Cookie Butter
A delicious European biscuit is blended with coconut oil and spices to create a velvety smooth spread that is great on everything, especially cookies.
The first time I tried cookie butter was at a friend’s house 3ish years ago. I remember the look on her face when she told me, “You need to try it.” As if I am ever going to turn down trying new foods, she handed me over a spoonful of cookie butter, and I was floored. It was so delicious, so creamy, spiced almost like gingerbread, and with a lovely velvety smoothness very similar to peanut butter, but not quite as cloying. I’m not sure if she knows she changed my life that day, but this article is dedicated to her: Thank You, Kat!!!
I was baking cookies at that time out of my home bakery, and I knew I had to add cookie butter to a cookie for my winter menu. I wasn’t near a retailer that sold cookie butter and scouring for the good stuff had me driving an hour into either Austin or San Antonio. When starting a business, time is precious and I didn’t want to have to spend time driving around looking for one ingredient.
The first time I tried making cookie butter was with graham crackers believe it or not. I blended them up, made a paste with milk and added butter and spices. It was divine. But not quite the same as Biscoff cookie butter. Thankfully my local Costco stocks Biscoff cookies in bulk and I began playing with replicating the cookie butter.
The list of ingredients on a jar of cookie butter are simple, Biscoff cookies, sugar, canola oil, soy lecithin, and citric acid. All these ingredients can be replicated in a home setting. The cookies, oil, and sugar are easy, but what about soy lecithin and citric acid? That’s where the lemon juice comes in to replace citric acid and I use water to replace soy lecithin. Soy lecithin is a natural preservative and emulsifier used in the spread to create the smooth texture while keeping it shelf stable.
When I made the cookie butter with melted butter and milk or cream, it was delicious and very rich, but I worried the fresh nature of these ingredients would not last very long in the fridge. I wanted the cookie butter to keep in the fridge for at least a couple weeks before it expired. Therefore, I am using water and coconut oil as my emulsifiers in the cookie butter. This will last for up to two weeks in the fridge and taste just as yummy without the dairy. I think it’s great this is a vegan recipe and can be shared with loved ones who follow a vegan diet.
I will have to make a disclaimer: this cookie butter, once you have the knowledge and skill to make it (it’s quite easy), is a DANGEROUS dessert. If you are on a diet. Don’t make this. The texture and flavor of this smooth and creamy spread is so hard to say no to, it is one of the most addicting things I make which says a lot because I make a lot of yummy desserts. You have been warned, extreme deliciousness ahead!
Why I Love This Recipe
Flavor-The flavor of the biscuit we are using is like a graham cracker meets a gingersnap meets a shortbread cookie. It is spiced with cinnamon, has a warm brown sugar flavor with caramel notes, and is very light and crisp. When blended with a little extra spice like cinnamon and cloves, they compliment the warmth of the cookie and take it a step closer to the spread tasting like Christmas. Cloves have a strong flavor and a little goes a long way in this recipe. I love how it pairs well with the cinnamon. The flavor of clove lingers on the palate and in your nose when you exhale after eating a bite of the cookie butter, inviting an emotion to eat just one more spoonful to taste its magic. The lemon and salt in the recipe don’t add any flavor, you won’t be able to taste lemon or salt individually. What they do offer is a balance of the sweetness in the cookie butter and a boost of flavor to the other components in the recipe. They both help the cookie butter taste sweeter and brighter without it being overly sweet or cloying. The brown sugar adds some sweetness to the cookies that aren’t very sweet by themselves and it helps bring out the brown sugar and caramel notes in the biscuit.
Texture-If you love smooth, creamy textures, this is cookie butter is for you. It is similar to peanut butter in appearance and texture but melts on the tongue and palate much more quickly. It is smooth and velvety when first blended, almost like a smooth custard. The real magic happens when the butter is allowed to set up in the fridge, it transforms into a thick and velvety spread. The coconut oil, which has a low melting point, solidifies quite firm in the fridge, and softens if left out above a temp of 75*F. This cookie butter is luxurious, smooth, creamy, and decadent in texture.
