. This helps provide lift without any type of leavening agents like baking soda or baking powder.

Smack the brownies on the counter

This helps get rid of air bubbles and evens out the shape of the brownies, so they’re not thicker in one part and thinner in other parts.

Heat up the ube halaya so it is easier to incorporate

Pre-made ube halaya comes in a jar and it’s actually pretty stiff, so I found warming up the ube helps it incorporate better. I microwaved it for 20 seconds before adding it to the batter.

Can I reduce the sugar in this recipe?

Yes you can, but it will affect the texture of the brownies. I tested this recipe with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and the brownies became cakey. If you want to use 1/2 cup of sugar, I would reduce the all purpose flour to 1/4 cup, so you can achieve the fudgy texture you want. Another way to reduce the sweetness of these brownies is to use dark chocolate instead of white chocolate.

What if I don’t want a brownie that is fudgy or as gooey in the middle?

If you want a brownie that is more solid in the center, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour to the batter. You can also reduce the amount of sugar to 1/2 cup (like I mentioned above).

ube brownies

Did you make this dish?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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ube brownies

Fudgy Ube Brownies

Becca Du
Easy, homemade brownies made with ube extract, ube halaya, and white chocolate.
4.94 from 15 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Filipino
Servings 9 brownies
Calories 299 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 8 inch square cake pan

Ingredients
 
 

  • ½ cup unsalted butter
  • 4 oz white chocolate
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • 3 eggs room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp ube extract
  • ¼ cup ube halaya
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp flaky salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C).
  • Prepare a 8×8 baking pan by greasing it and covering it with parchment paper. 
  • Brown the butter. Heat butter over medium heat until it melts. Then lower the heat to low and cook until brown bits appear. 
  • Put the white chocolate into a bowl. Pour the browned butter over the top. Stir until all the chocolate melts. Set aside.
  • Combine sugar, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, ube extract, ube halaya jam, and salt in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whisk until it becomes a fluffy, light purple color (~5-10 minutes).
  • Add the white chocolate mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until incorporated.
  • Add the all purpose flour and gently fold it into the mixture.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake for 20 minutes.
  • Take out the brownies and tap on the counter to release air bubbles. Optional: Sprinkle flaky salt on top of the brownies.
  • Put them back in the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes.
  • Let the brownies cool for 20 minutes in the pan before cutting into them.

Notes

  1. This brownie recipe makes a fudgier brownie. If you want a brownie that is more cakey/not as gooey in the middle, add an extra 1/4 cup of flour to the batter.
  2. Alternatively, you can reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup. That would make the brownie cakey and reduce the sweetness of the brownie.

Nutrition

Serving: 1brownieCalories: 299kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 3gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 165mgPotassium: 110mgFiber: 1gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 404IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 43mgIron: 1mg
Keyword ube brownie recipe, ube brownies
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AJ says

    January 13, 2022 at 5:06 pm

    5 stars
    How gorgeous! What brand of ube halaya did you use? Did you use any ube extract for them to turn out so purple in the photos?

    Reply
    • Becca says

      January 13, 2022 at 5:13 pm

      Hi AJ. Yes I used 1/2 tsp of ube extract! I used Angelina ube halaya. Let me know if you try it!

      Reply
  2. Julie says

    January 24, 2022 at 9:38 pm

    Loved this recipe, thanks so much for sharing! I made it to take to an event, but my mom (who usually doesn’t like desserts) suggested that I leave it at home for us to eat 😂

    Reply
    • Becca says

      January 24, 2022 at 10:09 pm

      LOL Mom’s approval is the only approval I need.

      Reply
  3. Huong says

    February 2, 2022 at 10:46 am

    Hi Becca,
    Would it alter the taste or texture of the brownies if I left out the ube extract? All ube extract are made with propylene glycol which I do not want to use in my baking.

    Reply
    • Becca says

      February 2, 2022 at 11:12 am

      Hi Huong. Texture should remain the same. You will get less ube flavor, but the brownie should still be good. Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  4. Moryah says

    February 10, 2022 at 2:43 pm

    Just finished baking my first batch! Can’t wait to try they smell so good!
    Mine sank in the middle a little is that normal or should I have left them longer in the middle?

