Cookie butter is a sweet spread that is made by pulverizing speculoos cookies into a smooth paste. Speculoos cookies are a type of Belgian spice cookie that contain ingredients like brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. The end result of this cookie pulverization process is an utterly addictive spread that is sweet, spicy, and perfect for slathering on toast, drizzling over ice cream, or eating straight out of the jar with a spoon.
The Taste
So what does cookie butter actually taste like? The flavors are complex, but overall cookie butter has a sweet taste reminiscent of gingerbread, brown sugar, and warm holiday spices. It’s like taking the best parts of a gingerbread cookie and turning it into spreadable form.
When you first put a spoonful of cookie butter in your mouth, you’ll likely notice the sweetness upfront. Cookie butter is rich and sugary thanks to ingredients like brown sugar, molasses, honey, and sugar. The sugar provides a nice hit of sweetness.
As you continue to eat the cookie butter, the warming spices start to come through. You’ll taste fragrant notes of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and allspice. These spices give cookie butter a complexity and depth of flavor. It makes each bite interesting, as the sweetness gives way to spiciness and warmth.
The texture of cookie butter also amplifies the flavor experience. Cookie butter is completely smooth, with no chunks or pieces. It’s thick and decadent, coating your mouth with sweet creaminess. The smooth texture allows you to really focus on the flavors.
Overall, the taste of cookie butter evokes the essence of a fresh-baked gingerbread cookie. It’s sweet and spicy, with flavors of molasses, brown sugar, honey, and holiday baking spices. Think of warm gingerbread straight from the oven made into a luscious, spreadable paste.
How It’s Made
To get a deeper understanding of the unique taste of cookie butter, it helps to look at how it’s produced. There are just two main ingredients in cookie butter – speculoos cookie crumbs and vegetable oil.
Speculoos are crunchy Belgian spice cookies made with brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. After baking, these speculoos cookies are ground into very fine crumbs.
The cookie crumbs are blended with vegetable oil, which turns the crumbs into a smooth, creamy paste. That’s essentially all that goes into real cookie butter – pulverized speculoos cookies and oil. No extra sugars, flavorings, or preservatives are added. This keeps the original speculoos flavor intact.
Speculoos Cookie Ingredients
Here are some of the main ingredients that give speculoos cookies their unique spiced flavor:
- Brown sugar – Provides sweetness and molasses flavor
- Cinnamon – Warm, aromatic spice note
- Ginger – Zingy spice that gives a bite
- Nutmeg – Earthy, bittersweet spice
- Cloves – Strong, phenolic spice flavor
- Cardamom – Citrusy and resinous spice
When these ingredients are blended into a rich paste, you get an incredible interplay of sweet and spicy flavors. The spices give cookie butter a warmth and complexity that balances the sugary taste.
Oil’s Role
The vegetable oil plays a crucial role in creating cookie butter’s smooth, spreadable texture. Without the oil, you’d just have a coarse mixture of cookie crumbs. The oil binds the crumbs together and allows all the flavors to be evenly distributed in the paste. This gives you the melt-in-your-mouth consistency that makes cookie butter so addictive.
How To Eat Cookie Butter
One of the best parts about cookie butter is its versatility. Here are some delicious ways to enjoy cookie butter’s unique gingerbread flavor:
On Toast
Slather cookie butter generously on slices of bread for an instant breakfast or snack. The cookie butter will melt deliciously into the toast.
By the Spoonful
For a simple cookie butter fix, just grab a spoon and eat it straight from the jar! The rich, creamy texture makes it perfect for eating by the spoonful.
In Milkshakes
Blend cookie butter into milkshakes for a spiced twist. It goes perfectly with vanilla or cinnamon flavors.
In Baked Goods
Add a few swirls of cookie butter into cakes, cookies, crepes, or waffles before baking. It infuses the whole treat with gingerbread flavor.
With Fruit
Enjoy cookie butter spread on top of apple slices, banana slices, or other fruits. The cookie butter’s spice and sweetness balances the fruit flavors.
In Oatmeal
Stir a few spoonfuls of cookie butter into a bowl of oatmeal for a breakfast treat. The nutty oats pair well with the spiced spread.
On Pancakes and Waffles
Top your morning pancakes or waffles with cookie butter instead of normal butter or syrup. The gingerbread notes are amazing on fluffy cakes.
In Milk
Whisk a tablespoon or two of cookie butter into a glass of cold milk. The spices blend deliciously into the creamy milk.
With Graham Crackers
Spread cookie butter between graham crackers to make homemade spice-infused “sandwich” cookies.
Popular Brands
There are a few major brands of cookie butter that you’re likely to come across in stores or online. Here’s how some of the popular commercial brands compare in terms of taste:
Biscoff
Biscoff is the original European cookie butter brand made by Lotus Bakeries based on their famous speculoos cookies. Biscoff has a very smooth, creamy texture. The flavor is nicely balanced between gingerbread sweetness and warming spice.
Trader Joe’s
Trader Joe’s makes their own speculoos-based cookie butter. It’s excellent quality and priced lower than most other brands. The Trader Joe’s cookie butter tastes very gingery and has a darker brown sugar flavor compared to Biscoff.
Lucie’s Organic
Lucie’s makes an organic cookie butter with a short ingredient list. It has a lighter color and flavor than Biscoff or Trader Joe’s versions. The taste emphasizes the buttery cookie flavor over spices.
Crazy Richard’s
Crazy Richard’s Peanutter Butter has a peanut butter base instead of speculoos. It tastes like a spiced version of peanut butter. The gingerbread spices add an interesting flavor twist.
Justin’s
Justin’s also makes a peanut butter cookie butter. Their flavor is nuttier than Crazy Richard’s, with subtle warm spice notes. If you love peanut butter, it’s a great option.
| Brand | Base | Texture | Flavor Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biscoff | Speculoos | Smooth and creamy | Balanced sweetness and spice |
| Trader Joe’s | Speculoos | Dense and sticky | Gingery with dark brown sugar |
| Lucie’s Organic | Speculoos | Smooth and light | Subtle spice, focuses on cookie flavor |
| Crazy Richard’s | Peanut butter | Dense and nutty | Spiced peanut flavor |
| Justin’s | Peanut butter | Smooth and creamy | Nutty with mild spice |
Homemade Cookie Butter Recipe
Want to try making your own homemade cookie butter? Here is an easy recipe to make a speculoos-style cookie butter at home:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups speculoos cookie crumbs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
Instructions:
- In a food processor, blend the cookie crumbs, oil, brown sugar, and spices until completely smooth. Scrape down the sides as needed.
- Once the mixture is fully incorporated, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to meld.
- Enjoy your fresh homemade cookie butter on toast, fruit, oatmeal, or straight from the jar!
This easy homemade version allows you to control the ingredients and spice flavors. You can adjust the amounts of ginger, cinnamon, and other spices to match your taste preferences. Part of the fun of homemade cookie butter is experimenting until you come up with your perfect cookie butter blend!
Conclusion
With its irresistible flavor, cookie butter has become a pantry staple for spice lovers everywhere. The unique taste combines the essence of freshly baked gingerbread with a smooth, spreadable texture. Notes of brown sugar, exotic baking spices, and vanilla make every bite a warm, sweet treat. Cookie butter’s versatility also makes it endlessly enjoyable – slather it on toast, mix it into oatmeal, or eat it by the spoonful. Once you try it, this spiced cookie spread is sure to be your new favorite addiction.