Rich, fudgy and richly purple ube brownies made with browned butter, white chocolate, ube halaya and ube extract is the best ube dessert you won’t want to miss out on.
Rich, fudgy, and richly purple ube brownies made with browned butter, white chocolate, ube halaya, and ube extract are the best ube dessert you won’t want to miss out on.
These ube brownies check off all of the boxes for the best brownies you will ever taste. They are packed with ube flavor from the ube halaya and ube extract. They also have a rich, indulgent fudgy center with a light crisp, and tender crust on top and a beautiful deep purple color.
This easy ube brownies recipe is really easy to make with only a few pantry staple ingredients! I made these ube brownies for our neighborhood game night and they were a hit amongst all of my neighbors. If you are looking for more ube dessert inspiration, check out our ube cheesecake, ube Lofthouse cookies, and iced ube latte.
Ube brownie is a delicious Asian fusion dessert that combines traditional brownie ingredients with ube, a purple yam used in Filipino cuisine. They have the iconic crispy browned crust and a rich and fudgy deeply purple interior.
This ube recipe uses ube halaya and ube extract for a delicious, rich ube-flavored dessert. These ube brownies use white chocolate instead of milk or dark chocolate to create its fudgy effect. So technically, they should be called ube blondies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Here are three reasons why this ube dessert recipe will be your next favorite dessert to make.
Rich Fudgy Texture: these ube bars have a dense and fudgy texture that is both satisfying and indulgent.
Easy to Make: these ube brownies are really easy to make with the help of step-by-step photos and a detailed tips section.
Customizable: your ube dessert can be easily customized with various toppings and additions I’ve listed in the substitutions and additions section below.
Kitchen Equipment
You will need the following items of kitchen equipment to create this ube dessert recipe.
Kitchen Scale: for the most accurate measurements, use a kitchen scale to measure out all of your ingredients.
Mixing Bowls: for the most foolproof bake, measure all of your ingredients in different-sized mixing bowls before you begin combining everything together.
8×8 baking pan: this ube brownies recipe will yield enough batter for a square 8×8 inch baking pan. You can use a larger 9×9-inch pan for a thinner brownie.
Electric Mixer: you will need either an electric mixer or whisk to whisk up the eggs, ube halaya, and sugar so they are light and fluffy. I recommend using an electric hand mixer for even mixing and ease in getting the eggs to thicken.
Rubber Spatula: a rubber spatula will be necessary to fold the wet and dry ingredients together.
Ingredients
You can find all of the ingredients for this ube brownies recipe at your local grocery store, Filipino grocery store. I’ve linked everything you can find online below.
Unsalted butter: the unsalted butter will be lightly browned for a toasted nutty flavor.
White chocolate chips: White chocolate contributes to the fudgy nature of the ube brownies without overpowering its rich ube flavor. Make sure to use high-quality white chocolate baking chips, melting chips, or baking chocolate bars for the best results.
Ube halaya jam:ube halaya jam adds ube flavoring to the ube recipe.
Large Eggs: large eggs create lift and air in the brownies making them not overly dense.
Ube Extract:ube extract adds a sweet, nutty, concentrated ube flavor. It also contributes to the beautiful rich purple color of these ube bars.
Vanilla Extract:vanilla extract adds an extra flavor enhancer to the ube brownies recipe.
Granulated Sugar:granulated sugar adds sweetness but also contributes to that crinkly iconic crust.
Light Brown Sugar:brown sugar adds a depth of sweet flavor and moisture to the ube brownies.
All-Purpose Flour: regular all-purpose flour is the base of this ube recipe which creates it’s fudgy structure.
Salt: a pinch of salt rounds out the sweetness from the other ingredients.
Substitutions and Additions
You can easily make customizations to this ube bars recipe with the following substitutions and additions.
Substitutions
Regular butter: instead of making browned butter, you can easily just melt the butter until melted and stop there.
Brown sugar or granulated sugar: if you don’t have both sugars, you can easily use just one sugar instead.
Ube extract: if you cannot find ube halaya, you can easily add another 1/2 teaspoon of ube extract instead.
Vanilla Bean: if you want a stronger, richer vanilla flavor, you can use 1 vanilla bean instead of vanilla extract.
Salted butter: if you choose to use salted butter instead of unsalted, don’t add salt.
Additions
Chocolate chips: you can add whole white, milk, or dark chocolate chips into your ube recipe for extra chocolatey goodness.
Cheesecake swirl: a fun addition is to add a cheesecake swirl on top of your ube brownies recipe for extra creaminess.
Oreos: for a cookies and cream ube brownie, add crushed Oreos on top before baking.
Nuts: if you want an extra crunch in your ube bars, go ahead and add some walnuts or pecans into your batter.
Toasted coconut: for more of a tropical Filipino addition, you can top the ube dessert with toasted coconut flakes.
How to Make Ube Brownies
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this ube brownies recipe. I recommend measuring out all your ingredients with a kitchen scale before you begin.
Prepare the oven and baking pan. Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8×8 inch square pan with oil and line it with parchment paper.
Brown the butter. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat mixing frequently with a spatula until melted. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides for even browning. The butter will foam up a bit then subside and amber brown specs will appear with a nutty aroma. Once you see the brown bits, remove from the heat immediately to slightly cool.
Melt the white chocolate. Pour the browned butter over the white chocolate let it sit for a minute and then stir until the chocolate is melted. Set aside to lightly cool.
