Coconut Ube Besito Cookies (Printable)

Tender bite-sized treats combining purple yam and sweet coconut for a perfect Filipino-Latin fusion dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1/4 cup ube halaya (purple yam jam)
07 - 1 large egg
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Add-Ins & Coating

09 - 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
10 - 1/4 cup desiccated coconut (for rolling)
11 - 2 tablespoons ube extract (optional, for color and flavor)

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
04 - Beat in the egg, ube halaya, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated. Add ube extract if using for deeper color and flavor.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until combined.
06 - Fold in the sweetened shredded coconut until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
07 - Scoop 1-tablespoon portions of dough and roll into balls. Roll each ball in desiccated coconut to coat evenly.
08 - Arrange the coconut-coated balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
09 - Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the cookies are set and lightly golden on the bottoms.
10 - Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • These cookies somehow manage to be both fancy enough for a party and casual enough for a Tuesday afternoon snack
  • The ube gives them this incredible color that people literally cannot stop talking about
  • They stay soft for days which is rare for something this pretty
02 -
  • Ube halaya varies in consistency between brands so your dough might need a minute more or less flour
  • The dough gets quite soft because of the ube so chill it for 15 minutes if it is too sticky to handle
  • These cookies continue baking slightly on the hot sheet so remove them when they still look slightly underdone in the center
03 -
  • Add a pinch of ground cardamom to the dry ingredients for a floral note that pairs beautifully with both coconut and ube
  • Chill the rolled balls on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before baking to help them hold their shape better

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