This is the only recipe for ube crinkles you’ll need. Easy to follow, lots of baking tips, and cookies that always come out soft, fluffy and bursting with the ube flavor you love. Perfect for Easter, the holidays or any time you want an ube treat.
(If you’re looking to bake something ube this holiday season, check out this ube cake that’s frosted with the most amazing Swiss meringue buttercream. Cupcakes more your thing? You will love these ube cupcakes topped with whipped ube frosting. And if you’re craving for cheesecake, this luxurious ube cheesecake is all that and more!)
You’re probably familiar with chocolate crinkles. Our Christmas won’t be complete if we don’t have chocolate crinkles on our cookie tray.
Ube crinkle cookies have become part of the tradition too. And it’s fast becoming the favorite crinkle of the two.
This doesn’t surprise me at all. They’re delicious, unique and wonderfully purple.
Let’s get to it.
Why you’ll love making this recipe
Ube crinkles are simply a different flavor of crinkle or crackle cookies. (Looking for ube cookies similar to your favourite chocolate chip cookies? You will love this ube cookies recipe.)
Instead of the usual chocolate, these are ube or Filipino purple yam (see FAQs for more info).
I love baking them all year but especially around the holidays. Hope you enjoy baking them too.
- Easy recipe. This is such an easy cookie recipe to follow. It’s a tried and tested recipe too. I provide lots of baking tips, a troubleshooting guide and FAQs so you can make perfect ube crinkles every time.
- Freezes well. The cookie dough freezes incredibly well. So you can make them ahead, freeze, then bake as needed.
- Vibrant purple. Who can resist that vibrant purple color? These cookies will be the star of any cookie tray.
- Delicious. Most of all, they’re delicious. Soft and fluffy and packed with ube flavor. And if you prefer them a little chewier and fudgier, I give a variation below.
How to make
The cookie dough needs to chill for at least 4 hours so you’ll need to plan around that. Otherwise, it’s easy peasy.
Ingredients notes
You’ll need pantry staples like flour, baking powder and granulated sugar. Some things to keep in mind:
- Oil — we use oil instead of butter in this recipe. I always use canola oil because that’s what we use for cooking so that’s what’s always available. However, you can use another flavorless oil, such as vegetable oil.
- Ube jam or ube halaya — what’s important here is you use ube jam that you enjoy eating on its own. I prefer to make my own ube halaya, check it out! It’s easier to make than you think. You can’t use fresh ube here, unless you process it to become jam.
- Ube extract — ube extract is, you guessed it, like vanilla extract but ube! You can find it in Asian supermarkets and Amazon. It makes the ube flavor in baked goods pop and gives them that intense purple color.
- Confectioner’s sugar — also called icing sugar or powdered sugar in some places.
Baking tools
I like using my stand mixer to make these cookies but an electric hand mixer will work nicely too. You’ll also need:
- Cookie or baking sheet
- Cookie scoop (an ice cream scoop will work too)
- Parchment paper (or a Silpat mat and similar)
Step-by-step instructions
Like its chocolate counterpart, ube crinkles are soft, moist and fluffy. They have that distinctive crackle on top from confectioner’s sugar. And they’re just as easy to make too.
(1) First you want to combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl.
(2) Set aside.
(3) Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, ube jam (or ube halaya) and oil until incorporated.
(4) It is important that you taste the mixture at this point (before you add eggs) so you can see if it needs more sugar. Like I mentioned, ube jams are different so you need to adjust according to taste.
(5) Once you’re okay with the flavour, add eggs and ube extract.
(6) Stir until combined.
(7) Add your flour mixture in thirds and stir until well blended.
(8) Cover your bowl with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours. This is a very sticky dough so I personally prefer to chill it overnight.
(9) When you’re ready, preheat your oven to 350F. Prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a Silpat mat (like what I use in the pictures). Set aside.
(10) Scoop a heaping tablespoon of ube cookie dough and, using your hands, roll into a ball. Thoroughly coat each ball with confectioner’s sugar before placing it on the cookie sheet. Make sure to space your cookies about 1-2 inches apart.
(11) Bake in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes or until they crack on top and start looking matte. They will be soft coming out of the oven but don’t worry, they will continue to set as they cool so do not over bake.
(12) Cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert baking tips
Easy, right? Here are more baking tips for the best batch of ube crinkle cookies every time:
- Use room temperature ingredients. They’re easier to incorporate and helps you avoid over-mixing the batter.
- Use good ube jam. The ube jam or ube halaya makes or breaks this recipe. If buying from the store, it’s very important that you use a brand that you like on its own. Better yet, make it yourself! Check out my reader-favorite ube jam recipe.
- Chill dough as long as you need. This cookie dough is on the stickier side so you’ll need to chill it before rolling it into balls. I put 4 hours in the recipe but this really depends on where you are or how hot your kitchen gets. If you’re in a warmer climate, or it’s a warm summer day, you may need to chill it for longer.
