If you have a soft spot for vibrant flavors and irresistibly chewy textures, you are going to adore this Large Chewy Bakery Style Ube Cookies Recipe. These cookies bring together the rich earthiness of ube with a tender, thick bite that feels like a warm hug in every mouthful. What makes them truly special is the way the ube sugar infuses the dough, creating that unmistakable purple hue and a burst of flavor that elevates these cookies beyond the everyday treat. Whether you’re a longtime fan of ube or a curious cookie lover, this recipe promises joy baked into each batch.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Gathering the right ingredients is the key to achieving that perfect balance of flavor, texture, and color in this Large Chewy Bakery Style Ube Cookies Recipe. Each element plays a crucial role, from the creamy butter and shortening making the cookies tender, to the ube flavoring and homemade ube sugar that deliver the star purple notes.
- Vegetable shortening: Adds moisture and softness for that bakery-style chewiness.
- Unsalted butter, softened: Provides richness and enhances the overall flavor depth.
- Cream cheese, softened: Boosts tenderness and adds a subtle tangy note.
- Ube sugar: This infused sugar brings the iconic purple color and a unique ube sweetness.
- Large eggs: Bind ingredients and add structure to the dough.
- Ube flavoring: The concentrated essence that makes the cookies unmistakably ube.
- All-purpose flour: Forms the sturdy base of the cookie dough.
- Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances flavors.
- Baking powder: Adds just the right amount of lift and softness.
- Powdered sugar: Essential for the smooth, sweet glaze coating.
- Vanilla extract: A hint of warmth to complement the ube flavor.
- Water: Adjusts the glaze consistency perfectly.
- Coarse sugar sprinkles: For a delightful crunch and decorative sparkle.
- Optional purple color glaze: Enhances the ube’s vibrant appearance and sweetness.
How to Make Large Chewy Bakery Style Ube Cookies Recipe
Step 1: Prepare Your Baking Sheets
Start by lining two cookie sheets with parchment paper. This simple step ensures your cookies won’t stick and makes cleaning up a breeze, which is always a win!
Step 2: Make Your Ube Sugar
In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups of sugar with one teaspoon of ube flavoring. Press the flavoring into the sugar using the back of a spoon while mixing vigorously until every granule turns a lovely shade of purple with no white sugar visible. This homemade ube sugar is a secret weapon for intense, uniform flavor throughout your cookies.
Step 3: Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening, butter, cream cheese, the ube sugar you just made, eggs, and additional ube flavoring until the mixture is light and fluffy. This creamy base sets the stage for your thick, chewy cookie texture.
Step 4: Combine the Dry Ingredients
Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl until everything is evenly distributed. This ensures your cookies bake evenly and develop the perfect crumb.
Step 5: Blend Wet and Dry Mixtures
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until everything is combined. Overmixing here could lead to tougher cookies, so keep it gentle.
Step 6: Shape the Cookie Dough
Divide the dough into 14 equal balls, each weighing around 3.6 ounces. This uniformity will help your cookies bake evenly and come out thick and bakery-worthy.
Step 7: Chill the Dough
Place seven dough balls on each prepared cookie sheet and refrigerate for 2½ hours. This chilling step is essential to firm them up for a controlled bake that keeps the cookies thick and chewy.
Step 8: Bake the Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350°F. The recipe calls for a convection oven, so if your oven is electric or gas, you might need to adjust baking time slightly. Bake for 16-18 minutes, then move the cookies on their parchment paper to the counter to cool completely. Cooling on parchment helps maintain the cookie’s structure and prevents sticking.
Step 9: Prepare the Ube Glaze and Sprinkles
While the cookies cool, make the glaze by whisking powdered sugar, vanilla, and water until smooth and lump-free. Stir in drops of ube flavoring with a toothpick to infuse that beautiful color and aroma. For the sugar sprinkles, toss coarse sugar with a couple of drops of ube flavoring and let it dry—this gives your cookies an added sparkle and burst of flavor.
Step 10: Glaze and Decorate
Dip each cooled cookie into the ube glaze, allowing excess to drip off, then immediately sprinkle with the purple sugar crystals while the glaze is still wet. This step adds a lovely visual appeal and an extra touch of sweetness that is pure magic.
Step 11: Bonus for Extra Cookies
Leave the remaining dough in the mixing bowl, refrigerate for 2 hours, then scoop smaller 2-ounce balls onto parchment-lined sheets. Bake these at 350°F for 11 minutes, flatten gently with the back of a wooden spoon, then bake for another 2 minutes. This trick nearly doubles your cookie batch with slightly thinner, but just as delectable treats.
How to Serve Large Chewy Bakery Style Ube Cookies Recipe
Garnishes
Sprinkling your cookies with coarse ube sugar crystals just after glazing adds a delightful crunch and eye-catching shimmer. For a festive touch, you can also dust with a hint of edible glitter or a drizzle of white chocolate.
Side Dishes
These chewy ube cookies pair beautifully with a cold glass of milk, a cup of fragrant jasmine tea, or even a scoop of coconut ice cream. Their rich flavor stands up well to creamy and mellow sides.
Creative Ways to Present
Serve your cookies stacked on a colorful plate or arrange them in a tiered dessert stand to highlight their bold purple hue. Wrapping them individually in clear cellophane tied with a purple ribbon makes an irresistible gift or party favor.
Make Ahead and Storage
Storing Leftovers
Keep your Large Chewy Bakery Style Ube Cookies Recipe fresh by storing them in an airtight container at room temperature. They should remain soft and chewy for up to a week, making them perfect for satisfying sweet cravings anytime.
