What Is Cookie Butter?
Learn how to use it, store it and make your own.
Joeri Mostmans/Getty Images
By Layla Khoury-Hanold for Food Network Kitchen
Layla Khoury-Hanold is a contributor at Food Network.
Maybe you’ve spotted jars of cookie butter in your local grocery store or noticed it popping up in baked goods. But what exactly is cookie butter? Here’s everything you need to know, including how to make homemade cookie butter.
What Is Cookie Butter
Cookie butter is a creamy spread made from finely ground Belgian speculoos spice cookies.
Cookie butter looks like nut butter but tastes like gingerbread, with a rich, deep caramel flavor augmented by toasty, spiced cookie notes. In countries such as France, Belgium and The Netherlands, cookie butter is a popular alternative to nut butters and chocolate spreads.
How to Use Cookie Butter
Use cookie butter like you would other spreads. Serve it on toast, waffles or pancakes at breakfast, or use it as a dip for sliced apples, bananas, graham crackers or pretzels. Cookie butter can also be used in baked goods such as banana bread, muffins and cookies, like these 3-Ingredient Cookie Butter Cookies. Use cookie butter in desserts, as a frosting for brownies or layer cakes, like this easy, no-bake Cookie Butter and Apricot Icebox Cake, or to make confections such as Cookie Butter Fudge. Melt cookie butter to drizzle on top of ice cream or stir into a cup of hot chocolate.
How to Make Cookie Butter
With our easy recipe for Cookie Butter (pictured above), you can whip up homemade cookie butter in 20 minutes. Instead of Belgian speculoos, we use a mix of readily available cookies including gingersnaps, graham crackers and shortbread. You can make this cookie butter ahead of time and refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
How to Make Cookie Butter, Step-By-Step
Step one: Prep the cookies. Roughly crush 12 gingersnaps, 6 graham crackers and 5 shortbread cookies and combine in a food processor until finely ground.
Step two: Add water. Mix in 3 Tbsp cold water and pulse until combined. Let sit 10 minutes.
Step three: Add seasonings. Add 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract and pinch of ground cinnamon to the cookie mixture.
Step four: Blend until smooth. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup coconut milk and blend until smooth.
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How to Store Cookie Butter
Store homemade cookie butter in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two weeks. (Note: cookie butter will become firm once stored in the refrigerator; to soften, allow it come up to room temperature before spreading.) Once opened, storebought cookie butter will last up to six months stored at room temperature away from direct sunlight. If in doubt, check the product label.
Cookie Butter Substitutes
A few substitutes for cookie butter include peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, tahini or cashew butter. To approximate the sweetness of cookie butter, you can experiment with mixing your preferred nut butter with honey and ground warming spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and/or ginger. Depending on the intended use, you can also try swapping in another type of sweet spread, such as hazelnut-chocolate spreads.
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