Easy-10 minutes and a food processor is all you need to make this cookie butter. It is an easy recipe, and you can double the quantity as well if you need a larger batch.
Ingredients You Need
-Biscoff Cookies- I used a sleeve of cookies for this recipe which is 8.8 ounces. If you would like to experiment with other cookies I suggest: graham crackers, gingersnaps, or Speculoos. You want a crisp and crumbly cookie that isn’t very sweet to make cookie butter. They don’t have to be spiced as you can add more spices to your liking. You can also use a combination of cookies as well; my favorite is cinnamon graham crackers with Biscoff cookies.
-Coconut Oil-I used solid coconut oil since my house is cooler in the winter and I didn’t want to have to dirty a dish to melt the oil. It worked just fine cold as it did melted. You can also use melted butter as a substitute.
-Brown Sugar
-Salt-for flavor.
-Lemon Juice-do not skip this ingredient, it improves the flavor of the cookie butter. When I left it out the cookie butter was noticeably bland and flat. The lemon juice helps the spices and flavors pop.
-Water-this will keep it a vegan option. If you wish to have a richer cookie butter, you can use half & half, whole milk, or heavy cream. I prefer using water however, the flavor of the spices are allowed to take center stage. When I used to make cookie butter with dairy, I would use a combination of whole milk and heavy cream.
-Cinnamon
-Cloves-I love the flavor of cloves in this recipe. It can be omitted or substituted with nutmeg if you prefer.
Cookie Butter Time!
In a food processor I add the full sleeve of Biscoff cookies. I break some of them apart to fit then add in my spices, brown sugar, and salt.
I pulse the cookies until a fine crumb forms. This took a minute of pulsing.
**If you wish to make crunchy cookie butter, you can take out 2 tablespoons of the finely pulsed cookie crumbs. Add them back into the butter after the coconut oil is emulsified and the cookie butter is smooth. Pulse 2-3 times to combine the cookie crumbs into the cookie butter then proceed with recipe as written.**
Once the cookies are a fine crumb, it will look like sand, I add in the water and lemon juice, and let the food processor run until it is a paste. It should look a little grainy but mostly smooth.
Next, I add the coconut oil and process on high until the mixture is smooth and very creamy. This took me a few minutes. I scraped down the sides of the food processor bowl halfway through.
If there is still some graininess keep blending for a minute or two until it is very smooth.
I pour the cookie butter into clean jars, close with a lid, then place in the fridge to set up. It’s important to pour them into the jars then place in the fridge. Agitating the mixture by stirring or leaving it at room temperature can split the cookie butter. This is bad. You don’t want this. Taste a spoonful or two then off to the fridge to set up!
The cookie butter will set up and become firm after 30 minutes to an hour. It will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and makes a great hostess gift for the holidays.
Enjoy this decadent dessert by the spoonful or use it to make cookies. A special cookie butter cookie recipe will be coming Thursday for #cookiethursday. Stay tuned!!
If you try this recipe and love it as much as I do, please tag, follow, and like @sunshinetxcookies on Instagram and Facebook. New posts every Thursday so be sure to follow me for more delicious cookie recipes. Happy Baking!
Cookie Butter How-To
Equipment
- Food Processor
Ingredients
- 8.80 ounces Biscoff biscuits 1 sleeve of cookies
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- ⅓ cup coconut oil I used solid coconut oil.
- ¼ tspn cinnamon
- ⅛ tspn cloves
- ¼ tspn salt
- 1 tspn lemon juice
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- In a food processor add the biscoff cookies, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, and salt to fit. Pulse until it resembles fine crumbs.
- Add water and lemon juice, and continue to pulse until it comes together into a paste.
- Once it has come together into a paste, add the coconut oil.
- Process on high until the coconut oil is fully emulsified and the butter is runny and smooth. This took a few minutes.
- Pour into jars and allow the cookie butter to set up in the fridge for an hour. The cookie butter will thicken as it sets.
- Enjoy!
