In celebration of AAPI month *and* the pre-order of my upcoming book, Matcha Meets Macaron, I’m extremely pleased to be sharing a recipe for these Ube cookies & creme Lofthouse style cookies.
This recipe combines the American classic Lofthouse Cookie and cookies n’ creme with a particularly popular Asian purple yam: ube. The cookie has a soft, pillowy cake-like bite with a nutty, vanilla-coconut-adjacent flavor. The cookies n’ creme frosting complements the cookie perfectly, without being too sweet.
Ube’s one of those foods that’s often confused with Taro, another much loved Asian root veg. They can taste similar fresh, but in general, ube is sweeter, and taro is much more mild, allowing it to be utilized in more savory dishes, and it soaks up flavor like a potato. My family would braise taro with pork and though I hated taro as a kid, I’ve grown to really love it as an adult.
You’re going to need Ube extract for this recipe. I used to exclusively use the McCormick brand but due to the popularity of the Ube skyrocketing in the last few years, the price of the extract has doubled. I’m currently using Butterfly brand Ube extract and it gets the job done. The recipe yield 12 3-inch cookies, scooped with a 3 Tablespoon scoop.
This recipe uses half magarine, half butter in the cookies. You can use all butter if you want, but I notice it make the taste almost too buttery, not to my liking, but you can definitely try that. You can also use all magarine. The frosting uses margarine only (also to avoid the “buttery” taste), but if you like buttercream, just sub the margarine out for salted butter. The cream of tartar is there to keep things tender and prevent and any sugars from crystallizing – we want soft, tender, smooth, cakey texture.
Download the recipe HERE. Watch the video below for visual cues 🙂
PS, I’d be honored if you would consider preordering Matcha Meets Macaron, available Sept. 3! Preorders are vital for authors as this is an early indicator of a book’s success- it helps us rank and shows people that there’s interest in this content. For all pre-orders, I’m also giving you a royal icing masterclass. After placing your preorder, fill out THIS FORM to get your class (also available once the book launches).
Wondering if you have any suggestions for replacing the Oreo cookies. I might be the only one who doesn’t like them but what can you do? Thanks!
Omit 🙂 It won’t have the same flavor or texture but it’ll be straight Ube instead 😉
I can’t have almonds due to an allergy. Do you have a recommendation for a substitute to the almond extract?
Just omit it 🙂 There’s not really a 1:1 substitute.
I love biscoff cookies as a substitute as do my kids.