Taking the classic crinkle cookies and flavoring them with homemade mango jam. The soft and chewy texture and its tropical flavor just hit the right notes!
Most of us know crinkle cookies like red velvet crinkle cookies and chocolate crinkle cookies, these are sort of the “classic”. Then along came ube crinkle cookies, which is one of my favorites. Not too long ago, one of my readers asked me if I have mango crinkle cookies and I thought, that was such a great flavor for crinkle cookies and so I started to experiment a bit.
Why I use homemade mango jam instead of fresh mangoes
When I develop a recipe, I try to make it as simple as possible and remove any unnecessary steps if I can really get away with it and still get good result. I tried the recipe few times using fresh mango puree and the result is inconsistent because fresh mangoes, depending on the variety you use, have different moisture content. So, I decided to make a mango jam instead. By cooking the mango into jam consistency, most of the moisture is removed and the result is more consistent. So, with this recipe, I have to add extra steps to make the mango jam. If you can get store-bought mango jam, you can certainly use that. Please note that I didn’t use a whole lot of sugar to make the jam because I made it to be used in this recipe and I don’t want the cookie to be overly sweet in the end.
How about mango extract?
If you can find mango extract or have one at home, I would recommend using it as well. It helps to amplify the flavor of mango in this mango crinkle cookies.
Types of mangoes to use
Use very ripe mango for puree for the best result. Don’t use the stringy part of the flesh so you can get a smooth jam. If you can get a hold of mangoes from the Phillipines or India, go for them! They are the best, especially the latter! I just use the most common one I can find at grocery store, which is Tommy Atkins variety I believe.
How to make soft and chewy mango crinkle cookies
1. Peel and cut the mango flesh, avoiding the stringy part. Puree it into a smooth mixture. Transfer to a saucepan. Add sugar and lime juice.
2. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer. It may splatter initially. I cover it halfway with the lid
3. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes until the mixture reduces almost by half and thickens
4. Please note that it thickens further as it cools down later. Store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
5. It is important that the egg and butter are at room temperature. The butter should be soft but not melty. Combine all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside. Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy over high speed, about 2 minutes.
6. Add egg and continue beating for another minute
7. Add mango jam and yellow food gel if using, beat for another 20 seconds.Don’t overbeat it. We don’t need to introduce too much air for these cookies
8. Fold in the flour mixture and use a sturdy spatula to mix until just combined. Don’t overwork it. As long as you don’t see any more pockets of flour, you are done mixing.
9. This is very sticky cookie dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 4 hours or in the freezer for 2 hours. Please don’t skip this step. It’s easier for you to work with the cookie dough when it’s properly chilled
10. Preheat oven at 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven. You may want to lower the temperature by 20 degrees if you use a convection oven. When the oven is done preheating, scoop about 1 1/2 Tbsp (about 30 grams/scoop # 40) of the cookie dough out. With your lightly oiled palms, roll the dough into a round dough ball. The cookie dough is still sticky but easier to work with because it’s cold
11. Roll it in a bowl filled with sugar and then roll it in another bowl filled with icing sugar. Coat it with icing sugar 2-3 times to make sure the dough is really well-covered
12. Place on a baking sheet and continue with the rest of the dough and both types of sugar
13. Pop them into the oven, 3rd rack from the top. Let them bake for 12 minutes for really soft cookies or 13 minutes if you want them crispier on the outside. The edge will set but the center is still soft when you pull them out from the oven. You don’t want to overbake if you want a soft and chewy texture. Overbaking these cookies will give you a cakey texture. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack
How to store mango crinkle cookies
Make sure the cookies have cooled down completely before storing them. These cookies can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to a week. They can be kept in the fridge (I love the texture even better when it’s cold) for about 2 weeks. I freeze them after baked too and simply thaw at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before eating and they are as good as new.
Did you make this mango crinkle cookies recipe?
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Soft and Chewy Mango Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
Mango jam:
- 400 gr mango puree see notes
- 20 gr sugar
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
Cookie dough:
- 225 gr all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 100 gr sugar
- 113 gr unsalted butter softened
- 50 gr egg room temperature, 1 large egg without the shell
- 115 gr mango jam
- 1 tsp mango extract optional
- yellow food gel optional
For coating the cookies:
- 50 gr sugar
- 100 gr icing sugar
Instructions
Prepare the mango jam: (can be prepared few days before)
- Peel and cut the mango flesh, avoiding the stringy part. Puree it into a smooth mixture. Transfer to a saucepan. Add sugar and lime juice. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to let it simmer. It may splatter initially. I cover it halfway with the lid. Simmer for about 25-30 minutes until the mixture reduces almost by half and thickens. Please note that it thickens further as it cools down later. Store it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
- Transfer to a clean jar and let it cool down completely and store in the fridge. We only need 115 grams for this recipe. You can use the rest for toast, etc. It's really good!
Prepare the cookie dough:
- It is important that the egg and butter are at room temperature. The butter should be soft but not melty
- Combine all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside
- Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar until pale and creamy over high speed, about 2 minutes. Add egg, mango extract (if using) and continue beating for another minute. Add mango jam and yellow food gel if using, beat for another 20 seconds.Don't overbeat it. We don't need to introduce too much air for these cookies
- Fold in the flour mixture and use a sturdy spatula to mix until just combined. Don't overwork it. As long as you don't see any more pockets of flour, you are done mixing. This is very sticky cookie dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 4 hours or in the freezer for 2 hours. Please don't skip this step. It's easier for you to work with the cookie dough when it's properly chilled
Shaping:
- Preheat oven at 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven. You may want to lower the temperature by 20 degrees if you use a convection oven. When the oven is done preheating, scoop about 1 1/2 Tbsp (about 30 grams/scoop # 40) of the cookie dough out. With your lightly oiled palms, roll the dough into a round dough ball. The cookie dough is still sticky but easier to work with because it's cold. Place it on a lined cookie sheet, about 2 1/2-3 inches apart
- Cover each one in granulated sugar first and then generously roll them in icing sugar. This step prevents the icing sugar from being absorbed by the dough and you won't get the crinkle effect. Roll them about 2-3 times in the icing sugar to make sure each ball is well-coated or the confectioners' sugar will not show much after baking
Baking:
- Pop them into the oven, 3rd rack from the top. Let them bake for 12 minutes for really soft cookies or 13 minutes if you want them crispier on the outside. The edge will set but the center is still soft when you pull them out from the oven. You don't want to overbake if you want a soft and chewy texture. Overbaking these cookies will give you a cakey texture. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
