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    Home » Recipes » Ube Recipes

    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    by Jolina | Published: July 28, 2021 | Last Updated: November 30, 2021 | 59 Comments
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    Easy and Delicious Ube Brownies
    Easy and Delicious Ube Brownies
    Ube Brownies Recipe

    Ube brownies are your favourite chewy and fudgy brownies but packed with the ube flavour you love. Made with real ube halaya, sprinkled with white chocolate chips, so good.

    (Can’t get enough of ube? Try making ube cheesecake. It’s a reader favourite here at TUB and for good reason! Rich, creamy, delicious, packed with real ube goodness. Or try ube cheesecake bars – a decadent ube treat.)

    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)
    Jump To hide
    What is ube?
    What does ube taste like?
    What are ube brownies?
    Why you’ll love making these purple yam brownies recipe
    How to make ube brownies
    Ube brownies recipe
    Tips for making the best ube brownies and other FAQs
    Other brownie recipes
    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    I’ve said it once (maybe more lol), I’ll say it again — ube is my jam. I love baking with and eating everything ube. 

    I don’t know why exactly — maybe it reminds me of home, maybe I really love how it tastes, maybe I just like the colour purple, maybe all of the above. Whatever it is, ube is one of my favourite ingredients in the world.

    I have lots of ube recipe ideas here on the blog, I even have a whole category dedicated to it, and I’m happy to share my latest ube recipe — ube brownies.

    It took me months and several tries to perfect this recipe but it’s finally ready for you to try. Enjoy!

    What is ube?

    How to Cook Fresh Ube

    Ube is the Filipino word for purple yam. It’s certainly not unique to the Philippines but it’s definitely a national favourite. 

    It’s made into all sorts of ube desserts like:

    • Ube ice cream
    • Ube cake and ube chiffon cake
    • Ube cupcakes
    • Ube crinkles, and more

    What does ube taste like?

    I must admit, after all these years of baking with ube, it’s still difficult for me to describe how ube tastes like because it’s so unique and doesn’t taste like anything (really!).

    Happily, ube has gone mainstream these past years (even Trader Joe’s carries an ube ice cream flavour now) that you can easily taste ube for yourself and see why a whole country is obsessed with it.

    What are ube brownies?

    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    Technically, ube brownies should be called ube blondies because the recipe doesn’t contain cocoa. But a brownie has a certain ring to it, doesn’t it? So brownies it is. 

    Just imagine your favourite fudgy brownie recipe but ube flavoured. That’s what these ube brownies are. They’re delicious.

    Why you’ll love making these purple yam brownies recipe

    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    They’re also very easy to make. You’ll want to make this ube brownie recipe all the time because:

    • It’s a one-bowl recipe. Easy to make, easy to clean-up.
    • You don’t need mixer. You combine everything by hand.
    • It’s made with real ube halaya. A lot of the other ube brownie recipes you’ll find only uses ube extract to flavour a classic blondies recipe, or uses a small amount of ube jam. This recipe has a whopping 2 cups of ube jam for the ultimate ube flavour.
    • The batter is sprinkled with white chocolate chips. They complement ube so well.
    • These brownies keep and freeze well. Make them today while you have time, thaw them whenever the ube craving this.
    • They are a pretty purple! Which makes them perfect as Christmas presents, at bake sales and more.

    How to make ube brownies

    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    Making ube brownies is similar to making chocolate brownies. Ingredients are similar too.

    Ingredients

    You will need:

    • Unsalted butter
    • Granulated sugar
    • Brown sugar
    • Egg
    • Ube jam or ube halaya
    • Ube extract
    • All-purpose flour
    • Baking powder
    • Salt
    • White chocolate chips

    Tools

    You don’t need a mixer to make this ube brownies recipe. All you’ll need are:

    • 9×13 inch baking pan
    • Large bowl
    • Fine mesh sieve
    • Measuring cups and spoons

    I use a bench scraper to cut my brownies but you can also use a sharp knife.

    And I always recommend using an oven thermometer so you can rest assured that you’re always baking at the correct temperature.

    Ube brownies recipe 

    1 PREHEAT. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan then line with parchment paper with a slight overhang on each side. Set aside.