Beat the ube halaya, eggs, ube extract, vanilla extract, and sugars. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the ube halaya, eggs, ube extract, vanilla extract, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light purple in color. About 5-7 minutes.
Add the butter mixture. Then add the butter mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold until combined.
Add the flour and salt. Lastly, add the flour and salt and fold the mixture until no streaks of flour remain.
Pour and bake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. The ube brownies are done when the edge is set.
Chill and serve. Remove and chill to room temperature before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Ube Brownies
Measure your dry ingredients with a scale. The most accurate method of measuring this ube bars recipe is with a scale. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon, carefully drop it into your measuring cup and level it off. Do NOT pack the flour into the measuring cup.
Carefully watch the butter. The butter will froth up and become extra bubbly and then quickly brown. Continuously stir the butter and carefully watch the butter. Remove from heat immediately once you see amber brown bits on the bottom of the saucepan.
Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and frothy. The act of beating the eggs and sugar incorporates air into the ube dessert making them lighter and not overly dense.
Make sure the butter and white chocolate arecooled before mixing. If you add hot butter and white chocolate to the eggs it may curdle the eggs and create scrambled eggs. Make sure the butter and white chocolate are cooled to room temperature before mixing.
Do not overbake. To prevent overbaking, when you insert the toothpick it shouldn’t be wet, but it should have a few moist crumbs stuck to it.
Chill the ube bars completely before slicing. Since this recipe yields an ultra fudgy ube brownie, you will only get clean cuts if the brownie is completely cooled.
Storage Instructions
You can store these fudgy ube bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They can be also stored on the counter for 2-3 days at room temperature.
Make ahead: Alternatively, you can wrap them individually and store them in an airtight freezer-proof container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
Frequently Asked Q’s & A’s
Can I freeze ube brownies?
Yes! You can easily make this ube dessert recipe in advance and freeze the ube brownies individually wrapped in a freezer-proof container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Where can I find Ube Halaya?
Ube halaya or ube yam jam can be found in all Filipino groceries and some pan-Asian grocery stores. You can also find ube halaya online!
Why did my brownies not have the crinkle top crust?
There may be a few reasons why your ube bars recipe doesn’t have the signature crust. You may have used too little sugar, used too much sugar, or overbaked them.
If you want a less sweet brownie, you may run the risk of not having the crinkle crust. For the most foolproof bake, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale so you will use the most accurate amount of flour and sugar.
Why are my ube bars tough?
You may have over-mixed the batter or over-baked the brownies. When you mix the batter, you will need to stop mixing once the flour disappears. If you continue mixing after that, the brownies may turn out tough.
Also, it may be hard simply because you over-baked them. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick inside the batter and it should come out with a few moist crumbs attached. If it comes out clean, you have overbaked the brownies.
Is ube the same as taro?
No, ube and taro are not the same, but they do share similarities. Both are root vegetables that can be used in sweet desserts and have a natural purple color. Ube is a dark purple yam that is used in Filipino cuisine. It has a sweeter and nutty flavor than Taro. Taro is a root vegetable used across multiple Asian cuisines. It is much lighter in color, starchy in texture, and has a mild, slightly nutty flavor.
Rich, fudgy and richly purple ube brownies made with browned butter, white chocolate, ube halaya and ube extract is the best ube dessert you won’t want to miss out on.
Prepare the oven and baking pan. Place the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Lightly grease an 8×8 inch square pan with oil and line it with parchment paper.
Brown the butter. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat mixing frequently with a spatula until melted. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides for even browning. The butter will foam up a bit then subside and amber brown specs will appear with a nutty aroma. Once you see the brown bits, remove from the heat to slightly cool.
Melt the white chocolate. Pour the browned butter over the white chocolate let it sit for a minute and then stir until the chocolate is melted. Set aside to lightly cool.
Beat the ube halaya, eggs, ube extract, vanilla extract, and sugars. In a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat the ube halaya, eggs, ube extract, vanilla extract, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy and light purple in color. About 5-7 minutes.
Add the butter mixture. Then add the butter mixture and use a rubber spatula to fold until combined.
Add the flour and salt. Lastly, add the flour and salt and fold the mixture until no streaks of flour remain.
Pour and bake. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs. The ube brownies are done when the edge is set.
Chill and serve. Remove and chill to room temperature before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Measure your dry ingredients with a scale. The most accurate method of measuring this ube bars recipe is with a scale. If you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon, carefully drop it into your measuring cup and level it off. Do NOT pack the flour into the measuring cup.
Carefully watch the butter. The butter will froth up and become extra bubbly and then quickly brown. Continuously stir the butter and carefully watch the butter. Remove from heat immediately once you see amber brown bits on the bottom of the saucepan.
Beat the eggs and sugar until thick and frothy. The act of beating the eggs and sugar incorporates air into the ube dessert making them lighter and not overly dense.
Make sure the butter and white chocolate is cooled before mixing. If you add hot butter and white chocolate to the eggs it may curdle the eggs and create scrambled eggs. Make sure the butter and white chocolate is cooled to room temperature before mixing.
Bake until a toothpick inserted doesn’t come out clean. When you insert the toothpick, it shouldn’t be wet, but it should have a few moist crumbs stuck to it.
Chill the ube bars completely before slicing. Since this recipe yields an ultra fudgy ube brownie, you will only get clean cuts if the brownie is completely cooled.
Storage Instructions: You can store these fudgy ube bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They can be also stored on the counter for 2-3 days at room temperature.
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