Ube Cookies

These ube cookies are soft and chewy sugar cookies, pretty marbled cookies with a distinct colorful swirl. They come together really easily and have a fun twist. There’s something fun about purple cookies! Try these sugar coated cookies out for your next sweet treat.

Jump to:

• What does ube taste like?
• Why make these ube cookies?
• Ingredients you need to make ube marble cookies:
• How to make these fun sugar cookies:
• Make ahead instructions:
• Freezing ube cookies:
• Recipe tips and tricks:
• Recipe FAQs:
• Related cookie recipes:
• Ube Cookies

What does ube taste like?

Ube(or purple yam) is a commonly used flavor in the Phililippines. It’s gained a lot of popularity outside of that region in recent years. If you smell the ube powder, it’ll remind you of vanilla or white chocolate.

It has a mellow sweet taste, making these ube cookies a perfect way to incorporate ube into dessert. Ube powder is sometimes known as purple sweet potato powder. It’s the actual ube ground into a powder.

Why make these ube cookies?

The basis is a very easy sugar cookie recipe, so you just need a few minutes in a mixer and you’re ready to go.

All you need is ube powder. These are ube cookies made without ube jam or ube extract which can be harder to source. The powder gives enough ube flavor and color to get this effect.

These sugar coated cookies are so whimsical and pretty, with a purple marble effect going on that’s easily achieved with ube drink powder.

The dough freezes so well, making it a great thing to have frozen for cookies on the spot.

These purple cookies are great for a special occasion because of the fun pop of color. I actually made these for my daughters tie dye themed birthday party. Try these for a christmas cookie different than the usual white sugar cookies!

Ingredients you need to make ube marble cookies:

Unsalted butter: make sure this is at room temperature so that it’s soft enough that your finger will leave an imprint if you poke it. This will ensure it creams together with the sugar well.

Granulated sugar: plain white sugar for this recipe, in the cookie dough and for rolling the dough around in before baking for that extra sugary crunch.

Egg: At room temperature

Vanilla: A generous amount to really give the sugar cookies that nostalgic flavor.

Flour: An amount that is sufficient to hold the shape of the cookies in this butter heavy cookie dough.

Baking powder and baking soda: a mix of both gives the cookies that signature texture.

Salt: a touch of salt to offset all the sugar

Ube powder: Look for this in specialty Asian supermarkets, or online like on Amazon. You can add a couple tablespoon of ube powder to the dough and if you feel like the color isn’t deep enough, add in another tbsp.

How to make these fun sugar cookies:

1. Whisk all the dry ingredients besides the ube powder in a bowl (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda).
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the butter and sugar until smooth, about one minute.
3. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine, 30 seconds to one minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
4. Add the flour mixture to the butter and mix on low speed until just combined.
5. Remove half of the dough to another bowl, and then add the ube powder to the dough left in the mixer. Mix on low speed until the color is evenly mixed through the dough.
6. Chill both bowls of cookie dough in the fridge for 30 minutes-2 hours.
7. While dough is chilling, preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
8. After chilling, take a big tablespoon of each type of dough, and in the palm of your hand, roll into a cookie dough ball (half white and half ube tinted). Place a few tablespoon of granulated sugar in a plate or shallow bowl and roll the cookie dough in the sugar. You can use a medium cookie scoop, but I do this by hand and the dough is very easy to work with.
9. Place onto the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough, placing the dough balls 2 inches apart.
10. Bake the cookies for 11-14 minutes until set and light golden brown on the edges, but still soft in the center. That’s how we make sure they are chewy!
11. Cool for at least 5 minutes on the baking sheets at which time they’ll firm up, then either continue cooling on baking sheets or transfer to wire racks to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Make ahead instructions:

Prepared cookie dough will last up to 5 days tightly covered in the fridge. It’ll firm up in the fridge, so if it’s too hard to form into cookie dough balls, let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to soften a little.

Freezing ube cookies:

I always prefer freezing cookie dough to cookies because cookie dough freezes so well and can be baked immediately without thawing.

You can freeze the cookie dough for up to 3 months. Freeze the dough balls before coating in sugar.

My preferred way to do this is to shock freeze the raw cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet, and once cold and frozen enough that they won’t stick together, pile them all into a freezer safe bag.

If you have extra baked cookies, you can also freeze those for up to 3 months in an air tight container.

Recipe tips and tricks:

• Make sure the butter and egg are at room temperature before you start the recipe, because it’ll help the dough cream together smoothly and lump free.
• Don’t skimp on the chilling time, it’ll help firm up the cookie dough enough that it won’t spread out in the oven. It also helps enhance the flavor.
• Don’t over bake the cookies, you want them soft and chewy. When the edges are a light golden brown, and if you lift a cookie the bottom is light golden and set, then it’s time to take them out.

Recipe FAQs:

Related cookie recipes:

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