The first day of Cookiemas is here! I’m bringing you Ube White Chocolate Cookie Bars!
I developed this recipe based on King Arthur Baking’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Bar Recipe. I’ve used this recipe for basic cookie bars in the past and it turned out so good! I knew it would be pretty straightforward to modify it to incorporate ube and white chocolate.
What is a cookie bar?
To me, a cookie bar is simply a cookie recipe that isn’t shaped into cookie form. Instead, the dough is poured into a 9×13 baking pan and then sliced after cooling. This ends up creating a dense cookie with an almost undercooked center. This is perfect for those who love gooey cookies.
What To Look Out For When Making Cookie Bars
When you make cookie bars, understand that the center will be undercooked. When you test the baked dough by inserting a toothpick, you should not expect the toothpick to come out clean. The center solidifies when it cools down.
Where Can I Get Ube Extract?
I buy my ube extract from my local Filipino market but you can also find it online. I used Butterfly brand for colored extract and Halo Pantry for colorless.
Can I Use Ube Halaya Instead?
One of my good friends, Bites by Bianca, uses ube halaya in her recipe for Ube cookies. I always have ube extract on hand so I haven’t yet experimented with ube halaya.
How do you brown butter?
The first step in making any great cookie is brown butter. While browning your butter is optional, I highly recommend it.
Browning butter is easy but there are a few things you should keep in mind.
First, the butter can burn easily. Similar to caramel, the window of perfection isn’t very big. I suggest using a low to medium heat and never stop stirring. Don’t walk away from it either. Once you start to see the brown bits, it is time to start paying very close attention.
Second, be sure to let the browned butter to cool back down before mixing it with other ingredients especially eggs. You don’t want the hot butter to begin to make scrambled eggs. Once you’ve cooled the browned butter, you can save and refrigerate for future recipes!
How do you make Ube Cookie Bars?
Ube White Chocolate Cookie Bars are easy to make! Even easier than regular cookies because you don’t have to shape them. Anyone who has made cookies before will find this recipe familiar but even if this is your first time, it will be a breeze!
Full recipe and ingredients list is below.
Mix together the butter (melted or browned) and sugar.
Mix in the ube extract and eggs.
Then mix the dry ingredients and add the white chocolate last.
Pour into a pan and top with extra white chocolate
Bake and enjoy!
Recipe
Ube White Chocolate Cookie Bars
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- (optional) Brown your butter. To make brown butter, heat the butter over medium-low heat in a small saucepan until small brown bits begin to form. Stop once you start to see it turn brown because it is very easy to burn. Set aside to let it cool. It is ok if it solidifies or if you want to refrigerate for future use. Browning butter is not necessary but will greatly improve the flavor of any cookie.
- Once the butter has cooled a bit, add dark brown sugar. Stir until the butter is well distributed. Then add in all 3 teaspoons of ube extract. I recommend 2 teaspoons of colored ube extract and 1 teaspoon uncolored ube extract but uncolored is harder to find. Stir until the mixture becomes a uniform color.
- Add eggs and beat until well incorporated. You can add them one at a time but as long as you beat it well, you can add all three at once.
- Mix in the dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Break the white chocolate bars into pieces, reserving some on the side for topping. Mix the white chocolate in until its evenly distributed. You can use white chocolate chips instead.
- Grease your 9×13 baking pan and pour the batter into it. Top with the reserved white chocolate
- Bake for 30 to 32 minutes until you think it is done. Cookie bars are supposed to be a bit wetter or denser than regular cookies so use your best judgment. An inserted toothpick won't be clean when removed but bake to your own taste.
- Remove from oven and let them cool before digging in and enjoying!