Ube Pandan Cookies (Soft & Chewy)
These soft-baked ube pandan cookies have crisp edges and irresistibly chewy centers. Ube powder gives them their vibrant purple color and a subtle toasty aroma, while pandan adds a delicate nutty, floral flavor.
Ingredients
Base
- 6 tbsp (75 g) granulated white sugar
- 6 tbsp (75 g) light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (170 g) vegan butter (diced and at room temperature)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) water at room temperature
Pandan Cookie Dough
- 1 tsp (5 ml) pandan extract
- 1 cup (125 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Ube Cookie Dough
- 2 tbsp (28 g) ube powder
- 3/4 cup (93 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Base
- Cream the butter. Add the white sugar, light brown sugar, and diced butter to a large mixing bowl (or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment). Mix the sugar and butter until light and creamy. Add the water and mix again until well combined.
- Divide the creamed butter between two small mixing bowls (about 6 ounces /170g per bowl).
Pandan Cookie Dough
- Add the extract. To one of the bowls, add the pandan extract and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix again until the flour is fully incorporated into the creamed butter. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Ube Cookie Dough
- Add the ube powder. To the other bowl, add the ube powder and mix until it is fully incorporated into the creamed butter.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix again until the flour is fully incorporated. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. - Shape into balls. Scoop out one tablespoon of the pandan dough and one tablespoon of the ube dough. Press them together and roll into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches (5 cm) between each.
- Bake. Bake the cookies for 9 minutes, then allow them to cool for at least 20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
- You can store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
Don't chill the dough for too long. I've learned during testing that chilling the ube cookie dough overnight makes it darker and loses its vibrant purple color. That's why I suggest chilling it for at least 2 hours, but no longer than 5 hours.
Do not overbake them. For chewy cookies with a fudgy center, avoid baking them for more than 9-10 minutes. They will appear underbaked straight from the oven. This is normal, and they will firm up slightly as they cool.
For perfectly round cookies. Straight from the oven, place a glass over one cookie. Make sure the glass is just slightly larger than the cookie. Then, swirl the glass around the cookie for about 2 seconds. That's it!
