Crinkle cookies with an island twist. . .UBE. Soft, buttery, fluffy cookies packed with delicious ube flavor. Perfect for all you soft cookie lovers.
Crinkle cookies are another popular holiday cookie and this is my favorite crinkle cookie variation.
Day 7 of the 12 Days of Cookies: UBE CRINKLE COOKIES.
If you missed days 1-6, check them out below
- Day 1: Easy chocolate chip cookies
- Day 2: Soft oatmeal cookies
- Day 3: Macadamia nut snowball cookies
- Day 4: Lilikoi butter thumbprint cookies
- Day 5: Brownie mix cookies
- Day 6: Cheesecake Stuffed Snickerdoodle Cookies
What is a crinkle cookie?
Classic crinkle cookies are soft baked chocolate cookies dusted in powdered sugar with a distinctive crackled top. The crackled top is what gives the cookies its name.
What is ube?
Ube is a purple yam. Not to be confused with Okinawan sweet potatoes or taro. Ube is a staple crop in the Philippines and is commonly used in dessert recipes. Fresh ube is difficult to find outside of its native regions, but ube halaya (jam) is canned and often found in the Asian food section of the grocery stores.
Ube has taken the Hawaiian islands like a tropical storm. You can find it in everything from cookies to ice cream to tarts. Such a delicious flavor.
What do I need to make ube crinkle cookies?
- All purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Unsalted butter: Using unsalted allows you to better control the salt in the recipe.
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar: You can opt to use all granulated sugar or replace the light brown sugar with dark brown sugar. Using dark brown sugar will give it a richer taste. I personally like to use half light brown and half white.
- Egg: Best at room temperature. This allows the egg to better incorporate with the other ingredients.
- Ube halaya: Also known as ube jam. If you are lucky enough to live in a region that has fresh ube go ahead and use that. Otherwise ube halaya can be found in the Asian aisle of your grocery store.
- Ube extract: This dark purple hued extract gives this recipe an extra flavor boost. I like to use McCormick’s ube extract (not sponsored).
How long do you bake ube crinkle cookies?
12-15 minutes.
How to store crinkle cookies?
These cookies are best stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for about five days.
Can you freeze ube crinkle cookie batter?
Like all the previous cookie recipes from the 12 days of cookies, this recipe can also be frozen. You can store the dough in a large slab or opt to freeze them already rolled in balls. When you are ready to bake these cookies allow to defrost at room temperature.
How to make ube crinkle cookies?
- In a small mixing bowl add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Lower mixing bowl and add egg. Raise mixing bowl and continue to beat. Lower the mixing bowl again and add ube halaya and ube extract. Raise bowl and beat until well combined.
- Lower mixing bowl and slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Remove dough and chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove dough from freezer and scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Then roll dough ball in powdered sugar until well coated. Place dough on to a baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. When done baking cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Ube Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1/2 cup ube halaya jam
- 1 teaspoon ube extract
Dusting
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl add dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt) and whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Lower mixing bowl and add egg. Raise mixing bowl and continue to beat. Lower the mixing bowl again and add ube halaya and ube extract. Raise bowl and beat until well combined.
- Lower mixing bowl and slowly add dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated. Remove dough and chill in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove dough from freezer and scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll in to a ball. Then roll dough ball in powdered sugar until well coated. Place dough on baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes. When done baking cool on a cooling rack. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Fingers crossed they still taste good! They Smell good! They are still baking and I’m bummed the directions say freeze about 10 minutes but the video says 30 minutes but I saw the video late.. so my cookies are expanding! Shouldn’t alter their taste though hopefully!
The flavour of these cookies were great but unfortunately it didn’t have the same crinkle cookie texture that I’m used to which are chewy on the inside. They were cakey and flakey. These tasted like ube and looked great but didn’t have the right texture for me!
Hi Carla. Thanks for your insight. If you like a little more crunch I suggest baking them for a little longer. This allows the outside to crisp up a little more and be less cakey.
Would it hurt the recipe if I can’t find ube extract?
Hi Kat. You can order it off of Amazon. You can make it without the extract, but the color will not be as vibrant and the taste will be milder.
Ummm WOW! Our new favorite cookie! Perfect texture and taste!
Hi Tiffany. Thank you so much. Glad you liked it! Have a great day.
If using real ube instead of ube jam, how much real ube to use for this recipe to work?
