What are homemade ube Oreo cookies?

They are crisp purple sandwich cookies built like an Oreo, but coloured and flavoured with 100% pure ube (purple yam) powder instead of black cocoa. Two thin, snappy ube wafers are piped with a whipped white chocolate ganache instead of the classic powdered-sugar cream. The recipe makes about 22 sandwich cookies in roughly one hour.

Why is my ube cookie purple and not black like a real Oreo?

A packaged Oreo gets its near-black colour from black cocoa powder. Here the colour comes from real Filipino purple yam: 18 g of Ube Nolia ube powder in the dough gives a natural violet wafer, with only 15 g of Dutch-process cocoa for depth. Add more cocoa and the purple turns brown, so keep the cocoa low.

Do I need a kitchen scale for this recipe?

Yes, weigh the flour, cocoa and ube powder. Scooping flour with a cup can add 20 to 30 g of extra flour, which gives soft, dull cookies instead of the crisp snap that makes a homemade Oreo work. If you have no scale, spoon the flour into the cup and level it with a knife.

Can I reduce the sugar in the ube wafers?

No. Sugar is not only sweetness here: it makes the dough spread thinly and turn crisp as it bakes. Cutting the 150 g of sugar gives pale, cakey wafers that never develop the signature snap.

Why a white chocolate ganache instead of a buttercream filling?

The classic filling is butter plus powdered sugar, which is very sweet and slightly grainy. A whipped white chocolate ganache (white chocolate, cream, a little soft butter) sets firmer, slices cleanly, and its milky vanilla note is the perfect match for the biscuit-vanilla flavour of ube.

How thin should I roll the ube cookies?

About 3 mm (1/8 inch). Flatten each ball with a damp palm or roll the dough between two sheets of parchment and cut 5 cm (2 inch) rounds. Thicker discs stay soft in the middle, thinner ones burn at the edges.

Can I make the dough ahead of time?

Yes. The dough keeps 3 days wrapped in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer. Bake the wafers up to 2 days ahead and store them unfilled in an airtight container, then fill on the day you serve them so they keep their snap.

How do I store filled ube Oreo cookies?

In an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or 1 month in the freezer. Take them out 10 minutes before serving so the white chocolate ganache softens back to a creamy texture.

Is ube powder the same as taro or purple sweet potato?

No. Ube is a Filipino purple yam with a vanilla and toasted biscuit flavour, while taro is starchier and more savoury and purple sweet potato is milder and drier. See our ube vs taro comparison for the full breakdown.

August 7, 2026 · Recipe

The Best Homemade Ube Oreo Cookies: Purple Wafers, White Chocolate Ganache (OREO x BTS)

Everyone wants a purple Oreo since the OREO x BTS drop. This one is actually made with ube: two crisp violet wafers, a whipped white chocolate ganache, and zero artificial colouring.

The colour comes from 18 g of pure Filipino purple yam powder, not from dye, and the filling swaps the classic powdered-sugar cream for a white chocolate ganache that sets firm, slices clean and echoes the vanilla-biscuit flavour of ube. Curious about the commercial version? Read why the purple OREO x BTS cookie is not ube.

Homemade ube Oreo cookies – purple ube wafers with white chocolate ganache | Ube Nolia

Quick answer

Homemade ube Oreo cookies are crisp purple sandwich cookies made with 18 g of 100% pure Ube Nolia ube (purple yam) powder in the wafer dough and filled with a whipped white chocolate ganache. Bake 3 mm wafers at 375°F (190°C) for 9 to 10 minutes, fill with 10 g of ganache each, and chill 20 minutes. Makes 22 sandwich cookies in about 1 hour.