Freezing
Want to save some for later? Freeze the baked cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet first, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container. When ready to enjoy, thaw at room temperature and they’ll taste just as delightful as fresh.
Reheating
To revive the soft, chewy texture after chilling or freezing, warm the cookies in a 300°F oven for 5-7 minutes. This gentle heat brings back that freshly baked feel and aroma.
FAQs
Can I use fresh ube instead of ube flavoring?
Fresh ube can be delicious but it requires cooking and mashing before it can be incorporated properly. Ube flavoring provides a consistent and intense taste that’s perfect for this cookie recipe’s texture and color.
What if I don’t have vegetable shortening? Can I substitute it?
Butter alone may work but shortening helps maintain the cookies’ thick, chewy texture. You can try substituting with all butter but expect slight differences in softness and spread.
Is it okay to make these cookies gluten-free?
Not without adjustments. All-purpose flour is crucial for structure here, so swapping it for a gluten-free blend might need additional binders like xanthan gum to achieve similar results.
Can I skip the glaze and sugar sprinkles?
Absolutely! The cookies are delicious on their own, but the glaze and sprinkles add a lovely finishing touch that really highlights the ube flavor and color beautifully.
How long does the chilling step need to be?
The 2½ hour chill firms up the dough for proper shape and chewiness. You can refrigerate longer or even overnight if needed — just bring dough to room temp before baking.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to wow your friends, family, or just treat yourself, this Large Chewy Bakery Style Ube Cookies Recipe is an absolute must-try. Every bite delivers a beautiful balance of rich ube sweetness and that perfect chewy texture that feels like it was freshly baked from your favorite bakery. So grab your ingredients, turn on the oven, and get ready to fall in love with ube all over again.
Print
Large Chewy Bakery Style Ube Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 18 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 18 minutes
- Yield: 14 large cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Filipino
Description
These Large, Thick, Chewy, Bakery Style Ube Cookies are a delightful treat bursting with the unique flavor and vibrant color of ube, a purple yam popular in Filipino desserts. Featuring a rich blend of vegetable shortening, butter, cream cheese, and ube sugar, these cookies offer a soft and chewy texture. Finished with a luscious ube glaze and purple sugar sprinkles, they make an eye-catching and delicious addition to any cookie platter.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups ube sugar (made by mixing 2 cups sugar with 1 teaspoon ube flavoring)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons ube flavoring
- 3½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
Ube Sugar for Sprinkles
- ½ cup coarse sugar sprinkles
- 2 tiny drops ube flavoring
Ube Glaze
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons water
- Additional ube flavoring for coloring and flavoring (about 2 teaspoons)
Instructions
- Prepare Cookie Sheets: Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Make Ube Sugar: In a medium bowl, combine 2 cups sugar with 1 teaspoon ube flavoring. Press the flavoring into the sugar with the back of a spoon until the sugar is evenly colored purple with no white spots remaining. Set aside.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, beat together vegetable shortening, softened butter, cream cheese, ube sugar, eggs, and 2 tablespoons ube flavoring until the mixture is light and fluffy, creating the base for the cookie dough.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder to evenly distribute the leavening agents.
- Form the Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, blending until fully combined and a dough forms.
- Divide Dough: Portion the dough into 14 equal balls, each weighing approximately 3.6 ounces, ensuring uniform cookie size for even baking.
- Chill Dough: Place seven dough balls on each prepared cookie sheet and refrigerate for 2½ hours to firm up the dough for thick, chewy cookies.
- Preheat Oven and Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake cookies in a convection oven for 16-18 minutes; adjust time if using electric or gas ovens. This baking process ensures the cookies develop a bakery-style thick and chewy texture.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and slide the baked cookies with parchment paper onto the counter to cool completely to set their structure.
- Prepare Ube Sugar Sprinkles: In a small bowl, mix coarse sugar sprinkles with 2 tiny drops of ube flavoring. Stir with a spoon to coat the sugar evenly and set aside to dry for decoration.
- Make Ube Glaze: Combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and water in a medium bowl. Whisk vigorously until smooth and lump-free to create the glaze base.
- Color and Flavor Glaze: Dip the end of a wooden toothpick into ube flavoring and streak through the glaze, combining the color and flavor thoroughly. Repeat dipping and mixing until desired purple hue and ube taste are achieved.
- Dip Cookies in Glaze: Place cooled cookies on a wire rack with wax or parchment paper underneath to catch drips. Dip each cookie into the ube glaze. While glaze is still wet, sprinkle the prepared purple sugar over the cookies for an added crunch and vibrant look.
- Optional Second Batch Dough Preparation: Leave any remaining dough in the mixing bowl, refrigerate for 2 hours. Using a cookie or ice cream scoop (~2 ounces), scoop onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Form into balls for roughly double the number of cookies.
- Bake Second Batch: Bake these cookies at 350°F for 11 minutes initially. Then, gently flatten each cookie with the back of a wooden spoon, and bake for an additional 2 minutes to achieve desired thickness and chewiness.
Notes
- The ube sugar is made by mixing sugar with ube flavoring until evenly colored; this intensifies the ube taste in the cookies.
- Chilling the dough for at least 2½ hours before baking is crucial to achieving thick, chewy cookies.
- Adjust baking time when using an electric or gas oven as the original baking instructions were for a convection oven.
- Use parchment paper or wax paper underneath cooling racks to catch unwanted glaze drips for easy cleanup.
- The second batch baking method (flattening cookies halfway through) creates a slightly different cookie texture and size, doubling your yield.
- The coarse sugar sprinkles are coated with ube flavoring to add extra ube flavor and decorative purple color.
- For best results, use a high-quality ube flavoring extract and ensure cream cheese and butter are softened for smooth mixing.
