Soft & Chewy Ube Crinkle Cookies

Undoubtedly one of my favorite cookie recipes to date, these ube crinkle cookies are a modern take on a classic Christmas cookie recipe. The best part is the dough comes together in just 10 minutes! In this blog post, learn how to get that perfect “crinkle” look and how to make these ahead of time.

These are undoubtedly one of my favorite cookies I’ve ever made. I’ve only had crinkle cookies a couple times before, but wow these ube crinkle cookies just surpass all the ones I’ve had before. I liked ube before, but in these cookies, it’s just the perfect balance of flavor and texture. These cookies are filled with ube extract and ube halaya to give you that pure ube flavor and then coated with powdered sugar to give you that crinkle-y look. They’re also so simple to make with a dough that comes together in just 10 minutes! Definitely give this recipe a try because you will not regret it!

What is ube?

Ube is another name for purple yam. This ingredient is often used in Southeast Asian cuisine, and is especially popular in Filipino cuisine. The ingredient itself comes from the Philippines. It has a vanilla pistachio flavor that goes really well in both sweet and savory dishes. Personally, I like it in desserts. When I make ube desserts like my ube basque cheesecake and ube cookies, I typically use ube in the form of ube halaya which is when purple yam, butter, coconut milk, and other ingredients are combined to create a jam.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

• All purpose flour – The flour provides structure to the cookie and prevents it from becoming too flat.
• Baking soda – Gives the cookie its airy texture.
• Salt – This helps bring out the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Unsalted butter – I used softened butter for these cookies. In the past, I have often favored brown butter like in my popular matcha cookies, but I felt like using browned butter would take away from the subtle ube flavor of these cookies. Additionally, this is a pretty wet dough already, and using browned butter would make it more difficult for the cookies to keep their shape.
• Granulated sugar and light brown sugar – Both sugars add sweetness to the cookie. I used 1/2 cup of granulated sugar for the dough and 1/4 cup of granulated sugar to coat the outside of the cookie.
• Egg – Adds richness to the cookies and helps bind all the ingredients together.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the cookies. Ube inherently has a subtle vanilla flavor, so I wanted to add a small amount to bring that out more but not take away from the ube flavor.
• Ube extract – Gives the cookies their purple color and ube flavor. If you want a less intense ube flavor, you can use less.
• Ube halaya – Ube halaya gives the cookies their color and flavor. If you can’t find ube halaya, leave it out and use only ube extract.
• Powdered sugar – Powdered sugar gives these ube crinkle cookies their “crinkle” look.

How to make ube crinkle cookies

First, prep your dry ingredients. Combine 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tsp of baking soda, and 1/4 tsp of salt in a bowl. Mix and set aside.

Now, to your wet ingredients! Add 1/2 cup of unsalted butter, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, and 1/2 cup of light brown sugar to a bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whisk until a light and fluffy texture. Add the egg and mix until combined. Lastly, add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 tsp of ube extract, and 1/4 cup of ube halaya and mix until combined.

Add the dry ingredients into the bowl and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the dough. Cover and let the dough cool in the fridge for 3 hours. This helps the dough hold its shape in the oven and improves the flavor.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Prep 2 baking sheets by covering them with parchment paper. Scoop the last 1/4 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of powdered sugar into 2 separate bowls.

Using a small (2 tsp) cookie scoop, scoop the dough into your hands. Roll it between your palms until a ball is formed. Coat the cookie ball in a light layer of granulated sugar and then a thick layer of powdered sugar. Place the ball on the prepped baking sheet. Repeat this process until you have filled up both baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes until the edges are slightly brown. While the first batch is baking, cover and place the rest of the cookie dough in the fridge for storage.

Once the first batch is done, let them cool at room temperature for 5 minutes before transferring them onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Repeat this process for the second batch.

Tips on how to make the perfect ube crinkle cookies

Cover with A LOT of powdered sugar

In testing, I found that the thicker the coating, the better the crinkle effect. You also want a thick coating because the wet dough will hydrate some of the powdered sugar, making it look lighter.

How to make your cookies flatter

You can make either chunky or flat cookies with this recipe. Mine are on the chunkier side, but if you want a thinner cookie, reduce the flour by 1/2 cup. I tested a version of these cookies with 1 1/2 cups of flour, and they were flatter but still good! The texture of the inside is also a lot more fudgy than cakey.

How do you store ube crinkle cookies?

Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Can you freeze these cookies?

Yes you can! You can either freeze the dough or the cookies themselves. For freezing the dough, portion them out before putting them in a freezer safe container. When you’re ready to bake, let them come up to room temperature for a hour before baking them in the oven. If you freeze baked cookies, let them completely cool before putting them into a freezer safe container. When you’re ready to eat, let them come up to room temperature before enjoying them.

Did you make this dish?

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