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My go-to purple ube cookies have become the dessert I'm known for when I want to wow friends with something both unusual and easy to make. Everyone always asks about their eye-catching purple color and soft, melt-in-your-mouth goodness - they're definitely crowd-pleasers!
I fell in love with ube treats after trying ube bread at a small Filipino shop. I was so taken by the flavor that I tweaked this cookie recipe for months until my Filipino buddy told me they beat her grandma's version!
What You'll Need
- All purpose flour: Gives these cookies their ideal structure
- Cornstarch: My trick for making super soft cookies
- Baking powder: Adds just enough puff without making them cakey
- Salt: Brings out all the tastes, especially the white chocolate
- Unsalted butter: Must be soft at room temp for best results
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and helps cookies spread right
- Brown sugar: Keeps cookies moist with subtle caramel hints
- Ube jam: The key ingredient for real flavor and color
- Eggs: Holds everything together for perfect cookie texture
- Ube extract: Boosts both the purple shade and ube taste
- White chocolate chips: Creates yummy melty spots that work well with ube
How To Make Them
- Mix your dry stuff:
- Stir flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl until they're totally mixed. Don't skip this - it makes sure your cookies rise evenly and taste great throughout.
- Get your butter mixture ready:
- Beat your soft butter with both types of sugar for a full 3 minutes until it looks pale and fluffy. Most people don't beat long enough, but this step puts air in your dough and makes your cookies turn out just right.
- Put in the ube:
- Add your ube jam and extract, mixing until everything turns bright purple. Make sure your jam isn't cold or it might not blend well with the butter mixture.
- Drop in the eggs:
- Mix in the whole egg and yolk just until they disappear into the dough. Don't go overboard with mixing here or you'll end up with puffy cookies instead of chewy ones.
- Combine with dry ingredients:
- Slowly add your flour mix in three batches, mixing on low between each addition until you can't see any flour streaks. Scrape the bowl sides each time so everything mixes evenly.
- Add chips and cool:
- Carefully fold in the white chocolate chips and put the dough in the fridge for at least 3 hours. This wait lets the flour soak up moisture and stops cookies from spreading too much.
- Bake them right:
- Scoop even balls of dough and bake at 350°F for exactly 10 minutes. They'll look a bit undercooked but will finish up as they cool on the pan.
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When these cookies come out all hot from the oven, I love pushing extra white chocolate chips into the tops. My little girl, who's just four, calls it "putting stars in the purple night sky" and always wants to help with this part.
Keeping Them Fresh
These treats stay soft for about 5 days if you keep them in a sealed container at room temperature. My secret? Toss in a small bread slice - it slowly gives off moisture that keeps the cookies soft but not wet. If you want to save them longer, stack the baked cookies between parchment paper in a freezer container. When you're ready to eat them, just let them sit out for about 30 minutes.
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Getting The Ube Taste Just Right
The ube flavor can change a lot depending on what jam you use. Homemade ube halaya usually gives the best taste, but good store versions work fine too. Try your cookie dough before you add the eggs and tweak the sweetness or ube extract if needed. Start with tiny amounts like 1⁄4 teaspoon of extract or 1 tablespoon of sugar until it tastes right to you. Just remember the cookies will taste a bit less sweet after they're baked.
Foods That Go Well With These
These ube cookies look amazing on a dessert platter with other Filipino-style treats. Try serving them alongside biko rice cake, polvoron shortbread, or pandan desserts for a complete spread. They taste fantastic with a hot cup of tsokolate chocolate or some cold fresh buko juice. Milk drinks work really well with the earthy ube flavors in these cookies.
Why Ube Matters
Ube is super important in Filipino food culture and ranks as one of their favorite flavors. These bright purple yams have shown up in traditional desserts for hundreds of years and often mean it's time to celebrate. By using ube in American-style cookies, this recipe brings together different food traditions in a really tasty way. When you share these cookies, you're not just giving someone a sweet treat but also letting them experience a bit of rich food heritage.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → What makes ube cookies unique?
Ube cookies get their magic from ube halaya, a purple yam spread that gives them their gorgeous color and delicious nutty sweetness, setting them apart from regular cookies.
- → Can I use store-bought ube jam?
Absolutely, ready-made ube jam works well. Just sample your dough before adding eggs to see if you need more sugar or a dash of ube extract for stronger flavor.
- → Why does the dough need to chill for 3 hours?
Letting the dough rest in the fridge helps your cookies keep their shape while baking and lets all the flavors blend together perfectly.
- → How can I make the cookies look prettier?
Right after they come out of the oven, push a few white chocolate chips onto the top of each warm cookie for an eye-catching finish.
- → What should I do if my ube cookies taste too sweet?
You can cut back on the white chocolate chips or use less sugar in your cookie mix to bring down the sweetness level.
- → How should I store ube cookies?
Keep your cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or pop them in the fridge to stay fresh longer.