Anikah is a Bangladesh-born recipe developer and writer based in New York with bylines in Food52, Kitchn, Taste of Home, and The Infatuation. She’s currently completing her masters in Food Studies at NYU. When she’s not not in the kitchen, you’ll find her reading, boxing, or obsessing over her cats. You can follow her life and work @trussmeimbrown.
With its striking color and a unique nutty vanilla flavor profile, ube has taken over the world. Also known as purple yam, this beloved tuber has been a popular root vegetable in the Philippines for generations, later spreading to more places like Hawaii and Japan. In these ube crinkle cookies, the purple color is striking and intense. They're the perfect end to a Filipino dinner like sinigang (a tamarind-spiked one-pot stew), pork adobo, or pancit bihon (noodles with pork).
From halo halo and boba tea to more Western treats like brownies, ice cream, and pie, the uses of ube are endless. This recipe gives the classic crinkle cookie the ube treatment using ube halaya, a popular Filipino pudding made with ube and condensed milk, and ube extract.
While crinkle cookies are generally easy to make, one area that many struggle with is keeping the powdered sugar from absorbing into the cookie dough. This can be prevented with a simple assembly system that involves preparing the dough for the final bake in stages: You should first portion and roll all of the dough, then roll all the dough balls in granulated sugar (which creates a barrier that keeps the powdered sugar from melting into the dough), and then roll them all in powdered sugar. Once all the cookies have been coated, bake immediately.
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- Yields:
- 20
- Prep Time:
- 20 mins
- Total Time:
- 1 hr 45 mins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 c.
(210 g.) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp.
baking powder
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 1
large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 c.
(1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1/4 c.
(55 g.) light brown sugar, packed
- 1 1/2 c.
(150 g.) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 c.
(150 g.) ube halaya
- 3 tsp.
ube extract, such as McCormick
- 1 c.
(115 g.) powdered sugar
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Step 2In a large bowl, whisk egg, butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar. Add ube halaya and ube extract and whisk until fully incorporated.
- Step 3Add dry ingredients to ube mixture. Using a flexible spatula, mix until flour is incorporated and dough is shiny, about 30 seconds.
- Step 4Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
- Step 5In 2 separate shallow bowls, place powdered sugar and remaining 1 cup granulated sugar. Scoop 20 (2 tablespoons; 35 grams) portions dough and roll into balls. Working with a few at a time, roll in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar. Arrange 10 balls on prepared sheets, spacing 2" apart.
- Step 6Bake cookies until edges begin to set but center is still slightly soft, 9 to 11 minutes.
- Step 7Let cool 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.