Cute, not too sweet, soft coconut ube bear cookies decorated with melted chocolate.

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About these coconut ube bear cookies

I made these last week for an event I attended in NYC with two other Subtle Asian Baking members! We went to a mixer hosted by the Very Asian Foundation, and met so many AAPI journalists and creators. It was SO much fun. I made a few friends and even met one of my FAAAAVORITEE food bloggers ever, The Korean Vegan. I can’t wait for the professional pictures to be uploaded!

My parents really loved these cookies, so I wanted to make them again for my family.. and also for my blog! I’m a bit bummed because I couldn’t find any shredded coconut in nearby stores, so I couldn’t include it in these photos/videos. But, the recipe notes include how much shredded coconut to mix in if you’d like to add it in your dough!

Also, shoutout to @bearsandbutter on IG for the heart blush inspo! I think the hearts make these bears EXTRA cute. :’)

If you’re interested in other kawaii cookie recipes I have, check out these recipes!: Red Velvet Bear Cookies, Strawberry Kirby Sugar Cookies, StrawBEARy Sugar Cookies, Bunny Sugar Cookies, Teddy Bear Chocolate Chip Cookies, Keroppi Matcha Sugar Cookies, Frog Matcha Sugar Cookies, Soft, Less Sweet Ube Sugar Cookie Bears (Dairy-Free!), Pig-Shaped Snickerdoodles (Vegan), Cat-Shaped Black Cocoa Cookies (Vegan), and Chick-Shaped Lemon Cookies.

FAQ

What is ube?

If you’re not familiar with ube (pronunciation: oo-beh), it is a purple yam native to the Philippines. Ube is sometimes confused with another vegetable called taro, which has an earthier flavor and is used in both savory + sweet dishes.

On the other hand, ube is sweeter and often described as having vanilla and nutty notes. It’s commonly used in desserts, such as ice cream, cake, or jam. You could just use ube extract in this recipe, but I used ube extract and rehydrated ube halaya. You can find these ingredients in some Asian markets, especially Filipino ones, but if all else fails, you can buy ube extract/halaya or powdered ube online!

Can you make these vegan?

Yes, you can!

Instead of regular butter, you can swap in high quality vegan butter made for baking. Make sure to use a good brand—some brands are very high in water content and melt at lower temperatures, yielding very flat cookies. I recommend brands like Miyokos and Country Crock.

You can also omit the egg. First, follow the recipe up until you add the flour, baking powder/soda, and salt. Slowly mix the dry ingredients in. If the dough seems too crumbly, add a tablespoon of alternative milk at a time (2-4 tbsp total), until the dough comes together. The finished dough should be thick, but scoopable.

Lastly, you can replace the chocolate for a vegan brand, like Pascha chocolate. OR, you can try out my easy icing recipe, which is found in my teddy bear cookie recipe.

Can you make these gluten-free?

Absolutely! I recommend using 1:1 gluten-free flour.

Can you add shredded coconut?

Absolutely!! I actually wanted to add shredded coconut to these, but I couldn’t find any in my local grocery stores. I recommend adding 1/2 c of unsweetened shredded coconut.

Tips for baking and decorating

Properly measure the flour

I always like to measure my ingredients with a kitchen scale for consistent, accurate results. But if you’re measuring with cups, make sure you follow this tip: gently spoon in the flour into the cup until it’s full, then scrape the excess off using the back of a knife or offset spatula.

If you scoop the cup directly into the flour bag or container, the flour may get compacted, and you will be adding in more flour than necessary. On the other hand, if your flour is clumpy, you could be adding in chunks of flour into the cup with gaps in between them, possibly adding less flour than required. These instances can cause tougher or even really flat cookies, since the proper ratio of dry:wet ingredients isn’t met.

So, for best results, use a scale. If you don’t have one, gently spoon and level the flour into your measuring cup!

Chill the dough

After making the dough, cover the top with plastic wrap. Then, leave it in the fridge for about 30 minutes so the dough hardens up a bit. This will make shaping easier and also yield chewier cookies.

Shaping the dough

For each bear, you’ll want to use a small cookie scoop, or gather about 1 ½ tbsp of dough. Shape it into a ball and place it onto your lined baking tray. Repeat for about 15 more cookies, making sure you have some left over for the ears.

For the ears, take about 1 tsp of dough, and split it into two equally sized pieces. Roll into balls and place on the tops of the bears’ heads.

Decorating with melted chocolate

You can use a piping bag, cookie scribe, or toothpick to add on the details. I used a piping bag.

First, use the melted white chocolate to add the snouts and ears. Reserve the leftover white chocolate for the blush.

Then, use dark or milk chocolate to add the eyes and nose.

When dying white chocolate pink or red for the blush, you’ll want to use oil-based food coloring or the chocolate will seize up and become lumpy. However, if you don’t have oil-based food coloring, you can try mixing in a tsp of neutral oil (canola, vegetable) at a time! The chocolate should come back together. Maaagic.

Storing the ube cookies

Store these bear shaped cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week!

I really hope you enjoy this recipe. If you make these ube cookies, I’d love to see them. You can tag me at #bitesbybianca / @bitesbybianca on Instagram. Enjoy!