Ube Crinkles are soft, moist, and bursting with Ube flavors. These classic cookies with a tropical twist are easy to make and perfect for coffee or tea time.
Purple yam has been a trending food on both social media and the international food scene in recent years. Many restaurants and bakeries have enthusiastically embraced the trend and started to incorporate this lowly tuber into their dessert selections in the form of ice creams, sponge cakes, doughnuts, bread rolls, and cheesecakes.
With its rise in popularity, other parts of the globe are taking a second look at Filipino food. I am not sure if Ube will remain in fad, but one thing is for sure, it will always hold a special place in our local cuisine.
What are Crinkle Cookies
Crinkle cookies are soft, chewy cookies coated with powdered sugar before baking to produce their unique crackled exterior. They are commonly made with chocolate but adapted to various flavors such as lemon, vanilla, and red velvet.
Today, we will be giving this popular cookie a delicious Pinoy twist. We're making Ube Crinkles!
Making the batter
Good Ube crinkles start with a good ube jam. Although extracts can help enhance the ube flavor, nothing beats the natural taste of pure purple yam jam.
Good Shepherd Ube Halaya is our favorite, but I am sure other great quality brands are available in the market. Of course, you can also make halaya from scratch if you like. 🙂
Quick tips
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator to make it easier to handle, and roll it into balls. This is also important to make the cookies tall and not flat.
- If the powdered sugar is melting, especially in humid weather, coat the cookie balls lightly with granulated sugar before coating them heavily with powdered/confectioner's sugar.
How to store
- These crinkle cookies stay soft and chewy even after a few days. Store them in airtight containers at room temperature.
- To freeze the baked cookies, store them in a resealable bag between sheets of parchment paper and freeze them for up to 3 months.
- To freeze unbaked, shape the dough into balls, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, and freeze until frozen. Transfer the frozen dough balls to a resealable bag and freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes, roll in confectioner's sugar, and bake according to the recipe.
More baked goodies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 piece egg
- 2 cups ube jam
- 2 teaspoon ube extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- violet food color, optional
- ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together sugar and vegetable oil.
- Add the egg and beat until frothy and color becomes pale.
- Add the ube jam and ube extract and beat again until well blended.
- Gradually add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix using a spatula or electric mixer with dough attachment. The dough will be very sticky. Add violet food color, if desired, to achieve a deep purple color.
- Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight. Alternatively, place in the freezer for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Scoop a spoonful, 1 to 2-inch in diameter, of chilled dough and drop into a bowl of powdered sugar. Roll dough in powdered sugar to thoroughly coat.
- Arrange at least 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let the cookies stand for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Chill the dough in the refrigerator to make it easier to handle, and roll it into balls. This is also important to make the cookies tall and not flat.
- If the powdered sugar is melting, especially in humid weather, coat the cookie balls lightly with granulated sugar before coating them heavily with powdered/confectioner's sugar.
Video
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Arlene G says
I followed this recipe but reduced the sugar to 1/2 cup, only because I make my own ube jam which already has some sweetness to it. And yes, I did chill overnight - a MUST DO - and baked them for exactly 12 minutes. The cookies turned out crisp on the edges and soft and chewy inside. I also like that they are tall - just how I want them to be. They were a big hit with my family! I used the same recipe and doubled it up to make a bigger batch for a bake sale. Guess what? They were SOLD OUT in just an hour! WOW! I'll surely be making these again! Thank you for sharing this recipe and the video! Definitely another good one to keep!
Jackie says
I have made this several times already and everyone loves it. The first time I made I followed the recipe exactly and I found that it was too sweet (for me). So the second time, I use the same amount of ube jam but reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup. I actually added more ube extract for more ube flavor. Turns out delicious
I make my dough the day before I need to bake it and refrigerate it. I recommend and also as per the recipe notes, that you do not skip this step.
Jabez says
May I use half of the Uber jam asked for. It is a bit expensive and want to save money.
Sarah Altshuler says
Hi! how can I make this with the ube vegetable I have? Can I sub it for the extract and jam? Thank you!
Kat says
Everytime I make these my friends say these are their favorite cookies ever! Definitely a crowd-pleaser.
I have had to bake them a bit longer than suggested, might be my old oven. But they turn out great.
Leah says
Was looking forward to making these cookies but to no avail did not go the way o thot it would be!! It didn’t flatten and stayed like a golf ball!! Did anyone else come out round like mine? Very disappointed!
Lalaine Manalo says
Crinkle cookies are supposed to be tall cookies. That's why we chill the dough. If you want them flatter, you can flatten them with a spatula after rolling in sugar.
Steven says
This is the best ube crinkles I've ever had. The one star review person doesn't know what they are talking about.
Lalaine Manalo says
Thank you for the feedback. Really appreciated.
Matt says
Thanks for the instructions on processing your own purple yams to make into homemade halaya. I have worked with some Filipino gals who have spoiled me with homemade delicacies like the purple yam cookies. I am giving these a go from scratch.