Ube Crinkle Cookies
I baked my first batch of ube crinkle cookies on a whim, and the vivid purple crackle peeking through melted white chocolate had me hooked instantly. These chewy, malted cookies get their signature crinkle not from powdered sugar, but from a clever white chocolate coating that stays picture-perfect even after baking. If you love vibrant Filipino desserts as much as I do, this one is about to become your new favorite treat to bake on repeat.
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When You Need a Show-Stopping Cookie That’s Actually Easy to Make
Picture this: you’re going to a party and you want to bring something that looks like it came from a bakery without spending hours in the kitchen. That’s exactly the moment this ube cookie recipe was made for. The dough comes together in one bowl, chills while you do literally anything else, and bakes into cookies with a naturally cracked, jewel-toned top that never fails to get compliments. Once you try this version of ube cookies, you’ll understand why I keep a batch of dough in my fridge at all times.
Why You Will Love Ube Crinkle Cookies
- The crinkle never fades. Unlike powdered sugar crinkles that can look washed out after baking, the melted white chocolate coating on these cookies stays bold and cracked long after they cool.
- Chewy, malty, and packed with ube flavor. Ube halaya plus ube extract gives these cookies a rich purple color and bold flavor.
- Make-ahead friendly. The dough chills for hours (or overnight), so you can prep it in advance and bake fresh cookies whenever you’re ready.
- A showstopper for any occasion. These cookies look like they came from a specialty bakery, making them perfect for holidays, potlucks, or gifting.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Ube halaya: This purple yam jam is the heart of the recipe, giving the cookies their signature color and flavor. Look for it at Filipino grocery stores, or online.
- Ube extract: A small amount boosts the ube flavor and color without making the dough too wet.
- Malted milk powder: This adds a subtle toasty, malty depth that pairs beautifully with the ube.
- Unsalted butter: Melted and cooled butter keeps the dough easy to mix while giving the cookies a chewy texture.
- Granulated sugar: Used both in the dough and for rolling the shaped discs, which helps the white chocolate crinkle coating adhere.
- White chocolate: Melted and spread over the dough discs before baking, this is what creates the signature crinkle look. Bar chocolate melts and spreads more smoothly than chips.
- All-purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt: These form the simple base of the cookie dough.
- Large egg: Binds the dough together and adds richness.
How to Make Ube Crinkle Cookies
Mix wet and dry ingredients. In one bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat the cooled melted butter, sugar, ube halaya, malted milk powder, egg, and ube extract with a hand mixer. Gently fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
Chill the dough. This ube cookie recipe requires you to chill the dough. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight, so it firms up enough to scoop and shape.
Scoop the dough. Scoop the chilled dough onto a lined sheet pan with a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop.
Flatten and coat in sugar. Flatten each scoop into a disc, then toss it in granulated sugar. Chill the coated discs for another 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 350°F.
Add white chocolate and bake. Melt the white chocolate and spread it over each dough disc with an offset spatula.
Bake until puffed and cracked. Bake 12 to 13 minutes, until puffed and cracked. Don’t overbake these ube crinkle cookies. They should look a little raw.
Pro Tips
- Cool the butter fully. Make sure the melted butter reaches room temperature before mixing it with the sugar, or the dough will end up too soft to scoop and shape.
- Don’t overmix. Fold in the flour just until combined so the cookies stay chewy instead of cakey.
- Let the white chocolate thicken slightly. Let the melted chocolate cool a bit before spreading it onto the dough disc. This helps it hold its shape and creates a deeper crinkle.
- Spread it on generously. You need a thick layer of white chocolate on top of the dough to create that dramatic crackled finish. Don’t forget a few swipes of chocolate on the side of your dough disc!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies and let them thaw at room temperature overnight before serving.
Yes, but hold off on the chocolate until right before you bake. Scoop and shape the dough into discs, then freeze them on a tray before transferring to a bag. Melt and spread the chocolate onto the frozen discs and bake, adding a minute or two to the bake time.
This usually happens when the white chocolate layer is spread too thin or when chocolate chips are used instead of bar chocolate, which doesn’t crack the same way when it sets.
More Recipes to Try
Ingredients
Method
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the cooled melted butter and sugar on medium-high speed until well combined, about 1 minute (remember the butter is melted so this will be looser than creamed softened butter and sugar).
- Add the ube halaya and milk powder and beat until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the egg and ube extract and beat until well combined (it’s okay if it looks a little curdled).
- Add the flour mixture all at once and beat on low speed until mostly combined but not quite. Finish mixing with a rubber spatula. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
- When you’re ready to bake, use a 1-tablespoon scoop to scoop mounds of the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.
- Smash and shape each mound into a 2-inch (5 cm) disc. If things get sticky, dust your hands as needed with extra flour (but don’t overdo it).
- Toss the discs in the extra sugar until coated and transfer to a dinner plate (this will take up less space in the refrigerator). Chill for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a small heatproof bowl, add the white chocolate and microwave in 15-second increments, whisking in between, until melted and smooth.
- Transfer 8 chilled dough discs to the parchment-lined sheet pan (alternating three rows of 2 with two rows of 1.
- Using a small offset spatula, spread a layer of the melted white chocolate on top of the dough discs. Add a few random vertical swipes on the sides.
- Bake until the tops are cracked and the edges are firm, 12 to 13 minutes.
- Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to the wire rack and let cool completely.
- Repeat with the remaining dough, using a fresh parchment-lined sheet pan and microwaving the white chocolate for another 15 seconds or so to thin it out.