Hi Jen. Fresh ube is difficult to find in Hawai’i or the United States. I’ve never used fresh ube in this recipe. The ube jam is a mix of ube, sugar, and water. If you use fresh ube I would use the same amount as the jam, but you may need to add in a little more sugar and water to the recipe to get the right taste and texture.
can you use homemade use halaya?
ube halaya*
=)
You sure can.
Hello! I made these using ube jam in a bottle and it was perfect! However when I made ube halaya from scratch and used that my crinkles didn’t have the cracked look. I don’t know why this would happen.. help?
You can try freezing the dough longer or shape the balls and then toss it back in the freezer before you bake it.
Same as mine it didnt get the crinkle look, it didnt crack
The classic crinkle is created from the cracking of the cookie. This happens when the tops dry out and the inside continues to spread and cracks the top. The things I see that usually affect this is oven temp and not enough powdered sugar on the cookie to help dry out the tops and promote cracking.
Hi Relle, i’ve made these twice now and I love them soo much! These are now going to be a staple in my favorite cookie recipes. The first time I made these, I only froze the dough for maybe 2 hours and they came out very soft/cakey and I couldn’t get that ‘crinkle’ look; but they were delicious none the less. The second time I made these – I froze the dough overnight before baking and the cookie had a little more density and the crinkle look was achieved 🙂 I rarely leave reviews but I had to thank you for sharing!!! THANK YOU!
Hi Michelle. Thank you so much. I appreciate your kind words and am so happy you found a recipe that you love. Have a great day.
I usually make the chocolate version but lately, my youngest son has taken a liking to anything ube. These are so good and not overly sweet. I ran out of confectioners sugar so I put granulated sugar in the food processor. Not as smooth, but good enough. Was able to make 28 balls and baked em for 13 mins. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Hi, can we use vegetable oil instead of butter like in regular chocolate crinkles recipes? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Shannon. I have never tried this particular recipe with vegetable oil, but sounds like it would be fine. Thanks for stopping by.
I made these today. I used vegan butter (what I had on hand) and a flax egg as I need to avoid eggs. They came out well, my only trouble was that I shook off what I thought was excess powdered sugar so I didn’t have the nice white outside. 🙂 anyway, just wanted to confirm folks can veganize the recipe as long as the ube halaya doesn’t have milk. The brand I have does but I don’t think all do.
Nice. Thanks for sharing.
I canʻt find mccormick ube extract anywhere including amazon. Can i use ube extract paste instead? Iʻm always afraid to try new brands.
I have not tried that, but I suppose it would work. It may need some adjusting.
Hi! is there a way where I don’t have to add the ube jam & only just use ube extract? Everywhere I go, they are out of ube jam
Hi. Many local grocery stores in Hawai’i carry the jam. You can buy it on Amazon if all else fails. I have not made them without the jam. It would likely change the texture and flavor if you omitted it.
Hi! Are ube spread and ube jam the same thing? I bought some spread without thinking. I just have to try these!
What brand did you get?
I purchased Buenas Ube Sweet Purple Yam Spread.
Hmm not too sure. Worth a try though.
What’s ur thought on increasing the ube jam to 3/4 cup. Most people who have tried this cookie said that they can’t really taste the flavor of ube.
Aloha. I have not tried that before. It may change the consistency of the cookie. If you try it let me know. The other thought is add more ube extract.
Hi! So I tried this. I actually increase the ube jam to 3/4 cup, and did 1.5 tsp of ube extract. The texture is surprisingly more chewy and the ube is definitely much more noticeable.
Cool. Thanks for sharing!
Hi I only have taro powder would that work instead of the ube extract and the other ingredient?
Hi. Ube is a purple yam, while taro is different root vegetable. It definitely will not give you the vibrant purple color that the ube extract gives and the flavor would be different. I have never tried this. Not sure if this would work in replacement. If you try it let me know. Have a great day.
Is it ok to mix by hand? Will it alter the way the cookies turn out? Also in the recipe you say to freeze dough for 10 minutes. One comment says they froze for 2 hours. What would be the correct amount of time?
Hi. You totally can mix by hand. The odds of you over mixing by hand is unlikely. Freeze for at least 10min. More time would be fine.
