Our Ube White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are the cure to your sweet tooth! Bursting with tropical island flavor, you won’t be able to eat just one!
Hawaii is a culinary melting pot. Filipinos are the third largest ethnic group, making up around 23% of the population. Filipinos brought their beloved ube to Hawaii, where all manner of ube-flavored confections abound. We were astounded by the variety of ube treats when we visited the islands in 2021, and we couldn’t resist making a mashup cookie using Filipino (ube) and Hawaiian (macadamia nut) ingredients. Ube and coconut go together like peanut butter and jelly, so the coconut addition was obligatory. Our cookies are easy to make and impossibly soft and cakey.
🇵🇭 WHAT IS UBE?
Ube (pronounced ooh-beh) is a vibrant purple yam enjoyed throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands, but it’s most commonly linked to Filipino cuisine. The Philippines abounds with ube-flavored goodies like ice cream, cookies, cakes and pastries. So what does ube taste like? It’s got a mildly fruity, nutty flavor—reminiscent of coconut.
📝 INGREDIENTS
- All purpose (AP) flour: creates a tender yet hearty crumb.
- Baking powder: gives rise to the cookie and lets some air in so the final texture is not too dense.
- Baking soda: when activated, allows the cookies to rise and become light and fluffy.
- Cornstarch: used in place of eggs to bind the cookie together.
- Salt: without salt as a flavor enhancer, the flavors in these cookies will fall flat.
- Vegan butter: gives richness, tenderness, and structure to the cookie.
- Plain, unsweetened vegan milk: hydrates the dry ingredients and softens the cookie texture. We use unsweetened vegan milk to control the sugar level in this cookie.
- Organic brown sugar and granulated sugar: every chocolate chip cookie has a combination of these sugars. Brown sugar adds a touch of molasses flavor.
- Aquafaba: aquafaba is the liquid from the can of chickpeas. Used in place of eggs to help bind the cookie.
- Ube extract: adds amazing ube flavor and bright purple color. You can find it at your local Asian grocery store or online.
- Powdered ube: dehydrated ube that enhances the ube flavor in these cookies. You can find it at your local Asian grocery store or online. You can substitute purple sweet potato powder, if you prefer.
- Vegan white chocolate chips: we use this brand, which we purchased online.
- Unsalted macadamia nuts: add crunch and nutiness.
- Sweetened desiccated coconut: add sweetness and coconut flavor, which pairs perfectly with ube.
🔪 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, powdered ube, and salt).
- Whisk together the wet ingredients (melted butter, plant milk, and sugars. Add aquafaba, ube extract).
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Then fold in the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and desiccated coconut.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat with remaining dough and space the balls out 2 inches on a lined full-size baking sheet.
- Optional: measure out 2 tablespoon each of the nuts, chocolate and coconut and press these toppings into the cookies to decorate them.
- Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes at 350°F. Enjoy!
💡 RECIPE TIPS
- Measure your ingredients by weight: For best results when baking, we recommend measuring your ingredients by weight rather than volume. Your ingredient measurements will be more accurate this way.
- Cornstarch substitute: You can substitute tapioca starch for cornstarch.
- Where to find ube products: You can find ube extract at your local Asian grocery store or online.
- Baking sheet size: You’ll need one full sheet or two half sheet baking pans.
- Round cookie tip: For perfectly round cookies, place a round biscuit or cookie cutter around a cookie right after you take the cookies out of the oven. Move the cutter around the cookie in a circular direction to make it rounder.
- Bedazzle your cookies: Save an additional 2 tablespoon each of desiccated coconut, chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts to press into the cookie dough balls before baking. This will make for the most *aesthetic* cookies possible when they come out of the oven.
💕 MORE RECIPES TO SATISFY YOUR SWEET TOOTH
DID YOU MAKE OUR UBE WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES?
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👩🏽🍳 RECIPE
UBE WHITE CHOCOLATE MACADAMIA NUT COOKIES
Our Ube White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies are the cure to your sweet tooth! Bursting with tropical island flavor, you won’t be able to eat just one!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour 250g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder 4g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda 2.5g
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch 5g (or substitute tapioca starch)
- ¼ teaspoon salt 1.5g
- ½ cup unsalted vegan butter, melted 115g
- ½ cup unsweetened plant milk 242 mL
- ½ cup organic brown sugar 150g
- ½ cup organic granulated sugar 50g
- 3 tablespoon aquafaba aka liquid from a can of chickpeas
- 1 ½ teaspoon ube extract 7.5 mL
- 1 tablespoon powdered ube 10g
- ⅓ cup vegan white chocolate chips 87g
- ⅓ cup unsalted macadamia nuts 87g
- ⅓ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut 32g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a full-size baking sheet (or two half-size sheets) and set aside. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch, powdered ube, and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk together the melted butter, plant milk, and sugars. Add aquafaba, ube extract, and mix until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix until just combined. Fold in the white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts, and desiccated coconut.
- Scoop 2 tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Repeat with remainder of dough. Space cookie balls 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes on the center rack. To test for doneness, slide a spatula under the edge of a cookie. The cookie will be soft, but if the cookie holds it form and does not bend in the center, it is done baking. Transfer cookies to wire racks and allow to cool. Enjoy!
Notes
- Measure your ingredients by weight: For best results when baking, we recommend measuring your ingredients by weight rather than volume. Your ingredient measurements will be more accurate this way.
- Cornstarch substitute: You can substitute tapioca starch for cornstarch.
- Where to find ube products: You can find ube extract at your local Asian grocery store or online.
- Baking sheet size: You’ll need one full sheet or two half sheet baking pans.
- Round cookie tip: For perfectly round cookies, place a round biscuit or cookie cutter around a cookie right after you take the cookies out of the oven. Move the cutter around the cookie in a circular direction to make it rounder.
- Bedazzle your cookies: Save an additional 2 tablespoon each of desiccated coconut, chocolate chips, and macadamia nuts to press into the cookie dough balls before baking. This will make for the most *aesthetic* cookies possible when they come out of the oven.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
I’ve made these 3x now! This recipe is amazing, do you have a favorite brand of extract?
That’s so wonderful to hear! We love the Butterfly and McCormick brands!
Ube is LIFE. My family demolished these.
This was my first time baking with ube. Need to try your other ube recipes, because these cookies were so yummy.