    2 BUTTER AND SUGAR. In a large bowl, combine melted butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until smooth and incorporated.

    Combine melted butter and sugar
    Stir melted butter and sugar until incorporated

    3 UBE JAM AND EGG. Add the egg, ube jam and ube extract and stir until combined.

    Add ube and egg into butter mixture
    Stir ube and egg until combined

    4 DRY INGREDIENTS. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into your ube mixture and gently stir until no significant streaks of flour remain (do not over mix). The batter will be thick.

    Sift flour into ube mixture
    Stir flour just until combined

    5 WHITE CHOCOLATE. Gently fold in white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

    Add white chocolate chips
    Fold white chocolate chips

    6 TRANSFER. Transfer into prepared pan and spread around evenly with a spatula. Optional: press more white chocolate chips on top of the batter to make your brownies prettier!

    Transfer ube brownies batter to pan
    Ube brownies batter ready to go into oven
    Ube brownies batter ready to go into oven

    7 BAKE. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with minimal dry crumbs.

    8 COOL. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, remove from pan to cool completely, then cut into bars.

    Tips for making the best ube brownies and other FAQs

    It’s that easy! Here are more baking tips and answers to your frequently asked questions to make this ube brownie recipe that much easier to make.

    Where can I buy ube halaya or ube jam?

    Ube Halaya Recipe

    You can usually find ube halaya in the Asian or international aisle of your supermarket. If not there, they are almost always available in an Asian supermarket or online.

    I grew up eating Good Shepherd ube jam though (the gold standard, IMO) so I was never really happy with any of the ube jams I’ve tried here. 

    Happily, I’ve learned to make my own ube halaya and it’s so good if I say so myself! And not hard to make at all. 

    If you’re not happy with the ube jams you find at the stores either, try it. You won’t look back.

    Where can I buy ube extract or ube flavouring?

    You can find ube extract at Asian supermarkets. If that fails, it’s available on Amazon. I use McCormick ube extract in all my ube recipes.

    How to make chewy ube brownies

    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    I love baking brownies. I find them easier to make than cake and cookies and they’re always a hit with everyone.

    I prefer chewy and fudgy brownies over cake-y ones and in my experience, these help make ube brownies perfectly chewy and fudgy:

    1 Brown sugar. The brown sugar in the recipe helps create that sticky, fudgy texture.

    2 Bake time. Remember it’s better to under-bake than over-bake brownies (any brownie). Use the baking time in the recipe as a guide and then start testing your brownies about 10 minutes before the end, or just when they start pulling away from the sides of your pan.

    The tester or toothpick you insert in the centre must not come out clean. What you want are bits of crumbs (not wet batter) sticking to it. The brownies will continue to cook as they cool.

    3 Proper mixing. It also helps to mix your batter just until blended. Over mixing your brownie batter after you’ve added the flour will result to dry, crumbly brownies.

    How to store ube brownies

    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    These ube fudge brownies will keep in the fridge for up to a week but the best way to store them is to freeze them.

    Cut the thoroughly cooled brownies into individual pieces, wrap each one in plastic wrap (wrap them snugly), then with foil. Place each one in a freezer safe container or freezer Ziploc bag.

    When you’re ready to eat or serve them, just bring them out and thaw at room temperature (still wrapped). They’re good slightly chilled too.

    Frozen ube brownies with ube halaya will keep for up to a month.

    Other brownie recipes

    Are you a brownie fan yourself? Try these delicious brownie recipes:

    Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Brownies
    Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Brownies
    Fudgy Walnut Brownies
    Fudgy Walnut Brownies
    Mascarpone Swirl Brownies
    Mascarpone Swirl Brownies
    Chocolatey green tea browies
    Matcha Brownies
    • Salted caramel cream cheese brownies — all your favourite things in one decadent, luxurious bite.
    • Fudgy walnut brownies — crusty and shiny on top, chewy in the centre, and bursting with chocolate chip and walnuts.
    • Mascarpone swirl brownies— fudgy brownies with velvety smooth mascarpone swirls. Rich, decadent, chocolatey and very easy to make
    • Matcha brownies — your favourite chocolate brownies complemented with the delicious, earthy flavours of matcha.

