Ube Crinkle Cookies

Ube Crinkle Cookies are soft, moist, tender, cake-like cookies which are made with a generous portion of the Filipino favorite ube haleya (purple yam jam). This is a basic cookie recipe that is easy to follow and the results are marvelously luscious. Bake these for a family treat or as gifts. They are a surefire crowd-pleaser. This is a recipe on The Quirino Kitchen by Elizabeth Ann Quirino, inspired by Mia Manansala's Ube Crinkles from her Arsenic and Adobo novel. This recipe makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

Prep Time1

Cook Time10

Total Time1 10

Course: Dessert, Snacks

Cuisine: Asian, Filipino

Keyword: Ube Crinkle Cookies

Servings: people

Calories: 553kcal

Author: The Quirino Kitchen - Elizabeth Ann Quirino

Equipment

2 Large Baking Sheets
parchment paper, to line baking sheets
Electric mixer
large and medium-sized bowls
spatulas
cookie scoop

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
2 whole eggs
1 ½ cups ube haleya (purple yam jam); room temperature homemade or store-bought
1 Tablespoon McCormick Ube Flavoring
2 cups powdered sugar, to roll cookies in

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
Line the baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt. Set aside.
Using the electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar.
Add eggs one at a time. Blend well.
Add the ube haleya (jam) and ube flavoring. Incorporate the ingredients well.
When the batter is smooth and the purple color has evened out, gradually add the dry ingredients.
Mix well till there are no more lumps.
Transfer cookie dough to a freezer-friendly covered container. Freeze dough overnight.
*Note: It is important to chill the dough so it can be easy to handle and shape into balls. Do not skip this part.

To bake the Ube Crinkle Cookies:

The next day, take out the chilled dough from the freezer.
Thaw till the dough is pliable. Make sure dough is not warm or it will disintegrate in your fingers.
*Note: Thaw at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Do not thaw in the microwave.
Place the powdered sugar in a medium-sized bowl.
Using a small to medium-sized cookie scoop, shape the ube dough into round balls, around 3-inches in diameter for each one.
Roll each ube ball around in the bowl of powdered sugar till each ball is completely covered.
Place each ball on the cookie sheet. Set the balls at least 1 ½ inches apart - give them room to bulk and spread.
Bake the cookies at 350 F for 10 minutes.
The center of the cookie will be soft, like fudge. The cookies get stiff as they cool down.
Using a spatula, transfer cookies to a cooling rack and cool for around 20 to 30 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
To store: Keep Ube Crinkle Cookies in a covered container in the refrigerator. They keep for around 3 days, if there are any left.

Cook's comments:

Ube haleya (jam): You can make your own ube haleya or use store-bought if preferred. I have shared an ube haleya recipe in a previous post. Click here.
For Instant Pot fans, I also have an easy Ube Haleya recipe in my cookbook - Instant Filipino Recipes, which is available worldwide on Amazon in paperback or Kindle format. Click here for the Amazon link.

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