Cookie Butter Cookies

I’m currently on a self-imposed ‘cookie-free diet’.  So it’s a little weird that I’m choosing this time to be posting a new cookie recipe for you guys.

But you know what? A girl’s gotta do some things just because she’s nice like that.  I leave you guys hanging for days and days with nothing delicious to drool over so sometimes I just have to make it up to you.

Truth be known, I made these cookies over a month ago and they disappeared so fast my scale never knew what hit it.  I guess I finally found my favourite way to use Trader Joe’s infamous Cookie Butter. 

These were the perfect spicy little alternative to a regular peanut butter cookie.  My intention was actually to use almond butter but when I opened my cupboard and found the Cookie Butter staring at me, I knew what to do.

It’s slightly odd to use a butter made of cookies to make cookies, but hey man…whatever works! :)

Cookie Butter Cookies

adapted from How Sweet it Is Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies

yields a baker’s dozen

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup Cookie Butter/Speculoos
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter, Cookie Butter and both sugars together until fluffy.
3. Add egg and vanilla, mixing until combined.
4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.
5. Add chocolate chips.  Mix to combine.
6. Drop tablespoon-sized dough balls on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookie bottoms begin to brown.  Let cool on rack.

The perfect combination of crispy outside and chewy inside. 

Get a glass of milk or a cup of hot tea and get to work!  Enjoy.

Cookie Butter Cups

I may have just invented the easiest, most dangerous chocolate treat EVER.

Recently, a friend brought me this jar of gold Cookie Butter from Trader Joe’s.  This stuff is highly sought after and I may have actually squealed when he pulled it out of the bag and handed it to me. 

I can haz the speculooooos!

Problem was, I didn’t much care for it.  Or rather, I’ve become so accustomed to unsweetened nut butters on my toast and celery sticks that every time I tried using the cookie butter it just didn’t float my boat.  It’s pretty sweet.

So obviously I had to find a better use for it.  I’m still considering Cookie Butter Cookies but until then how about some Cookie Butter Cups?!  They are like peanut butter cups…only about a hundred times more awesome.

The best part?  This is a 3 ingredient recipe. 

Cookie Butter Cups – aka Speculoos Cups

yields 12 mini cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark melting chocolate or chocolate chips
• 2 tsp coconut or canola oil
• 12 rounded teaspoons Cookie Butter
• optional: 1 tbsp mini dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Line a mini muffin tin with foil liners.
2. Using either a double boiler or a microwave, melt the dark chocolate and coconut oil together, stirring frequently until smooth.
3. Drizzle one scant tablespoon of the melted chocolate into each of the muffin liners.  Carefully smooth the chocolate and spread it a bit up the side of the liners.
4. If using the mini chocolate chips stir them into the cookie butter.
5. Spoon one rounded teaspoon of cookie butter mixture into the center of each chocolate lined cup (I used two small spoons to do this).
6. Drizzle more chocolate over each cup, being careful to cover all of the cookie butter.  Carefully jiggle the pan to get tops as even as possible.
7. Place muffin tin in freezer for minimum 20 minutes or until ready to eat, share, gift, or photograph. :)

Oh.my.YUM.  The dark chocolate is exactly what the sweetened, gingerbready spread needed.  There’s a reason peanut butter cups are so popular.  Chocolate and butter just go together!  Er, well, nut butter!

I am now incredibly glad I did not purchase another jar of this stuff during my own recent trip down to Trader Joe’s.  My limited supply will stop me from eating all of this batch and making more any time I have 10 minutes to spare.

I knew I couldn’t NOT like something called COOKIE BUTTER.  I knew it!