Cookie Butter Cookies

Apparently “sun’s out guns out” is now applying to grocery stores because the last two times I’ve visited our neighborhood Trader Joe’s, the ratio of bros to people has been outta control.

Obviously, they must be there for cookie butter.

What is cookie butter? Apart from mangoes, cheesecake, espresso, and brunch, it’s the reason for living.

Put simply, cookie butter is spreadable cookies. Made from Speculoos Belgian biscuits, it tastes like caramel, gingerbread, and heaven. In case you were still wondering why peanut butter is not the business, let this crack-in-a-jar rest your mind.

In fact, cookie butter is so popular that Trader Joe’s has imposed a purchase limit of two jars per person. I’m serious – you have to ration it, especially because it’s far too easy to eat spoonfuls plain and finish it in a couple days. Case in point: I once brought a jar to Coachella only to see it demolished (by bros, no less) in the first 48 hours of the festival.

Luckily, I mustered all the will power I had to save some cookie butter and make cookies with it. Meta? I think so. Delicious? That too.

Cookie butter has vegetable oil in it, which risks leaking out during baking. I’ve used less butter and found that freezing the dough beforehand helps retain the shape of the final product. Don’t be alarmed if the cookies seem very light-colored when you take them out of the oven – they harden quickly, so you don’t need to bake them for too long.

Since this batch uses about half a jar of cookie butter, you still have 1.5 more jars left (I know you’re going all out and buying two jars on your next grocery trip).  Use it to top your waffles or pancakes, mix into your oatmeal, nosh with bananas, or blend into your protein shake, bro-style.

Can’t go wrong!

Cookie Butter Cookies

[ingredients]

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar until light and airy. Add in egg, honey and vanilla and beat until combined. Mix in cookie butter.
3. In another small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, including the chocolate chips, and add into cookie butter mixture. Stir until just combined – do not overmix.
4. Scoop into tablespoon-sized portions onto cookie sheet, pressing down slightly with the back of a spoon. Freeze the dough for at least 15 minutes.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. The cookies will still be soft when you take them out, but don’t worry. Carefully transfer them onto a wire rack using a spatula and let cool at least 10 minutes before serving. The cookies will harden quickly and end up crispy around the edges and chewy on the inside.