If you’re a fan of ube, or if you’re looking for something to try with ube in it, these gluten free ube white chocolate cookies are for you! Ube, or purple yam, is something I was introduced to via incredible Filipino treats that highlight the nutty, sultry flavor that this deep purple produce packs. It’s a bit trickier to find key ube ingredients over here in the UK, but I’ve managed to find ube extract, and have some options for sourcing ube powder and ube jam which are also awesome additions to so many bakes (plus, the jam is great on its own!). If you’re new to ube, I highly recommend checking out some Filipino home bakers and chefs who are experts on the subject and can give you more context for how the ingredient is used and all of the other possibilities for baking with it! But let me tell you, I’ve still yet to meet someone who, upon trying it, doesn’t like ube, so if you’re keen to broaden your culinary mind, take a bite of something ube-y!
These lovely-hued treats were a special project for my better half, Scott, who also fell in love with ube while we were traveling in DC. He got to try a ridiculously delicious (based on his reaction, it wasn’t gluten free!) ube bread pudding topped with coconut granola, caramel, and ube ice cream (at Purple Patch restaurant). So it was especially exciting to get to develop this recipe and make these for him – and thankfully, the taste tester approved! Very grateful to have a partner who so loves food in all of its forms that I can share my baking with as a language of love. AND, I first developed this recipe months ago for Scott, but am only now just getting the mental bandwidth and time to post it, just in time for making them again for his birthday!
These gluten free ube white chocolate cookies are basically an ube version of what I’ve come to think of as my best base cookie recipe. Now, this is very subjective and very biased, because I obviously develop recipes for things that I love, and I love large, chewy-centered, crispy-edged cookies. I also love a good, crisp, dunkable biscuit (British style) which I’ve come to appreciate a lot more having lived in the UK now for just over two years. I’m a big fan of gluten free chocolate covered digestives and Hobnobs (the latter is my favorite of the two), ginger biscuits, a classic all-butter shortbread, or bourbons. But given the choice, I’d always select a big, chewy centered crispy edged American-style bakery cookie. These are just that, plus have the gorgeous flavor and color of ube, and pools of melty, good quality white chocolate.
Tips for gorgeous gluten free ube white chocolate cookies!
- Cream the butter + sugars for at LEAST 3-5 minutes. It’s wild how important this step is and how much your butter and sugar will transform after beating it with an electric mixer for minutes and minutes. It’ll change color (become much lighter), look actually creamy (hence the term), and be a bit fluffy. That’s what you’re going for!
- Use GOOD QUALITY white chocolate! This tip is not essential and certainly don’t let it hold you back from making these especially if you’ve got a grocery budget to stick to. But if you can swing it, sometimes it’s mind blowing how leveling up your baking by using a high-quality option for a key ingredient makes all the difference. This is especially true with chocolate! I actually didn’t used to be a white chocolate fan until I tried high-quality white chocolate (I LOVE using Valrhona or Callebaut – they’re not cheap but for a special treat it’s great!).
- Chill that dough! I recommend at least 1 hour. If you end up chilling it longer than a couple of hours though, be sure to let it rest at room temp for about an hour because it will be too cold/hard at that point and the cookie dough won’t spread as much.
- Don’t overbake those cookies! This is basically the biggest key to getting that chewy center: if you overbake, the center will be just like the edges, crispy and crunchy with no chew. You want the cookie dough to be still soft/look a bit underbaked (they’re safely baked, don’t worry) in the center and as the cookies cool, the center will settle into that glorious chewy bit.
- Let those cookies cool!! Because the key is to not bake them to a crisp/cakey disc, the center of your cookies will be very very soft until they cool and set, so let them hang out on the counter (I know, the temptation is real), for at least 15-20 minutes!
- For perfectly round cookies, use a large round cookie cutter to gently push the edges of the cookies into a circle RIGHT after they come out of the oven!
Here are a bunch of other gluten free cookie recipes that are super easy, fast, and DELICIOUS: white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, triple chocolate cookies, banana nut cookies, chocolate ginger cookies, funfetti cookies, s’mores cookies, coffee walnut chocolate cookies, tahini chocolate chunk cookies, pistachio chocolate chunk cookies, chewy molasses cookies, nutter butter cookies!
Gluten Free Ube White Chocolate Cookies
Equipment
- 1-2 cookie baking sheet
- 1 Electric hand or stand mixer
Ingredients
- 1 Cup room temp salted butter 227g
- ¼ Cup packed light brown sugar 58g
- 1 Cup white sugar 238g
- 1 large eggs plus one large egg yolk
- 1 Tbsp ube extract 15ml
- 2 Cups gluten free 1-1 flour mix 338g
- ½ tsp xanthan gum 1g
- 1/2 Cup cornstarch (cornflour in the UK) 70g
- 1 tsp baking soda (bicarb of soda) 6g
- ½ tsp. salt 4g
- 1 Cup chopped white chocolate plus extra for tops 180g plus extra
Instructions
- First, make your cookie dough! In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until lighter and fluffy (3-5 minutes – don't skimp on this step!). Add in the egg plus egg yolk and ube extract and beat until smooth, another 30 seconds. Add in the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt and mix until fully combined (it will be fairly stiff). Finally, add in the chopped white chocolate and stir to combine with a spatula or wooden spoon. Scoop dough into a smaller bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Once the cookie dough is chilled, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit (180° C, no fan) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Scoop out the cookie dough and rolling it into 2-inch round balls. Then place 4-5 balls on the cookie sheet (~4 inches apart) and top with 2-3 pieces of white chocolate (optional) and bake for 10-11 minutes (do not flatten the balls!). It's better to just-underbake your cookies if you want chewy centers! Let cookies cool COMPLETELY before removing from the cookie sheet (15 minutes or more), then eat!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cookies!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
