I know I have a lot of purple recipes on here but I just can’t help it. Purple is my favorite color and for some reason purple food just makes me happy! Don’t worry though, not everything will be purple on here. I’ll be sure to space out my purple recipes. These Ube Crinkle cookies are a must make though. They are easy to put together and such a fun color!
If you are a purple addict like me, be sure to check out my purple sweet potato cheesecake. I am still dreaming about that cheesecake. It would have to be my favorite purple sweet potato recipe followed closely by my purple sweet potato biscuits. I keep a stash in my freezer for those biscuit emergencies.
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How these cookies came to be
My inspiration came from this recipe, but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for. A lot of the recipes I found for Ube Crinkle Cookies called for Ube Jam, which is also called Ube Halaya.
I know there are a lot of recipes out there to make Ube Jam but I didn’t want to go that route. You can also find jars of Ube Jam at the Asian grocery store but I know that not everyone would have access to it. Plus I didn’t want all of the added sugar from the ube jam.
Instead I decided to replace the ube jam with some mashed purple yam. My friend happened to find purple yam at the Asian store and was kind enough to pick some up for me. Ube, purple yams, and purple sweet potatoes are all slightly different and I will get into the differences down below.
2. Wet ingredients
3. Wet ingredients mixed together may look split, but it will come together when you add dry
4. Roll dough balls in powdered sugar
I wanted to keep this recipe as simple as possible but I did use ube extract in the cookies to give it that deep purple color. Ube extract also adds a subtle almost vanilla like flavor to the cookies. If you have never tried it, I highly recommend it. I have been experimenting with ube extract so you may see more of that in the future.
What’s the difference between ube, purple yam, and purple sweet potatoes?
My understanding is that ube is a type of purple yam. It’s really popular in Asian countries but not available fresh in the U.S. We are able to find purple sweet potatoes and purple yams here, but not ube. Purple sweet potatoes are similar to regular sweet potatoes. I find that purple sweet potatoes have less moisture after I boil them as opposed to regular sweet potatoes.
Purple yams have the least amount of moisture after I boil them for recipes, so I find that I need to add more liquid back to get them to the correct consistency. This is why I always save my boiling liquid and why I prefer boiling over roasting my potatoes for recipes.
That being said, I have used purple yams and purple sweet potatoes interchangeably in my recipes. I have not noticed a huge difference in the final product except that purple yams tend to have a more subtle purple color.
How to store these cookies
Make sure that your cookies have cooled completely before storing in an airtight container. Do not stack your cookies on top of each other, make sure you put a layer of parchment paper between each layer of cookies.
If you plan on storing these for a couple of days, I would recommend storing them in the refrigerator. I found that the powdered sugar on my cookies started to dissolve if left out. It’s also summer time so that could have an affect on them as well.
For even longer storage, I would recommend freezing in a plastic freezer bag. When you want to eat them, just thaw in the fridge. Then you can enjoy cookies whenever you’d like to!
Have you tried ube before? Do you want to see more purple recipes?
Ube Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 200 grams mashed purple yam, at room temperature, see notes
- 1/4 tsp ube extract
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, for rolling the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer add butter and sugar . On medium speed, beat until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and egg yolk and mix until combined.
- Add in the mashed purple yam, ube extract, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined and don't worry if your mixture looks like it split. Once you add in the flour the dough will come together.
- Add in the flour mixture and just mix until there are no pockets of flour. If needed do the last bit of mixing by hand to get all of the flour at the bottom of the mixing bowl incorporated.
- Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out dough balls and roll in the powdered sugar. Making sure to generously roll in the powdered sugar. You may have to roll your dough balls in the powdered sugar twice to ensure a heavy coating. Once rolled, place on your parchment lined cookie sheet spacing about an inch apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, making sure to not over bake the cookies. They will dry out if they are over cooked.
Notes
- Check out my purple sweet potato biscuits for my instructions on boiling and mashing the purple yams. I like to do this a couple of hours before I need them so it has a chance to get to room temperature. You do not want to use warm or hot mashed purple yams.
- Whenever I make cookies, I like to have everything at room temperature. That way all the ingredients will incorporate into the batter better.
- Like I mentioned above, do not let your cookies over bake. They are much better when they are softer.
- You can easily freeze any extra cookies, just place into a freezer bag. When you want any cookies, thaw in the fridge before enjoying.
If you make any of my recipes, be sure to tag me on Instagram @amysdeliciousmess and use #amysdeliciousmess. I’d love to see all of your pictures!
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