Ube Crinkles

Ube Crinkles are fudgy, moist, and soft cookies rolled in confectioner sugar and full of real ube flavor. These all-time favorite crinkle cookies are perfect as snacks and desserts.

Hearing all the Christmas songs, Christmas decorations, and sweet and savory foods around makes me excited about the Holidays. There’s just something about Christmas and cookies.

I'm obsessing about all kinds of ube flavors. In the following few recipes, you will see some more sweet ube on the menu. I am making sure they are easy to follow because I need to follow a simple recipe too!

What are ube crinkle cookies?

Ube crinkles, also known as purple yam crinkles, are famous Filipino cookies made from flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and ube halaya. They are deep purple in color from ube jam/halaya and ube extract. Rolled in powdered sugar to get that crinkled look outside.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)
• Salt and baking powder
• Eggs - Serves as a binder and enhance the flavor of the cookies. Use room-temperature eggs for a smoother texture.
• Unsalted butter - Butter gives extra rich flavor. Be sure to melt them in the microwave for easy mixing.
• Ube halaya - You can use my homemade ube halaya or buy a jar of ube jam in your Asian Grocery stores or online retailers.
• Ube extract - Ube extract adds more ube flavor and gives you that deep purple color in your crinkles. You can find this at your Asian Store or online retailers.

Instructions

There is no fancy equipment needed to make the best ube crinkle cookies. Simply grab 2 mixing bowls, a silicone spatula, and all your measured ingredients.

Making the cookie dough. In the first bowl, combine all the dry ingredients, including flour, granulated sugar, salt, and baking powder. Mix everything until well blended. If you have a sifter, you can sift the dry ingredients to make everything fine and well-blended without mixing.

In a separate bowl, combine your eggs, melted butter, ube halaya, and ube extract. Use a spatula to mix everything together.

Add the dry ingredients, one cup at a time, to the wet ingredients. It is easier to blend them together when adding gradually. Stir until everything is well combined.

Cover and refrigerate the dough until it is firm enough to shape into balls. This will be an hour or longer. If you want to speed up the process, you can freeze the dough for 20-30 minutes.

Rolling and baking the ube crinkles. Here comes the fun part! We are close to eating the cookies! Scoop 1-2 tablespoons of cookie dough, using your hands, roll it into a ball. Spread oil in your hands to avoid sticky dough.

Thoroughly coat each ball with the confectioner’s sugar, then place it in the baking tray lined with a cookie sheet or a silicone mat. Make sure to space your cookies about 1-2 inches apart.

Bake in preheated 350°F or 175°C degrees oven for 10-12 minutes. While every oven is different, start checking at the 10-minute mark. You won't miss it because it will start to smell good in your kitchen!

Helpful Tips

• Preheat your oven before taking the dough out of the refrigerator and start rolling. This will eliminate waiting time.
• If you’re going to use your hands in rolling the dough, rub a bit of oil on your hands to minimize the sticking of the batter.
• This ube cookie dough must stay cold and firm while rolling into the powdered sugar. Once you coat the dough in powdered sugar, bake it right away to avoid the dough absorbing the sugar. This is a crucial step if you want to achieve that crinkle look of your ube cookies.
• Check the dough at the 10-minute mark to avoid overcooked cookies. Perfectly baked cookies are soft, chewy, and gooey in texture, not dry.

Make-ahead and Storage Tips

Make-ahead: Making the dough ahead of time is a big time saver. After making it, transfer it into a container with a lid or wrap it flat in a plastic wrapper and store it in the refrigerator for a week. Ideally, roll it in thin sheets to easily store the dough. It will also be easier to manage and shape them when thin. When ready, take it out and proceed to roll the dough in powdered sugar, then bake in the oven.

Storage Tips: Allow cookies to cool completely in a cooling wire rack, then transfer them into an air-tight container with a lid. Leave the crinkle cookies on the countertop. Don't store baked cookies in the fridge to keep them soft and fresh for 5 days.

Freezer: You can freeze the dough unbaked or baked. Either way, the freezer keeps your cookies fresh for a longer period of time. It is good in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Why Should Make This

• These cookies have an appealing look with a beautiful purple hue. If you're looking to add a pop of color to your dessert, these cookies are an excellent choice.
• Ube has a delightful flavor that adds a unique twist to other traditional cookies. The sweet, nutty, and slightly floral notes of ube make these cookies stand out.
• It is a quick and straightforward recipe that doesn't require equipment.
• They are chewy, moist, and bursting with the ube flavors from real ube and perfectly sweet.
• If you want more ube recipes, check out my ube pandesal, ube puto, and ube maja blanca.

More Similar Recipes

Latest Recipes