- Oil or flour hands when rolling. The dough will also eventually get softer as you’re rolling the cookies. If they stick to your hands, put a little oil or flour on your palms to make rolling easier. If the dough becomes really unmanageable, bring it back to the fridge and take it out once it’s hardened again.
- Bake one batch of cookies at a time. Depending on how big or small you roll your cookies, you may need to use two cookie or baking sheets. It’s better to bake one cookie sheet at a time for even baking.
Troubleshooting guide
| Problem | Possible Cause | Solution |
| Didn’t crackle | Oven not hot enough | Ensure you’re baking at the correct temperature, an oven thermometer will help this |
| Baking powder expired | To check if your baking powder is still active, pour ¼ cup boiling water over ½ tsp baking powder. If it bubbles or foams, it’s still good. If not, time to replace | |
| Dough too soft | Not chilled enough | Chill some more |
| Dough too hard | Straight out of the fridge or freezer | Give dough 10-15 minutes to thaw before rolling into balls |
| Spread too much | Dough too warm | Make sure the dough doesn’t get too warm before putting in oven |
| Ingredient ratios wrong | To make sure you’re using the right amount of ingredients, best to use a kitchen scale | |
| Sugar melted while baking | Not enough powdered sugar | Thoroughly coat the cookies with powdered sugar |
Recipe FAQs
Ube is Filipino purple yam.
It looks similar to a potato but darker brown. When you cut it open, it’s a fantastic, bright purple colour.
A lot of people mistake it for taro, purple sweet potato, and sometimes for Okinawan sweet potato but they are different kinds of root crops.
In fact, taro is not very purple inside at all (the purple you see on your bubble teas is most likely food coloring) and they taste very different too
That’s the more important question, isn’t it?
Ube has a very unique flavor that you just have to experience for yourself but imagine vanilla-nutty-earthy. That exquisite combination of flavors is close to what ube tastes like.
Some readers told me they’ve tried ube jam from the store (the most common ube dessert you’ll find in this part of the world) and didn’t care for it.
However, remember that not all jams are created equal. Those already have sugar, preservatives and other flavors in it.
Want the real thing? Try my homemade ube jam. It’s simple, authentic, and packed with real fresh ube.
Like chocolate crinkles, ube cookie dough freezes well.
You can roll them into balls, place on a baking or cookie sheet and freeze until firm. Then you can transfer them into a freezer-friendly container or Ziploc bag.
When you’re ready to bake, simply get as many cookie balls as you like from the freezer, thaw for 15-20 minutes (watch that they don’t become too soft otherwise they will spread too thinly), roll in the confectioner’s sugar and bake as directed.
How long do ube crinkles last?
In our house, not very long lol!
But assuming we don’t eat it all, these cookies will last 2-3 days in an airtight container on your counter. That’s something to keep in mind if you’re planning to give these out as presents.
These cookies are supposed to be soft and fluffy, like mini ube cakes.
However, some readers have asked if there’s a way to make them fudgier to more closely resemble chocolate crinkles.
After much recipe testing, here’s what you need to do.
– Lessen the amount of flour from 2 cups to 1 ¾ cups
– Lessen the amount of baking powder from 2 teaspoons to 1 teaspoon
The rest of the ingredients stay the same.
The baking instructions stay the same as well.
Just note that because you’re using less flour, you will get less cookies
Looking for other Christmas cookie recipes? These are crowd-favourites:
Hope you enjoy baking and eating these ube crinkles as much as we do.
Happy baking!
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to hear all about it! Leave a comment or a star rating below. You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook. I’d love to see your creations!
You can also find me on Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
Ube Crinkles Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 7 oz ube jam or ube halaya about a cup, room temperature
- ½ cup canola oil or vegetable oil
- 2 pcs large eggs beaten, room temperature
- 3 tsp ube extract
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Using a handheld electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine granulated sugar, ube jam (ube halaya) and oil until incorporated. It is important that you taste the mixture at this point (before you add eggs) so you can see if it needs more sugar. Like I mentioned, ube jams are different so you need to adjust according to taste.
- Once you’re okay with the flavour, add eggs (which you've already beaten) and ube extract. Stir until combined.
- Add your flour mixture to your ube mixture in thirds and gently stir on low speed until combined. Make sure each addition is incorporated and remember to scrape the bottom and sides of your bowl.
- Cover the bowl with your cookie dough with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours (I usually do overnight).
- When you’re ready, preheat your oven to 350F. Prep a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper (or silicone baking mats). Set aside.
- Scoop a heaping tablespoon of ube cookie dough and, using your hands, roll into a ball. Thoroughly coat each ball with confectioner's sugar before placing it on the cookie sheet. Make sure to space your cookies about 1-2 inches apart.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes or until they crack on top and start looking matte. They will be soft coming out of the oven but don’t worry, they will continue to set as they cool so do not over bake.
- Cool in the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- The yield depends on how big you make your cookies. I use a 1.5 tbsp cookie scoop.
- It is easier to work with room temperature ube jam vs one straight out of the fridge so make sure to leave it out on the counter for at least 30 minutes before you plan to use it.
