💜 Ube Crinkle Cookies
Soft, chewy, buttery, and bursting with sweet ube flavor, these Ube Crinkle Cookies are an irresistible Filipino-inspired treat. Each cookie has a tender purple center surrounded by a delicate powdered-sugar coating that cracks beautifully as it bakes.
They’re perfect for holidays, parties, cookie exchanges, afternoon coffee, or whenever you’re craving something sweet and uniquely delicious.
⏱️ Recipe Information
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 10–12 minutes
Total Time: About 1 hour 32 minutes
Yield: 20–24 cookies
Difficulty: Easy
Method: Oven-Baked
🛒 Ingredients
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120g) ube halaya
- Purple food coloring, optional
- ½ cup powdered sugar, for coating
Optional for Extra Ube Flavor
- ½ teaspoon ube extract
👩🍳 Instructions
1. Prepare the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Set aside.
This evenly distributes the baking powder and salt throughout the flour so the cookies bake consistently.
2. Cream the Butter and Sugar
In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer for approximately 2–3 minutes.
Continue until the mixture becomes lighter, creamy, and slightly fluffy.
Don’t skip this step—the creaming process helps create a tender cookie texture.
3. Add the Egg and Vanilla
Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture.
Beat until completely incorporated and smooth.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Add the Ube Halaya
Add the ½ cup ube halaya and mix until evenly combined.
The mixture should become beautifully purple and creamy.
If you want a more vibrant purple color, add a small amount of purple food coloring and mix until the desired shade is reached.
If using ube extract, add it at this stage.
5. Add the Dry Ingredients
Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients.
Mix on low speed just until the flour disappears and a soft cookie dough forms.
Do not overmix.
The dough will be soft and slightly sticky at this stage.
6. Chill the Dough
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Chilling is important because it firms up the butter and makes the dough easier to roll.
It also helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
For even deeper flavor, the dough can be chilled overnight.
7. Prepare for Baking
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Place the powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
8. Shape the Cookies
Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, portion the chilled dough into approximately 1-inch balls.
Roll each portion between your palms until smooth.
If the dough becomes too soft while you’re working, return it to the refrigerator for another 10–15 minutes.
9. Coat Generously in Powdered Sugar
Roll each dough ball generously in powdered sugar until completely covered.
Don’t be afraid to use a thick coating.
A generous layer of powdered sugar is what creates the beautiful white crinkle pattern against the purple cookie as it expands in the oven.
Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving approximately 2 inches of space between each cookie.
10. Bake
Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the cookies have spread slightly and developed prominent cracks across the surface.
The centers should still look soft.
Do not overbake.
The cookies will continue to set as they cool.
11. Cool
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for approximately 5 minutes.
Then carefully transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
The centers will become wonderfully soft and chewy as they finish cooling.
⭐ Chef’s Tips
Use softened butter: Butter should be soft enough to cream easily but not melted.
Don’t skip chilling: Chilled dough produces thicker cookies with a better crinkle pattern.
Coat generously: A thin layer of powdered sugar can disappear during baking. Make sure every cookie is heavily coated.
Don’t overbake: Ube crinkle cookies should remain soft in the center. They may look slightly underdone when removed from the oven.
Use parchment paper: It makes removing the cookies easier and prevents the bottoms from over-browning.
For stronger ube flavor: Add ½ teaspoon ube extract along with the vanilla.
For brighter purple cookies: Add a small amount of purple gel food coloring. Gel coloring gives strong color without adding excess liquid.
💜 Easy Variations
Ube White Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Fold ½ cup white chocolate chips into the dough before chilling.
Coconut Ube Crinkle Cookies
Add ½ cup finely shredded sweetened coconut for a delicious tropical combination.
Ube Cheesecake Crinkle Cookies
Add a small cube of chilled cream cheese to the center of each dough ball before rolling it in powdered sugar.
Ube Macadamia Cookies
Fold in ½ cup chopped macadamia nuts for a buttery crunch.
Double Ube Cookies
Use ube halaya and ube extract together for an extra-intense ube flavor.
🍪 Serving Suggestions
Serve these cookies with:
- Hot coffee
- Iced coffee
- Milk
- Black tea
- Green tea
- Ube latte
- Vanilla ice cream
They’re especially delicious slightly warm with a glass of cold milk.
🧊 Storage
Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Place parchment paper between layers if stacking them to help preserve the powdered-sugar coating.
For the softest texture, keep the container tightly sealed.
❄️ Freezing
Freeze the Dough
Shape the dough into balls and freeze them on a parchment-lined tray until firm.
Transfer to a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
When ready to bake, allow the dough to thaw slightly, roll generously in powdered sugar, and bake as directed.
Freeze Baked Cookies
Fully cooled cookies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
Thaw at room temperature before serving.
💜✨ Final Result
These Ube Crinkle Cookies are everything a great crinkle cookie should be: soft in the center, slightly chewy around the edges, intensely buttery and ube-flavored, and covered in a gorgeous snowy powdered-sugar crust.
That vibrant purple color and dramatic white crinkle finish make them just as beautiful as they are delicious.
Sweet, soft, chewy, and unmistakably ube. 💜🍪