Soft, and chewy ube cookies feature sweet and nutty ube flavor and white chocolate chips. This Filipino fusion twist on a classic chocolate chip cookie is one you don’t want to miss!
These brilliantly purple cookies made with ube halaya jam and ube extract are packed with delicious purple yam flavor that is reminiscent of a combination of pistachio and vanilla. These Filipino cookies are made with white chocolate chips that complement the ube flavor for the most delicious ube chocolate chip cookies.
This ube cookies recipe contains a rich ube flavor and has the perfect crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside texture. If you love this Filipino fusion ube cookie recipe, check out my ube brownies, ube cheesecake, and iced ube latte.
Ube (pronounced OO-beh) is a purple yam that is native to Southeast Asia and most commonly used in Filipino cuisine. This purple yam has a pistachio, coconut, and vanilla flavor that is most commonly used in desserts for its beautiful purple color and natural sweetness.
Recently ube has gotten very popular due to its naturally rich purple color and addicting flavor. Ube also has high nutritional value since it contains healthy carbs, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. For culinary use it is offer found in the form of ube jam or ube flavouring.
In Filipino culture, ube is often used on special occasions as a symbol of abundance and good fortune. It is also a symbol of Filipino resilience and adaptability.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This ube cookie recipe was made for ube lovers. Here are three reasons why you should make these purple cookies.
Rich ube flavor. These purple yam cookies are made with both ube halaya and ube extract for double the ube potency.
Soft and chewy: When it comes to these ube chocolate chip cookies, they have the iconic crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside texture.
Easy to make! The best part about these ube cookies is that they are so easy to make and you can easily make them in advance and freeze them for later!
Kitchen Equipment
You will need the following ingredients to make this ube cookies recipe. I’ve linked all the items that I used for these purple cookies for you below.
Kitchen Scale: a kitchen scale is NECESSARY if you want to create foolproof purple yam cookies. This will ensure you have the exact measurements for each ingredient.
Mixing Bowls:mixing bowls are one of my main kitchen essentials for almost all of my recipes. They allow me to keep an organized kitchen and accurately measure out the ingredients.
Round cookie cutter: For perfectly round cookies, I recommend using a large round cookie cutter and swirling the freshly baked ube cookies on the baking tray to create perfect circles.
Ingredients
You can find all of the ingredients for this ube cookies recipe at your local grocery market. For the ube halaya and ube extract, you can find them either at your local Filipino or Asian market or online. I’ve linked everything that I used for you below.
All-Purpose Flour:all-purpose flour creates a tender yet hearty crumb for these Filipino cookies. Make sure to measure your flour with a scale! If you don’t have a scale, make sure to fluff up the flour before spooning it into your measuring cup and lightly leveling it off with a knife. Do not pack the flour into the cup!
Baking Powder:baking powder aids in the rise of the purple yam cookies so the final texture is not too dense.
Baking Soda:baking soda also helps in the rise of the cookies.
Salt:salt balances and enhances the other ingredients.
Unsalted butter: use unsalted butter to control the salt content in your purple cookies and make sure the butter is room temperature to mix it with the sugar easily.
Brown sugar:brown sugar adds moisture and makes the cookies softer and thicker.
Granulated sugar:white granulated sugar sweetens the cookie while also aiding in the crispness and tenderness.
Ube halaya jam:ube halaya jam is a type of ube jam that is made with purple yam, coconut milk, condensed milk, and butter. It adds a rich ube coconut flavoring to this ube cookie recipe.
Ube Extract:ube extract adds a sweet, nutty, concentrated ube flavor. It also contributes to the beautiful rich purple color of these ube cookies. A little goes a long way!
Large Egg: the egg binds the cookie together and gives the cookie its soft, chewy yet not cakey texture.
White Chocolate Chips: these wouldn’t be ube chocolate chip cookies without the white chocolate chips.
Substitutions and Additions
This is ultimately your ube cookies recipe. That means you can customize it however you’d like! I listed some suggestions for substitutions and additions for you below.
Substitutions
Flour: you can alternatively use different flours such as gluten-free flour or wheat flour based on your dietary preferences. However, the final texture and flavor may vary.
Salted butter: if you only have salted butter, you can use that instead and simply eliminate the extra salt.
Homemade ube halaya: if you have homemade ube halaya, you can use that instead of the store-bought version.
Chocolate chips: instead of white chocolate chips, you can easily use milk, or dark chocolate chips instead.
Additions
Nuts: if you’d like added texture, nuttiness, and crunch in your purple yam cookies, go ahead and add crushed pecans or walnuts.
Coconut flakes: for more rich coconut flavor, you can add coconut flakes to your purple cookies.
How to Make Ube Cookies
Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to make this ube cookies recipe. I recommend measuring out all of your ingredients with a kitchen scale before you begin.
Whisk dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high until combined and fluffy about 3 minutes.
Add ube halaya and ube extract. Then add the ube halaya and ube extract and mix to combine. Scrape the edges and bottom of the bowl to combine until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg. Next, add the egg and mix until combined. Scrape the edges of the bowl and mix to combine.
Combine dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients when the mixer is on low and scrape the edges of the bowl and mix until just combined. Use a rubber spatula and mix the dough to ensure no traces of flour remain.
Add chocolate chips. Add in the white chocolate chips and mix with a rubber spatula until combined.