- These cookies are going to look a tad under-baked but don’t be tempted to continue baking them because they will turn rock hard. As soon as they crackle, turn matte and start to firm up, you can bring them out of the oven. They will continue to set while on the hot pan.
- See post for more baking tips, a troubleshooting guide, FAQs and step-by-step photos.
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only.
Sandra Lenhardt
I followed the recipe to the T! I even made the halaya -your recipe, the day before. Baked one batch for 10 minutes and others for 13, they all came out looking great, but the taste was not the same as store bought in O’ahu. Even the ones on 13 minutes still a little soft. I was brave enough to have some critics taste and rate it. Still missing something … but since I have halaya left over, I’m attempting ube muffins today 🙂
Jolina
Hi Sandra, haven’t been to O’ahu (I wish!) so I can’t compare but these are supposed to be on the chewy side. If you want them a little firmer, you can bake them some more (but not a lot, they will become too hard). Happy baking!
Marianne
These were delicious! I followed the recipe, chilled the dough, then used one of my cookie scoops to drop them in the powdered sugar for easy rolling.
I used store bought ube jam, but will try making homemade, since I’m sure it will be even better.
thank you for all of your awesome recipes!
Jolina
That’s great Marianne! And you’re most welcome 🙂 Enjoy!
Aeris
I don’t have any ube extract, only jam, what should I do? maybe a substitute you know of?
Jolina
Hi Aeris, unfortunately I don’t know of any good sub for ube extract.
Victoria
Can I double the recipe?
Jolina
Hi Victoria, you sure can. In the recipe card, just click “2x”.
Gemma
I made these today, followed the recipe exactly just rolled in the icing sugar twice and they were ah-mazing!!
Just wondering is the bottom supposed to be a little bit brown because of the sugar?
Jolina
Hi Gemma, yes the bottoms would be a little darker because they touch the pan. Glad you liked the crinkles!
Ruth
Really like the crinkles!!!
Jolina
Glad you liked them Ruth!
Deb
Can I just use pureed ube instead of ube jam?
Jolina
Hi Deb, unfortunately pureed ube will be very bland compared to ube jam. You won’t get the same results.
Amy Liu Dong
I love the color of it and the taste of these ube crinkles aside from that it is so easy to make.
Jolina
Glad you like them Amy!
Rachel
These ube crinkles are so good! My family loves ube (especially your ube brownies) and this is a close a second. Thanks for all your delicious ube recipes xoxo
Jolina
So happy to hear that Rachel! Enjoy!
Alysa
Help! Where I live has no ube jam or ube anything. I only have ube extract 🙁
Anita
Can I sub a gluten-free 1-1 flour to make these?
Jolina
Hi Anita, not sure as I haven’t used gluten-free flour. Hope this article helps!
Diana
My dough was difficult to roll into a ball it was very sticky. when I put ion cookie sheet they’d lose their ball form and start flattening out. What did I do wrong ? :/
Jolina
Hi Diana, the dough is sticky but should not be runny that it flattens out on the cookie sheet. It looks like the ratios might be wrong. For next time, try weighing your ingredients. It also helps to chill the dough until it firms up a little and is easier to roll.
Ann Leones
Thabk you for sharing your recipe and your very detailed instructions. Chilling the dough is the key to this delicious cookies.
Mira
HelloJolinA, can I use the purple yam that I bought from island pacific’s brand, barrio fiesta?? It looks like an ube halaya. What is the difference anyway? I like your recipes. Thank you.
Jolina
Hi Mira, yes you can use any brand of ube halaya, just make sure you like it on its own 🙂
PS: ube halaya is the tagalog word for ube jam
Edna
I weigh the dough with my scale to make them all even size.
Edna
Amazing. I freeze my dough for faster prepping. I also put oil on the palm of my hands when I roll them. I find it easier to roll this way.
Jolina
Hi Edna, glad you liked them! Great tip on the rolling.
Elaine
I made these a few times already and they always come out great. Yummy!
Jolina
Glad you like them!
Megan
Mine required a lot more baking time. I used about a heaping tablespoon too. It yielded 33 cookies. The ones I did in the oven were still very wet inside after 13 mins, I actually baked them for 5 more mins, we’ll see how set they are. I did some in the toaster oven for 12 mins and they were perfect. The flavour is great! I didn’t have Ube extract and I bought Ube jam from our local Asian store Ample. The brand is buenas- purple yam spread. I used a little purple food colouring to deepen the purple colour but baked quite light coloured purple. I’m enjoying the cookies, I keep taste testing and I’ve eaten like 5 cookies already.
Jolina
Hi Megan, every oven is different and some might need more (or less) baking time. Glad to hear you like the flavour! Hope you find ube extract for the next batch. I use McCormick and it always gives me that deep purple colour and ube flavour I like.
Liah
If I don’t have any parchment paper or silicon mat, is there anything else I can use besides those?
Thank you!
Jolina
Hi Liah, wax paper should work as well.
joam
Hi can I omit the ube jam from the recipe? thank you!
Jolina
Hi Joam, unfortunately I personally haven’t tried. I always bake these cookies with ube jam.