Ube Rice Crispies

Should I change my profile info to Ube Girl?

My love for all things ube goes far and wide, something that I have developed from childhood and carried proudly into adulthood. I hoard it, I push other people to try it, I push people out of the way to get to it, I dream about it. Friends and family alert me of new ube delicacies, and I salivate over each one.

These Ube Rice Crispies are no-bake squares, gluten-free (if you make sure to use gluten-free rice crisps), and has the chewiness of fudge. No marshmallows so it’s not super sticky, but instead I used white chocolate for more creaminess.

If you’re new here, ube is purple yam (it’s not purple sweet potato, nor is it taro). It’s vivid in color, mild in taste, almost nutty. It’s one of the most popular dessert ingredients in the Philippines. For me, it’s certainly one of the most craveable.

I’ve made a few ube desserts on this blog: Ube White Chocolate Fudge, Ube Cookies, Ube Cheesecake Bars. I love making ube treats using halaya, or ube jam, which is a combination of mashed ube, coconut milk, condensed milk, butter, and sugar. I usually stock up on homemade jars when we’re in the Philippines (or ask family to bring for me), but I’ve had luck finding them in Filipino or Asian grocery stores or even Amazon. I haven’t yet tried making my own, but have been eyeing this recipe.

For these Ube Rice Crispies, I used only 1 cup of ube jam (because I am rationing my stash) but this recipe can easily be doubled for thicker bars or two pans. One pan for you and one pan for your friends.

Yield: 16 squares

Ube Rice Crispies

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

2 tablespoons salted butter, plus 1 tablespoon more for buttering pan
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup ube jam
4 oz condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon ube extract
3 cups rice crispies

Directions

  1. In a small microwave-safe bowl, heat 1 tablespoon butter to melt. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.
  2. In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the ube jam, white chocolate, condensed milk, and remaining butter. Heat on full power for 1 minute, then remove and stir. Everything would have started to melt but you’ll still have some lumps. Heat again in 30-second intervals and stir until the mixture turns smooth. I heated everything for a total of 2 minutes.
  3. Add ube extract and mix well.
  4. Fold in rice crispies and mix until well-combined.
  5. Scrape the mixture onto prepared baking pan and smooth out the top.
  6. Freeze for at least two hours, then cut into squares. Serve chilled or room temperature.

Talk ube to me! Do you have any favorite ube desserts?