Key Takeaways

Prep: 25 min · Bake: 9-10 min at 375°F / 190°C · Chill: 20 min
Yield: 22 sandwich cookies (about 165 kcal each)
Natural violet colour from real purple yam, no food dye and no black cocoa
Filling: whipped white chocolate ganache instead of powdered-sugar cream
Cost of the ube in a full batch: under 1 EUR of Ube Nolia powder

Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 1 h
Servings: 22 sandwich cookies
Difficulty: Intermediate

Ube Nolia 100% pure ube powder pouch, natural ube from the Philippines

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This recipe is made with ube powder from Ube Nolia, the #1 natural ube brand from the Philippines. Discover our buy ube powder, 100% pure: no coloring, no additives, no added sugar. One 100 g pouch makes 33 ube lattes.

Looking for ube powder? Ube Nolia sells 100% pure ube from the Philippines, with no coloring, no additives and no added sugar.

New to purple yam? Read our complete guide: What is ube? - origin, taste, benefits and how to use Ube Nolia ube powder.

Why Make Ube Oreo Cookies Instead of Buying the Purple Ones?

A packaged Oreo is black because of black cocoa powder, and the limited-edition purple ones on the shelves are coloured for branding, not flavoured with yam. Making them at home lets you use the real ingredient: ube, the Filipino purple yam, whose natural anthocyanins give a violet crumb and whose flavour sits between vanilla, white chocolate and toasted biscuit.

The result tastes nothing like a supermarket sandwich cookie: less sugary, more aromatic, with a snap that shatters instead of crumbling. If you prefer thick, gooey cookies instead, bake our New York style ube Oreo cookies instead.

Ingredients for Homemade Ube Oreo Cookies

Purple ube wafers - makes 44 wafers (22 sandwiches)

• • 205 g all-purpose flour
• • 18 g Ube Nolia ube powder
• • 15 g Dutch-process cocoa powder
• • 150 g granulated sugar
• • 3/4 tsp baking soda
• • 1/4 tsp baking powder
• • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• • 140 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
• • 1 large cold egg

Whipped white chocolate ganache filling

• • 200 g white chocolate, finely chopped
• • 80 g heavy cream
• • 45 g soft unsalted butter
• • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• • 1 pinch fine sea salt

Ingredient Notes That Change the Result

• Ube powder: use 100% pure Filipino purple yam powder. Ube Nolia powder carries the colour and the vanilla-biscuit aroma with no dye, no sugar and no additives. Ube extract will colour the dough but adds moisture and softens the snap.
• Cocoa, but only a little: 15 g of Dutch-process cocoa deepens the flavour without turning the wafer brown. Black cocoa would give you a real Oreo look and cancel the purple entirely.
• Cold butter and cold egg: the dough is made in a processor and needs to stay cool so the wafers hold their thin shape in the oven.
• Fresh leaveners: baking soda and baking powder lose power before their printed date. Stale leaveners give thick, matte wafers with no spread.
• White chocolate: choose a bar with at least 28% cocoa butter and chop it finely, chips resist melting and break the emulsion.

How to Make Ube Oreo Cookies Step by Step

Step 1: Blitz the Purple Dough

Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two trays with parchment. In a food processor fitted with the S blade, or a stand mixer with the paddle, pulse the flour, ube powder, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the cold butter a few cubes at a time while pulsing, then the egg. Keep going about 1 minute until the dough gathers into a single violet mass.

Ube Oreo cookie dough – violet dough in a food processor with ube powder, flour, cocoa and butter | Ube Nolia

Step 2: Shape 3 mm Wafers

Scoop 14 g portions, roll them into balls and space them 5 cm apart. Dampen your palm and press each ball to roughly 3 mm thick. For perfectly round Oreo-style discs, roll the whole dough between two sheets of parchment and cut 5 cm rounds with a cutter, re-rolling the scraps once.

Ube Oreo wafers – hands pressing purple ube dough into thin 3 mm rounds on parchment | Ube Nolia

Step 3: Chill, Then Bake 9 to 10 Minutes

Chill each tray 12 minutes before it goes in, this stops the wafers spreading unevenly. Bake 9 to 10 minutes, rotating once, until they smell toasted and feel completely set. They stay slightly soft out of the oven and crisp up as they cool, so leave them on the tray.