Chill. Cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
Prepare oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the middle position in the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Assemble. Scoop the cookies using a cookie scoop and place them on the baking sheet two inches apart from each other. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Bake. Bake each sheet individually for 9 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and tap it against the counter to deflate. Bake for an additional 2-3 minutes until golden brown along the edges. For perfect ube cookies, swirl a round cookie cutter slightly bigger than the cookie around each cookie. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips for the Best Ube Cookies
Measure your flour with a scale! Adding too much flour to the cookie dough will make it taste like flour. The best way to measure flour is by using a scale. The second best is to fluff the flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into a measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
Cream your butter and sugar for at least 3 minutes. Make sure to cream the butter until it is very pale, light, and airy. This will ensure that the sugars will blend evenly into the butter and create air pockets for the dough to puff up in the oven.
Use room-temperature butter and eggs. Room-temperature eggs will be easier to blend into the purple sweet potato cookie dough and not shock the soft butter when incorporated.
Do not over-mix the batter. Over-mixing the batter will run the risk of drying out the cookies and adding too much air into the cookies yielding an extra puffy cookie.
Chill for at least 1 hour. Chilling the cookie dough will allow the butter to solidify and allow the flour to hydrate which improves the taste and texture and prevents the cookies from spreading too quickly.
Do not overbake. When in doubt, UNDER bake the cookies. The ube chocolate chip cookies will continue to bake and solidify when they cool. Every oven is different, so keep an eye on your cookies. The cookies should still be slightly raw in the middle this will yield that gooey center.
Use a cookie cutter for round cookies. For perfectly round cookies, I recommend using a large cookie cutter and swirling the warm cookies on the baking tray to create perfect circles.
Storage Instructions
You can store these ube cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Freeze: you can freeze the baked purple cookies in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
To freeze the dough, scoop out the balls of dough into a single layer onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Then freeze in the freezer for 2 hours or until solid. Remove the balls and store them in a freezer-safe container. Bake at 330 degrees F for 3-5 minutes longer directly from the freezer.
Frequently Asked Q’s and A’s
What does ube taste like?
Ube is naturally sweet similar to regular yams and sweet potatoes. It has a fragrant pistachio, coconut, and vanilla aromatic flavor.
How do I bake frozen ube chocolate chip cookie dough?
If you choose to freeze your cookie dough, you can bake the Filipino cookies at 330 degrees F for 3-5 minutes longer directly from the freezer.
Can I use different chocolate chips instead?
Yes, instead of white chocolate chips you can easily use milk, dark chocolate chips, or chopped chocolate bars instead.
Can I make ube cookies in advance?
Yes! You can bake the cookies in advance and freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Soft, and chewy ube cookies feature sweet and nutty ube flavor and white chocolate chips. This Filipino fusion twist on a classic chocolate chip cookie is one you don’t want to miss!
Whisk dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until combined. Set aside.
Beat butter and sugar. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high until combined and fluffy about 3 minutes.
Add ube halaya and ube extract. Then add the ube halaya and ube extract and mix to combine. Scrape the edges and bottom of the bowl to combine until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg. Next, add the egg and mix until combined. Scrape the edges of the bowl and mix to combine.
Combine dry ingredients. Slowly add the dry ingredients when the mixer is on low and scrape the edges of the bowl and mix until just combined. Use a rubber spatula and mix the dough to ensure no traces of flour remain.
Add chocolate chips. Add in the white chocolate chips and mix with a rubber spatula until combined.
Chill. Cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
Prepare oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F with the rack in the middle position in the oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Assemble. Scoop the cookies using a cookie scoop and place them on the baking sheet two inches apart from each other. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
Bake. Bake each sheet individually for 9 minutes. Remove the baking sheet and tap it against the counter to deflate. Bake for an additional 2-3 minutes until golden brown along the edges. For perfect ube cookies, swirl a round cookie cutter slightly bigger than the cookie around each cookie. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them and placing them on a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Measure your flour with a scale! Adding too much flour to the cookie dough will make it taste like flour. The best way to measure flour is by using a scale. The second best is to fluff the flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into a measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
Cream your butter and sugar for at least 3 minutes. Make sure to cream the butter until it is very pale, light, and airy. This will ensure that the sugars will blend evenly into the butter and create air pockets for the dough to puff up in the oven.
Use room-temperature butter and eggs. Room-temperature eggs will be easier to blend into the purple sweet potato cookie dough and not shock the soft butter when incorporated.
Do not over mix the batter. Over mixing the batter will run the risk of drying out the cookies and adding too much air into the cookies yielding an extra puffy cookie.
Chill for at least 30 minutes. Chilling the cookie dough will allow the butter to solidify and allow the flour to hydrate which improves the taste and texture and prevents the cookies from spreading too quickly.
Do not over bake. When in doubt, UNDER bake the cookies. The ube chocolate chip cookies will continue to bake and solidify when they cool. Every oven is different, so keep an eye on your cookies. The cookies should still be slightly raw in the middle this will yield that gooey center.
Use a cookie cutter for round cookies. For perfectly round cookies, I recommend using a large cookie cutter and swirling the warm cookies on the baking tray to create perfect circles.
Love the recipe. I just found your website when looking for sesame honey cookies. I love Ube and it is hard to find recipes for it. Thanks for the great recipes.
Love the recipe. I just found your website when looking for sesame honey cookies. I love Ube and it is hard to find recipes for it. Thanks for the great recipes.