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Get your baking bowls ready for these Ube Brownies – a simple and easy purple yam recipe. It’s so deliciously delicious, it’ll knock your pastry hats off.
Ooooh-Bae Brownies! These treats should be called Ube Blondies since we’re not using any kind of chocolate. Purple-ies might be the right term to use because of the Ube/Purple Yam’s color but no one’s going to know what I’m talking about. We’ll stick to the word brownies, for now, since the term is familiar to everyone.
What is Ube/Purple Yam?
It’s a root crop used in the Philippines mainly for desserts though we also eat plain Ube roasted/steamed/boiled or slathered with butter and sugar.
What does Ube/Purple Yam taste like?
It’s flavor is mildly sweet and nutty. In fact, the taste of Ube is difficult to enhance on it’s own when used in desserts. Therefore, it’s common for Filipinos to add Ube extracts or flavorings and even purple/violet food coloring when making cakes, cookies, and ice cream.
Where can I find Ube/Purple Yam in the USA?
You don’t need fresh Ube in this recipe but in case you’re curious, Asian grocery stores in larger cities have the yams readily available. In smaller cities, it’s appearance in Asian stores is sporadic. Ube is a novelty root crop in the USA so specialty/deli brands like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and our local gourmet/organic grocery have started selling it.
Where do I buy Ube extracts or flavorings?
Here are the brands I use, how much, recipes per bottle, and links to purchase:
Since I’m an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
Butterfly Ube Flavoring = 1 ounce – 3 recipes = purchase here
McCormick Ube Flavor Extract = 20 ml = 2 recipes = purchase here
Two McCormick Ube Flavor Extract = 40 ml = 4 recipes = purchase here
What ingredients are in Ube/Purple Flavoring/Extracts?
I hate to break it to you but Ube desserts – specially ones that have the rich purple color – are not usually all-natural or organic. Since purple yam’s flavor is so mild, it’s been a practice to add Ube extracts or flavorings and even purple/violet food coloring when making cakes, cookies, and ice cream.
The flavorings or extracts are a mix of sugar and red and blue food coloring. If this is a concern, well, I’m not sure what to tell ya. It’s just how it’s done in the Philippines and we’ve enjoyed royal-purple-scrumptiously-delicious Ube/Purple Yam desserts for many, many years.
How to make Ube Brownies – a simple and easy purple yam recipe
Ingredients for Ube Brownies
- 1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons ube extract/flavoring
Instructions on how to make Ube Brownies
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Lightly grease 11×7 inch baking pan then line with parchment paper
- Sift dry ingredients together
- Mix with a whisk or spatula to combine, set aside
- Add sugar and melted butter in a bowl
- Mix with a whisk
- Keep mixing until until thick and lighter in color
- Add egg and ube extract
- Mix until smooth and drips evenly from whisk
- Set whisk aside and start using spatula
- Add flour gradually and fold until no traces of flour is visible
- Transfer mixture to baking pan
- Spread surface evenly with spatula
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until tester is clean
- For fudgy Ube brownies, bake 14-15 minutes, tester should have a few fudgy crumbs
Helpful tools to make your scrumptious Ube Brownies.
*as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no cost to you.
UBE Brownies - a simple and easy purple yam recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup melted unsalted butter
- 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons ube extract/flavoring
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
- Lightly grease 11x7 inch baking pan then line with parchment paper
- Sift dry ingredients together
- Mix with a whisk or spatula to combine, set aside
- Add sugar and melted butter in a bowl
- Mix with a whisk
- Keep mixing until until thick and lighter in color
- Add egg and ube extract
- Mix until smooth and drips evenly from whisk
- Set whisk aside and start using spatula
- Add flour gradually and fold until no traces of flour is visible
- Transfer mixture to baking pan
- Spread surface evenly with spatula
- Bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until tester is clean
- For fudgy Ube brownies, bake 14-15 minutes
- Tester should have a few fudgy crumbs
Notes
Want more Ube?
Here’s a recipe for Easy Ube Cake
Here’s a Delicious Ube Jam or Halayang Ube Recipe by Betty Ann Besa-Quirino of Asian in America
These Ube Brownies look soooo good. Thanks for the mention of my ube haleya and the link. I have to attribute the haleya recipe to the cookbook Memories of Philippine Kitchens by Amy Besa (my cousin) and Romy Dorotan. But the haleya is a good recipe. Many friends have tried it and said it’s just like ube jam in the Philippines. I must try your brownie recipe. Maraming Salamat, Maria 🙂
Hi, Thanks for sharing the recipe from your cousin! It’s hard to find good Halayang Ube – I miss the Halaya from Good Shepherd in Baguio.
Hello! Did you let your brownies cool in the pan for 30 minutes before taking them out? What was your method for cutting them cleanly? Thank you!
Hi Anne, yes, let it cool in the pan lined with parchment for at least 30 minutes. It might need a longer time to cook if you’re using a glass baking pan. You can watch the video how I cut the brownies here.
Hi
I tried making them and they turned out cakey and dry – the texture wasn’t moist enough or “brownie” like
Is the flour in the recipe not alot?
Hi! Please follow the exact recipe, including the Purple Yam/Ube flavoring. Thanks!
Can you double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan? If so, what cook time would you suggest?
Hi Jackie, it might be best to do 1 1/2 (one and a half) of the recipe instead of double since a 9×13 is only a few inches difference from the 11×7 baking pan I used. For the time, you might need to add 2 minutes more but cooking times will always vary since all ovens are different. Use a tester/toothpick to test if the brownies are done.
Thinking about adding in tapioca starch and glutinous rice flour to make it chewier? Should I replace some of the all purpose?
Hi! The brown sugar makes these Ube brownies a little chewy. You can definitely substitute all purpose with rice flour and tapioca starch. It’s what I do for cookies I bake. Unfortunately, I can’t help you with the amount for the brownies since I haven’t tried replacing flours in the recipe. good luck!
I made this today and it turned out to be exactly you described and showed in this recipe! Really simple but tasty!! Thank you very much. Next time I will try putting in a little less uber flavoring to make the purple color slightly lighter, as I like the lighter shade of purple. I am off to explorer more of your recipes…
Hi Kay! Thank you for taking the time to comment! I’m glad you liked the recipe!
I tried these for my sisters birthday, and they turned out great! The ube was very rich and I had gotten some from my local asian market. It was sooo delicious with white chocolate chips, since they added a moister texture and were just like cookies. Definitely recommend!
I’m so happy you like the recipe! Thank you!
I can’t get ube extract right now but I have powdered ube and purple food coloring. Could I somehow incorporate these into the brownies instead? Your pics look amazing!
Hi Emma, I’m not sure since I haven’t tried it myself. If I do have the same ingredients you have, I won’t use the food coloring and I’d rehydrate the ube into a thick paste and add it in to the batter. Sugar might need to be adjusted depending on how much ube paste I use. good luck!
Hi Maria! I made this Ube Brownies and it was really delicious! But… it turned Green… I made it again and omitted the Baking Powder and it turned out really fudgy and a proper Ube Colour… thank you for the recipe, it’s absolutely delicious! This is now my go to recipe for Ube Brownies xxx
Hi! I wonder what happened. This Ube Brownie recipe has had a lot good feedback on Pinterest without omitting the baking powder. Im’ glad you gave it a second chance and made modifications to make it work!