Inspiration for new recipes to share on this blog can come from almost anywhere – local restaurants, family traditions, cravings, and sometimes even mystery novels. The latter is where I found inspiration for this recipe for Ube Crinkle Cookies!
I have been reading a mystery series written by Mia P. Manansala. The first book, Arsenic and Adobo (paid link), introduces the protagonist and narrator of the series, Lila Macapagal. Lila, an avid baker, has recently moved back to her hometown, and is helping out at her Tita Rosie’s struggling restaurant. When her ex-boyfriend, a local food critic, dies suddenly, Lila becomes the top suspect and has to start her own investigation to prove her innocence. Throughout the story, Lila bakes up delicious desserts, infusing Filipino flavors into some seriously amazing sounding baked goods.
One in particular stuck out to me: Ube Crinkle Cookies. I’ve made a few crinkle cookie recipes on this blog so you know I love a good crinkle cookie. I’m sure ube crinkle cookies isn’t a new idea, but it’s new to me, and I knew I had to make these!
Ube is a sweet purple yam with a slightly nutty and vanilla flavor which lends itself perfectly for desserts. The bright purple color of ube makes it particularly wonderful for use in crinkle cookies. The contrast with the white powdered sugar makes these cookies a real showstopper!
I couldn’t get the idea of these Ube Crinkle Cookies out of my head, I had to make them! These cookies are made with Ube Halaya and Ube flavor. Ube Halaya is mashed purple yam combined with condensed milk. Ube flavor, or extract, obviously adds more ube flavor, but it also contains purple dye in it to amp up the color. Both ube halaya and ube flavor can be found at most Asian grocery stores.
There are a couple of tools that I suggest using to make this recipe:
- medium cookie scoop (paid link)
- dusting wand (paid link)
Let’s get baking!
Ingredients (makes about 40 cookies):
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 (12 oz) jar Ube Halaya
- 1 tablespoons ube flavor
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups confectioner’s sugar
Combine the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes.
Add in the eggs one at a time on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl after adding each egg.
Stir in the ube halaya until fully combined.
Follow with the ube flavor, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients little by little, stirring to combine.
When just combined, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. (If adding to your fridge overnight, remove the bowl from your fridge about 30 minutes prior to when you’d like to bake the cookies the next day.)
When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Add a silicone baking mat to your baking sheet.
Add the confectioner’s sugar to a shallow bowl.
Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon scoops and roll into balls.
Add the dough ball to the bowl of confectioner’s sugar and roll until thickly coated all over — do your best to make it so you can’t see any of the dough peeking through.
Add the coated ball to your prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Place the rolled balls at least 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
Scoop out some of the confectioner’s sugar into a dusting wand and twist to close.
Tap the dusting wand over each dough ball, generously covering the cookies in more confectioner’s sugar.
Add the cookie sheet to your prepared oven and bake until the cookies are set, and the surface has cracked, about 13 to 15 minutes.
Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Repeat baking with your remaining dough.
Look at these cookies!
The ube flavor comes through nicely and is enhanced by the confectioner’s sugar.
I am thrilled with how these turned out.
What an awesome cookie idea by Lila (or, more correctly, Mia P. Manansala)! I can’t wait to see what other kind of delicious recipes show up in the rest of the series!
Ube Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 12 oz jar Ube Halaya
- 1 tablespoons ube flavor
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Combine the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes.
- Add in the eggs one at a time on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl after adding each egg.
- Stir in the ube halaya until fully combined.
- Follow with the ube flavor, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients little by little, stirring to combine.
- When just combined, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. (If adding to your fridge overnight, remove the bowl from your fridge about 30 minutes prior to when you'd like to bake the cookies the next day.)
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Add a silicone baking mat to your baking sheet.
- Add the confectioner's sugar to a shallow bowl. Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon scoops and roll into balls.
- Add the dough ball to the bowl of confectioner's sugar and roll until thickly coated all over -- do your best to make it so you can't see any of the dough peeking through.
- Add the coated ball to your prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Place the rolled balls at least 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Scoop out some of the confectioner's sugar into a dusting wand and twist to close.
- Tap the dusting wand over each dough ball, generously covering the cookies in more confectioner's sugar.
- Add the cookie sheet to your prepared oven and bake until the cookies are set, and the surface has cracked, about 13 to 15 minutes.
- Let cool completely on the baking sheet. Repeat baking with your remaining dough.
What do you think?