    Reply
    • Becca Du says

      February 10, 2022 at 3:16 pm

      That is normal! Typically they puff up as you bake them, then it comes down as it cools. Let me know how it tastes!

      Reply
  5. Felicity says

    February 10, 2022 at 6:30 pm

    Hey Becca, would it be okay to use a glass pan if I don’t have a metal pan?

    Reply
    • Becca Du says

      February 10, 2022 at 8:33 pm

      Yes should be fine! Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  6. Ms C says

    March 27, 2022 at 3:27 am

    4 stars
    Hi May I reconfirm the measurement of all purpose flour of one-half cup only? I tried this recipe And it came out so moist and soft in the middle.

    Reply
    • Becca Du says

      March 28, 2022 at 9:15 am

      Yes, I used only 1/2 cup to create a soft fudgy center. If you want a firmer center, I would add another 1/4 cup of all purpose flour. Hope this helps!

      Reply
  7. Criz Nakamura says

    April 29, 2022 at 9:15 am

    hi becca can i use disposable aluminum pans?

    Reply
    • Becca Du says

      April 29, 2022 at 2:32 pm

      Yes you can! Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  8. JS says

    September 9, 2022 at 12:46 pm

    How did you achieve the brown outer crust shown in your pictures? Other ube brownie recipes do not show this

    For instance
    https://theunlikelybaker.com/ube-brownies-recipe/
    https://www.amusingmaria.com/ube-brownies-a-simple-and-easy-purple-yam-recipe/

    Reply
    • Becca Du says

      September 11, 2022 at 10:49 am

      Hi JS. That is a really good question! I had to do a bit of research for this because I wasn’t 100% sure but I used this as a reference: https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/blog/2015/05/31/make-brownies-shiny-crust. First, I don’t use any type of leavener like baking powder. The lift in my brownies comes from the air you beat into the batter. I mix the wet ingredients significantly more than those 2 you mentioned. Beating the butter and sugar helps dissolve the sugar and contributes to the crust. Second, I use browned butter instead of melted butter. Not only does it provide more flavor but I think it does contribute to the crust too. Finally, I use white chocolate chips. It looks like the Amusing Maria brownie recipe does not use white chocolate chips which makes it more of a blondie recipe not a brownie recipe. Brownie recipes are distinct from blondie recipes because they use chocolate and blondies don’t use chocolate at all. The chocolate contributes to the crackly top. I know this was a bit of a long explanation, but I hope this helps! Thanks for the question! I also learned a lot from it.

      Reply
  9. Janet says

    October 9, 2022 at 1:20 pm

    Can I use kosher salt instead of flaky salt?

    Reply
    • Becca Du says

      October 9, 2022 at 6:09 pm

      Yes you can!

      Reply
  10. Jade says

    January 1, 2023 at 4:40 am

    Our neigbor makes outsanding ube halaya. I decided to make ube brownies with it and stumbled upon your blog. I made the fudgey version – the results were, I got a browned matte crust, not like the one in your picture which is kinda shiny. Then I remember that I forgot to add the salt. Would the salt make it shinier like the one in the picture? Anyway, I would also like to try the cakey version.

    Reply
    • Becca Du says

      January 2, 2023 at 1:17 pm

      I don’t think the salt would make it shinier. I also get a matte crust. It might look shiny because of how the light hits it. Let me know how the cakey version does!

      Reply
  11. Mattie Sipp says

    February 3, 2023 at 7:39 pm

    5 stars
    I wish I could post a photo. These turned out looking just like the photo, just a little darker in overall color. They are sooo good, especially right out of the oven when they’re warm and gooey. This was my first time making them and I’m very happy with how they end up looking and tasting.

    Reply
    • Becca Du says

      February 4, 2023 at 9:39 am

      If you ever make them again, please send me a pic! 😊

      Reply

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Hello I'm Becca! I believe any day can be made better with a bowl of noodle soup. Here you will find recipes from my Chinese/Vietnamese heritage and stories from my experience living here in beautiful LA. Grab a drink and stay awhile! Read More

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