I did this yesterday! Loved it! My non-Filipino friends and my partner love it so much that they finished it in a flash!! 🙂 I used fan-forced oven and set it to 160C. Baked it for 14 minutes and came out perfectly! Fresh from the oven, it would be a bit soft however when it’s cooled, the texture becomes chewy. I used ube jam in a jar.
You don’t need a mixer, manual whisking or a wooden spoon will do to combine the ingredients still works the same way. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this! This is now my go to ube crinkle recipe!!
Yay. Glad to hear. Thanks for sharing.
I tried your recipe and it’s my family’s new favorite! We liked it so much better than the others you buy at the store! Mahalo 🙂
Aww thank you so much. You’re too kind.
They came out well and as good as the bakery. I used a stoneware baking sheet.
I will be giving them away as Christmas gifts.
Ooh sounds like a great idea. Thanks for stopping by.
I live in Hawaii & have tried these cookies so many times without any luck to get the cracked effect. I use fresh Ube that I’ve cooked, stored frozen & thawed out. I use Ube extract. I’ve tried it with butter, then butter flavored crisp because I read that it will allow the cracked look easier than butter. I’ve added baking soda 1/2 tsp & one recipe had 2 tsp of baking powder. I used white sugar 1st to roll them in then powdered. Then found out there was a thing called non- melting powdered sugar. This last time the chemical reaction changed the vibrant color a little green but still no crackled top I give up
I’m sorry you’ve had problems. I would try using the store bought ube jam and see if that helps. The moisture in homemade ube can vary and the moisture will affect the crinkle. If the powder sugar is absorbing in to the cookie too fast it’s too moist. You should be able to get through a tray of cookies before your first cookie’s powdered sugar absorbs. If it goes go back and roll it in the powdered sugar again. It should have a pretty thick coating on it prior to baking. Hope that helps. Happy New Year.
I made these twice, using AP Gluten free flour, vegan butter, and (just short of) 1/2 cup of maple syrup instead of sugar. They turned out delicious and fluffy!!
Just wanted to share for those gluten or dairy free, those subs worked great in this recipe!!
I did notice that the icing sugar almost absorbed by the time I was rolling the rest of the balls, so I had to re-roll a few. Also didn’t get too much of a cracked look either, so I lightly dusted them with more icing sugar as they cooled.
I also noticed a comment on it being more fluffy than a cookie, which I agree with but I’m sure you could just make smaller cookies to not make them as fluffy. But I prefer the light fluffy taste!
All in all, this is a fantastic and easy recipe that I will definitely make again and again!!
Awesome. Thanks for sharing. The cracked look develops from the powdered sugar drawing out some of the moisture. This causes the tops to dry out and when the cookie spreads it creates the classic cracked look. If the powdered sugar is getting absorbed too quickly, roll in sugar again right before baking or form all the balls first then roll in sugar.
Mahalo for sharing. First had this cookie from a friend who bought at KTA. Been craving it and each time I went to the store I couldn’t find it. So when you can’t buy it, make it. I made it using the ube spread because jam was sold out and the ube extract brand was butterfly as it was the only one KTA had. But 10 minutes in freezer and 12 minutes bake time for a slight crunch on the outside and soft on the inside, it’s how I like my cookies. The only thing I liked better was to pre roll them before freezing, it made for quick and easy dusting with powdered sugar and it could use a little more extract flavoring. The flavor may be because I used spread instead of Jam.
Aloha Monique. Mahalo for sharing. I’ve never tried the spread or the Butterfly brand. I’ll have to check it out.
Made these with some ube halaya I made from scratch for a birthday and they were such a crowd pleaser esp bc it was nice to have a different ube dessert than our usuals at the Pilipino party haha! Would definitely make again. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe 😋 love from California!
Awesome. So great to hear. Thank you for sharing! Have a great day.
I made the dough ball size a little bigger and it yielded 17… should I adjust baking time?
Aloha CJ. You may need to increase baking time if the cookies are thicker. Continue checking and take it out when a toothpick comes out clean.
I’m a having a hard time getting the crunch to the outside of the cookies, soft inside but not crunchy on the outside. Any suggestion?
Crinkle cookies tend to be more of a soft cookie. Baking for a little long can give you a little crunch, but it won’t be a super crunchy cookie.
tasty and delicious
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks for a great recipe. I live your unique recipes and love to try new ingredients.
Hi Relle did you ever try it with ube powder instead of ube halaya jam?
Aloha. I have not tried it. If you try it please let me know. Mahalo!