These Ube Cookies with Hershey Kisses are soft and chewy, made with real ube halaya, and topped with kisses milk chocolate to make it extra special. It is perfectly sweet, packed with nutty and vanilla-like flavors that melt in your mouth. Make this for your family and friends as a treat during the Holidays or any time of the year.
My ube obsession continues all year round, and I love every single one of them. I make them often, and they disappear fast enough in our home. Today I decided to experiment with some ube cookies for the Holiday. These cookies have a bright purple color and an earthy ube flavor. They’re also buttery, soft, and tender in the middle.
While all my ube-flavored recipes are delicious and packed with ube flavors, these ube cookies are a bit different from my ube crinkles because of their appearance. These ube cookies are topped with Hershey kisses milk chocolate; on the other hand, the ube crinkles are coated with confectioner sugar with a crinkle on the outside.
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You Will Love This
- No fancy equipment is needed.
- It is made with real ube halaya flavors. The vibrant purple hue of ube halaya and ube extract adds a visual feast to any dessert table. The striking color not only makes them aesthetically pleasing but also sparks curiosity and excitement among those who encounter these delightful treats.
- Perfect sweetness, moist, and chewy cookies that will satisfy your sweet tooth.
- Whether it's baked or raw, these cookies can last a long time in the freezer.
- If you love more ube recipes, check my:
Ingredients
- Ube halaya - These are available in your favorite Asian or Filipino Stores abroad or online retailers. You can find them in a jar. Otherwise it is best to make your homemade ube halaya jam.
- Ube extract - This ube extract gives you more ube flavor and a vibrant purple color. You can find this in Asian Stores or online retailers.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda and salt - Leaveners are needed to help the cookies rise.
- Melted butter - Every cookie tastes better with butter. It provides flavor and structure. I always recommend using unsalted butter but salted butter works if that’s all you have on hand, just be sure to omit the ¼ teaspoon of salt. Melt them in your stovetop or microwave.
- Granulated sugar and brown sugar - Sweetens and softens cookies.
- Egg - Eggs are helpful in binding the ingredients together.
- Hershey kisses milk chocolate - For toppings. It is the star of these cookies! I used the holiday milk chocolate kisses during the Holidays but you can use whichever flavor kisses you like best!
Instructions
Combine the dry ingredients: In a bowl, combine and sift the flour, baking soda, salt, granulated, and brown sugar together. Sifting your dry ingredients will help to avoid big lumps.
Combine the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, melt the butter in your microwave. Add in the eggs, ube halaya, and ube extract. Stir until well blended.
Combine the wet and the dry ingredients: Gradually combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Avoid over-mixing the cookie dough.
Pro Tip: Only mix until the dry ingredients are combined. Over mixing = more gluten development which means tough cookies. We don’t want any tough cookies here!
Preheat the oven to 350°F-175°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or with a silicone mat. Use a medium-sized cookie scoop to scoop about two tablespoons of cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. This batch can make about 12-15 medium size cookies. Make sure there are 2 inches of space between each cookie.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set. They should remain soft but don't be tempted to bake them for too long. Super easy right?
Pro tip: Do not bake your cookies for too long! Otherwise, they will become dry and tough. They will continue to bake while still hot. Take it out of the oven.
Allow the ube cookies to rest for a few minutes, and transfer them to a cooling wire rack. Top them with milk chocolate and allow them to cool completely. Serve and enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Allowing the cookie dough to chill in the refrigerator or freezer will help to keep it from being too sticky while forming into cookie balls. The dough is easier to manage when they are chilled and firm from the refrigerator.
- Spread some oil in your hands while rolling and shaping the dough. Or you can simply use an ice cream scoop to avoid sticky hands.
- Bake one tray at a time on the middle oven rack. This ensures that there is even heat circulation.
- Let them cool for a few minutes before topping them with Hershey kisses on top, if you add the kisses chocolate while the cookies are still hot, they will melt.
- To keep them fresh and soft, do not refrigerate baked cookies. Simply transfer them to a container and store them on the countertop for up to 5 days or freezer for up to 3 months. They are so good!
Make-ahead and Storage
- Make-ahead: You can simply make the cookie dough ahead of time by following the instructions on how to make the dough. You can store them in the refrigerator for a week or freezer for up to 3 months. Roll them flat and wrap them in plastic to save space in the freezer. Take them out and continue with the baking process when ready to consume.
- Storage:
- Countertop - Once it is cold, transfer them to a container with a tight lid and leave them on the countertop to store for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - You can freeze baked ube cookies or raw cookie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months. If baked, thaw them on the countertop until they reach room temperature, then they are ready to eat. If it is raw dough, you may need to defrost it in the refrigerator the night before then you are ready to bake the next morning.
Your Questions and the Answers
This dough will need to be refrigerated for at least 4 hours and up to 4 days. Make sure to keep it covered in the fridge while it chills.
Allow the cookies to cool so they are not hot and melting while topping with Hershey's chocolate.
More Ube Recipes
Latest Recipes
Ube Cookies with Hershey Kisses
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup ube halaya
- 2 teaspoons ube extract
- 15 pieces Hershey Kisses or white chocolates
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine and sift the flour, baking soda, salt, granulated, and brown sugar together.
- In a separate bowl, melt the butter. Add in the eggs, ube halaya, and ube extract. Stir until well blended.
- To make the cookie dough, combine the flour mixture one cup at a time with the wet mixture.
- Cover the dough to keep it from drying out and refrigerate for an hour or longer. Or freeze for 30 minutes until they are firm but still easy to shape.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F or 175°C. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Use a medium-sized cookie scoop to scoop your cookie dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure there are 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set. Take it out of the oven.
- Allow the ube cookies to rest for a few minutes, top each cookie with Hershey kisses milk chocolate, then transfer them to a cooling wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
Helpful Notes
- Allowing the cookie dough to chill in the refrigerator or freezer will help to keep it from being too sticky. Your dough will be easier to manage when they are chilled and firm from the refrigerator.
- Still too sticky? Spread some oil in your hands while rolling and shaping the dough. Or you can simply use an ice cream scoop to avoid sticky hands.
- Do not overbake the dough. Every oven is different. Check it at the 10-12 minute mark. The ube cookies should still be soft but set and not runny. Don’t leave them in the oven! They continue to bake while they are hot. Let them cool for a minute or two, then top them with chocolate kisses on top.
- To keep them fresh and stay soft, do not refrigerate baked cookies. Simply transfer them to a container with a lid and store them on the countertop for up to 5 days. But I will bet they will be gone in just a few hours, just like in our kitchen! They are so good!
- This cookie dough can make about 12 medium size cookies. Double up the recipe if you want to make more. You can always freeze the extra.
Karen
This ube cookie recipe is our new favorite. So delicious, chewy and it melts in your mouth.