Ube White Chocolate Brownies Recipe by Mia P. Manansala @MPMtheWriter

Hello everyone! This is my final post as a member of the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. As much as I enjoyed sharing my recipes with you all, I had to be honest with myself about my time management skills (or lack thereof) so I could become a better, more focused writer. The third book in my series, BLACKMAIL AND BIBINGKA, comes out in two weeks and all my time and energy will be going into promoting my new book as well as writing and editing the next books in the series.

Ube brownie batter, ready to go into the oven

Since this is my last recipe, I wanted to make sure it was one that my protagonist, Lila, would make: Ube brownies! They’re simple, delicious, very sweet, and the most gorgeous purple color. I actually made these for Thanksgiving last year and never got around to sharing the recipe (or taking good photos of the finished product since everyone was too eager to dive in). I hope you give them a try!

Ube White Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 cups ube halaya (roughly one 16 oz jar)*
• 1 TBSP ube extract
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 2½ cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl or mixer, combine butter and both sugars until smooth and incorporated.
3. Add the egg, ube halaya, and ube and vanilla extracts and stir/mix until combined.
4. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder into the ube mixture and gently stir/mix on low until no significant streaks of flour remain (do not over mix). The batter will be thick.
5. Mix in the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
6. Transfer into prepared pan and spread around evenly with a spatula.
7. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a thin knife or chopstick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
8. Cool in the pan before cutting into bars.
9. Enjoy!

*I usually make my own since I can better control the sweetness. You can use my recipe here, which uses fresh or frozen grated ube, or buy freeze-dried ube powder (available online) and follow the instructions on the back. Jarred works fine as well, though you should taste the jam and adjust the sugar levels accordingly.

Cast of characters: brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, white chocolate chips, ube extract, ube halaya, salt, vanilla extract (not pictured: egg)

Combine the butter and both sugars until well-combined and smooth

Mix in the ube jam and both extracts until combined.

Add the dry ingredients until there are minimal white streaks. Don't overmix!

Mix in the white chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven for about 30-40 minutes or until a thin knife or chopstick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Don't overbake!

Enjoy! (this is all that was left at Thanksgiving before I remembered to take a photo)

Thanks so much for checking out my recipes and all your support!

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Blackmail and Bibingka (Oct 4, 2022)

When her long-lost cousin comes back to town just in time for the holidays, Lila Macapagal knows that big trouble can’t be far behind in this new mystery by Mia P. Manansala, author of Arsenic and Adobo.

It’s Christmastime in Shady Palms, but things are far from jolly for Lila Macapagal. Sure, her new business, the Brew-ha Cafe, is looking to turn a profit in its first year. And yes, she’s taken the first step in a new romance with her good friend Jae Park. But her cousin Ronnie is back in town after ghosting the family fifteen years ago, claiming that his recent purchase of a local winery shows that he’s back on his feet and ready to contribute to the Shady Palms community. Tita Rosie is thrilled with the return of her prodigal son, but Lila knows that wherever Ronnie goes, trouble follows.

She’s soon proven right when Ronnie is suspected of murder, and secrets surrounding her shady cousin and those involved with the winery start piling up. Now Lila has to put away years of resentment and distrust to prove her cousin’s innocence. He may be a jerk, but he’s still family. And there’s no way her flesh and blood could actually be a murderer . . . right?

Pre-order from The Book Table or Centuries & Sleuths for signed, personalized copies!