    Ube brownies are a delicious, quick, and easy ube dessert. It’s great with coffee; I personally love it with cold milk.

    Eat it after meals, as a snack, even for breakfast! Give it out to friends, serve it to company, or reward yourself at the end of the day. Enjoy!

    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    Author: Jolina
    Ube brownies are your favourite chewy and fudgy brownies but packed with the ube flavour you love. Made with real ube halaya, sprinkled with white chocolate chips, so good.
    5 from 75 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine Filipino
    Servings 24 servings
    Calories 221 kcal

    Equipment

    • 9×13 Baking Pan
    • Bench Scraper
    • Oven Thermometer
    • Mixing Bowls

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 1 cup unsalted butter melted and allowed to cool slightly
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
    • 1 pc large egg, room temperature
    • 17 oz ube jam (about 2 cups) room temperature
    • 2 tbsp ube extract
    • 2½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1 cup white chocolate chips

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan then line with parchment paper with a slight overhang on each side. Set aside.
    • In a large bowl, combine melted butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and ¼ cup packed brown sugar until smooth and incorporated.
      Combine melted butter and sugar
    • Add the egg, ube jam and 2 tbsp ube extract and stir until combined.
      Add ube and egg into butter mixture
    • Sift 2½ cups flour, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp salt into your ube mixture and gently stir until no significant streaks of flour remain (do not over mix). The batter will be thick.
      Sift flour into ube mixture
    • Gently fold in 1 cup white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
      Add white chocolate chips
    • Transfer into prepared pan and spread around evenly with a spatula.
      Ube brownies batter ready to go into oven
    • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with minimal dry crumbs.
    • Cool in the pan for 20 minutes, remove from pan to cool completely, then cut into bars.
      Ube Brownies Recipe (made with Ube Halaya)

    Video

    Notes

    1. Not all ube jams are made the same. I make my own ube halaya and if you use that to make your ube brownies, you don’t need to change anything in the recipe. If you use a store-bought ube jam, I suggest to taste your ube mixture before adding in the egg so you can decide if you need more sugar, ube or both. Make sure to add sugar or ube in small increments.
    2. You can set aside about ¼ cup white chocolate chips that you can press on top of your batter before baking to make your ube brownies/ube blondies prettier!
    3. Like chocolate brownies or regular blondies,  it’s better to under-bake than over-bake ube brownies. They will continue to cook in the pan.
    4. Ube brownies are also delicious chilled. 
    5. See post for complete step-by-step photos, more baking tips and FAQs. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 221kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 2gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 108mgPotassium: 222mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 267IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information are estimates only.

    Tried this recipe? Leave a star rating today!Also tag @iamtheunlikelybaker I’d love to see your creations.

    Happy baking!

    Did you make this ube brownies recipe? I’d love to hear from you in the comments section below. If you’re looking for all things ube, check out this delicious collection of the best must-try ube desserts.

    More Ube Recipes

    • Ube Pound Cake
    • Ube Ensaymada (Easy Recipe, Tips and More)
    • The Best Ube Roll Cake Recipe
    • How to Make Ube Tarts (Easy No-Fail Recipe)
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. BP

      March 19, 2023 at 12:47 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you for the recipe! I created it and it was delicious. I used the Good Shepherd ube so only put 1/2 cup white sugar and the recipe came out perfect. Not too sweet or lacking in flavor.

      Reply
      • Jolina

        March 20, 2023 at 8:33 am

        I haven’t had Good Shepherd ube in a while so I’m a little jealous lol! Glad you liked the brownies BP!

        Reply
    2. EmRose

      February 19, 2023 at 7:30 pm

      5 stars
      Thank you so much for your recipe! Turned out delicious, and it totally satisfied my ube craving! I did add a bit of sweetened coconut. Also, since it’s just me, and I don’t have self control when it comes to ube, I quartered the recipe. I’ll be making these “brownies” regularly! I might even try your ube halaya recipe next time. Thank you again!

      Reply
      • Jolina

        February 23, 2023 at 10:23 am

        Same! No ube self control here either lol. Glad you like them EmRose! Hope you enjoy the ube halaya too.

        Reply
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