This quick and easy Cookie Butter recipe is creamy, smooth and ready in about 5 minutes. Pair this yummy cookie spread with toast, smoothies, fresh fruits and so much more.
This post was first seen on Savory Experiments where I am a contributor.
Love cookies? Well, meet your next dessert and snack addiction: cookie butter! You may have heard of or even bought Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter Spread in the past, but now you can make it right at home in only 5 minutes.
This cookie spread uses minimal ingredients and you can make it using several different types of cookies. Really, this recipe is so simple even my hubs can make it (and he can barely make toast). This smooth and creamy spread pairs wonderfully with several different desserts and breakfast recipes to enjoy along with some coffee or tea.
What is Cookie Butter?
Cookie butter originated in Europe and is traditionally made with speculoos cookies that are made during the Christmas holiday season. A speculoos cookie is made with a special spice blend and similar to the American style gingersnap cookies. The cookie also grinds down extremely smooth and fine making it perfect for this recipe.
Cookie spread has been popular in Europe for many years but started reaching popularity in the USA recently thanks to Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter. Luckily, we can make this tasty treat very easily at home with a variety of cookies.
Kitchen Tools
- A Blender or Food Processor
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Airtight Storage Container
Ingredients
- Cookies: Personally, my favorite cookies to use are speculoos cookies or Lotus Biscoff. You can find these cookies at most big grocery stores. If you cannot find this specific brand you can substitute in a generic brand of gingersnap or molasses cookies.
- Milk: You can use any brand or variety of milk for this homemade cookie spread. Each will yield a slightly different flavor, but the cookie has a strong, bold flavor that the milk type really wont be noticed or have a big impact on the flavor.
- Powdered Sugar
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon and Sea Salt
Ways to Use
Cookie butter spread is quick and easy to make and has tons of great uses. This is one of my guilty pleasures and I always try to hide it in the back of the fridge to keep it all to myself. This tactic never seems to work as my children hunt it down and devour it by the spoonful. I can't blame them though, this stuff is that delicious!
My favorite ways to eat cookie spread are:
- With sliced apples, bananas or strawberries
- Add into overnight oats or oatmeal
- On toast or an English muffin
- Spread over a speculoos cookie
- Just strait out of the bowl with a spoon
- Spread inside crepes
- As a topping for waffles or pancakes
- Add into a brownie recipe
- In a “Peanut” Butter and Jelly sandwich (this is my son's favorite!)
- Add to a smoothie or shakes
Pro Tips
Slow & Steady: To ensure that you get the perfect creamy texture for this cookie butter recipe make sure to add additional milk in very slowly. I suggest using the amount of milk the recipe calls for and blend everything together. After that if the cookie butter spread is too thick, add additional milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches a smooth and creamy consistency. If you add too much milk the texture will be soupy and not hold together like a butter or spread.
Cookie Options: I suggest using Lotus Biscoff cookies (speculoos cookies) or a generic gingersnap cookie. This will give you the classic Trader Joe’s cookie butter taste. Of course you could use virtually any cookie to make this recipe if you cannot find one of those.
Obviously, using a different cookie will yield a different flavor but there are endless tasty cookie options to explore. Some other great cookies to try making cookie butter spread are shortbread cookies, sugar cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, gooey butter cookies or peanut butter cookies.
Common Questions
Store leftover cookie butter in the fridge in an airtight container. When stored in the fridge this spread will stay good for 1-2 weeks. Before enjoyed, remove from the fridge and let come to room temperature.
Yes, this cookie spread can be frozen for up to 3 months. Store the spread in freezer bags, an freezer safe container or in an ice cube tray. With the ice cube tray method you can pop out a single serving and not defrost the entire thing, which makes like super simple. Let the cookie butter come to room temperature before eating, or add frozen into a smoothie or shake.
You will get about 1 cup of cookie butter, but could be a bit more or less depending on the type of cookie you use.
Yes, you can make the entire Speculoos Spread ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the fridge. The recipe stay good for weeks, so this is a great edible gift to make around the holidays.
More Easy Desserts
Dunkaroo Dip
S'mores Trail Mix
Popcorn Mix with Candy
Pumpkin Dessert Dip
Chocolate Candy Bark
I hope you love this easy cookie butter spread recipe, and find tons of tasty uses for it. If you loved and made this recipe, let me know in the comments down below!
5-Minute Cookie Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Oz Gingersnap Cookies Preferably Lotus Biscoff
- ¼ Cup Milk
- 2 tablespoon Powdered Sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
- Combine all recipe ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend on high until a smooth paste forms. You may need to add a bit more milk depending on the cookie you use. You want to consistency to be similar to a nut butter so it is easy to spread, but not too runny.
- Once you have the cookie butter to your desired consistency, enjoy immediately or store leftovers. Enjoy!
Candice
What an easy and delicious recipe! I thought it tasted better than store-bought. Thanks for sharing. I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but followed the recipe exactly.
Caitlyn Erhardt
YUM! Glad this one worked well for you!