Baked ube Oreo wafers – purple ube cookie discs cooling on a baking tray | Ube Nolia

Step 4: Whip the White Chocolate Ganache

Warm the cream until it steams, pour it over the finely chopped white chocolate and wait 2 minutes. Stir from the centre outwards until glossy, then let the ganache cool to room temperature. Add the soft butter, vanilla and salt and whip 2 minutes until it holds a soft peak and pipes cleanly.

White chocolate ganache for ube Oreo cookies – whipped ganache with cream and chopped white chocolate | Ube Nolia

Step 5: Fill, Press, Chill

Pipe about 10 g of ganache in the centre of half the wafers, cap with a matching wafer and press until the filling reaches the edge. Chill 20 minutes so the ganache firms, then serve. For a double-stuffed version, pipe 20 g per cookie and make 15 sandwiches instead of 22.

Filling ube Oreo cookies – piping white chocolate ganache onto purple ube wafers | Ube Nolia

Tips for Perfect Purple Wafers

Weigh everything. Flour, cocoa and ube powder are the three weights that decide colour and snap.
Do not cut the sugar. It drives the spread and the crispness, not just the sweetness.
Keep them the same size. Matching pairs press evenly and the filling stays centred.
Cool completely before filling. Warm wafers melt the ganache and the sandwich slides apart.
Want them mini? Use 8 g portions and bake 7 to 8 minutes for bite-size purple Oreos.

Storage and Make Ahead

Dough: 3 days wrapped in the fridge, 1 month in the freezer.
Unfilled wafers: 2 days in an airtight container at room temperature, they soften in humid weather.
Filled cookies: up to 3 days in the fridge, 1 month in the freezer. Rest them 10 minutes at room temperature before eating.

More Purple Recipes to Bake Next

Ube: The Purple Yam of the Philippines

Ube, known botanically as Dioscorea alata, is a vibrant purple yam indigenous to Southeast Asia, particularly the Philippines, where it is also called ubi. This root vegetable is celebrated for its distinctive biscuit and vanilla flavour profile and its striking natural violet hue, which comes from anthocyanin pigments. Ube Nolia ube powder, sourced from Dagupan and Urdaneta in the Philippines, captures this unique flavour and colour without artificial additives.

The culinary history of ube in the Philippines is rich and deeply intertwined with its cultural identity. The Spanish colonial period introduced the term jalea, which evolved into ube halaya, a popular jam-like dessert. The 20th century saw the integration of condensed and evaporated milk into Filipino cuisine, further popularising ube in dishes like the iconic halo-halo and layered rice cakes such as sapin-sapin. Today, ube has gained global recognition, with its unique taste and colour inspiring modern creations like these Ube Oreo Cookies, showcasing its versatility beyond traditional Filipino desserts.

Botanical Name

Dioscorea alata

Primary Flavour

Biscuit & Vanilla

Natural Colour Source

Anthocyanins

Origin

Philippines (Dagupan, Urdaneta)

Troubleshooting Homemade Ube Oreo Cookies

Problem	Cause	Fix
Cookies spread too much	Dough was too warm or butter was too soft; insufficient chilling time.	Ensure butter is cold and cubed; chill dough for the full 12 minutes before baking.
Cookies are crumbly or dry	Over-baking or incorrect flour-to-fat ratio.	Bake for exactly 9-10 minutes; ensure precise measurement of all ingredients.
Ganache is too runny	Chocolate not fully emulsified or cream was too hot; insufficient cooling before whipping.	Ensure cream is just steaming, pour over finely chopped chocolate, stir until smooth, and cool completely to room temperature before whipping.
Ganache is grainy or seized	Chocolate was overheated or water was introduced during melting.	Melt chocolate gently with hot cream; avoid direct heat or steam getting into the chocolate.