It’s Gluten Free C.O.O.K.I.E  B.U.T.T.E.R  T.I.M.E!

First of all, this stuff is addicting.  I now understand the obsession and cult-like following of Trader Joe’s cookie butter.  You may know that Trader Joe’s didn’t invent this delectable treat.  The Biscoff Spread comes from Lotus Bakeries, a company out of Belgium.  They have been selling a speculoos cookie, aka Biscoff, since 1932.

This uniquely spiced cookie finally made it to the U.S. in 1985 through the friendly skies as a Delta in-flight treat.  A perfectly reasonable reason to select Delta as your airline of choice.  And, I just learned that the word, Delta, is actually stamped on one side of this slightly larger than the retail version of Biscoff.  Apparently I was too busy inhaling the cookie to notice.

But, who invented the Biscoff spread?  Why Els Scheppers, of course.  She was a contestant on a Belgian TV show called The Bedenkers (The Inventors).  Lotus Bakeries then worked with her to create this amazing spread and it was released in 2011.

Us gluten free folks want to be able to play along and slather this stuff on everything too.  Which is why last week’s post here showed you how to make this caramelized, cinnamon, cardamom and clove cookie.  Cause, after all, the real goal was the cookie spread all along.

The true challenge is making enough cookies so you have enough to snack on and enough left over to make the cookie butter.

I started looking at cookie butter recipes on line and found at least 6 completely different recipes.  And I, of course, had my own thoughts on how it should go.  So I started there with one of my favorite ingredients – coconut butter.  If you’re not familiar with this product, it’s a solid fat from the flesh of the coconut and includes shreds of the coconut meat.  It has a nice delicate coconut flavor.  It’s pretty different from coconut oil – so they aren’t interchangeable.

But, don’t get too attached to this.  I tried making the cookie butter with the coconut butter and a few other ingredients, but I just couldn’t get the right ratios – not yesterday anyway.  Might have something to do with the fact that I was in my 8th straight hour in the kitchen.  But, I’ll revisit that another time.

In all those recipes, I saw everything from sweetened condensed milk to heavy cream and vegetable oil and I tried, at least, 4 of them.  Most of them didn’t deliver.  The one I settled on was inspired by With Love and Cupcakes version here.  But, I made a few adjustments to get it where I wanted.  I tried the lemon juice, but that didn’t work for me, so I opted to sub in lemon zest.  Perfect. I changed out the vegetable oil to coconut oil and reduced the coconut milk by half.  Exactly what I wanted.

So, you’ll need a food processor.  I love my Cuisinart.  Or, a blender – I’m all about my Vitamix.  A regular blender works, of course.  You just may not get the fine crumb to make the butter completely smooth.  But, believe me, that’s not an issue.

I went with the Cuisinart for this.  Buzzed up the cookies and added the remaining ingredients and let the Cuisinart run about 1 to 2 minutes until completely blended and emulsified (you know – pulled together with no separation).

I store mine in glass ball jars and refrigerate.  Should be good for 2 weeks.  I’ll update if I learn something different.

All that’s left is to decide what to slather this on.  What is your food of choice?

Deb Farina

Yields 2

Gluten Free Cookie Butter (aka Biscoff Spread)

Uniquely spiced speculoos cookies – cardamom, cinnamon and cloves – turned into a delicious cookie spread for your toast, crepes or anything you choose.

10 minPrep Time

5 minCook Time

15 minTotal Time

 

 

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (8.8 ounces) Gluten Free Speculoos Cookies
  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) coconut milk
  • 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon Zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Place cookies in Cuisinart and buzz up until fine.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and process until mixture turns into a beautifully smooth spread.
  3. If your mixture is too dry, add an additional 1 to 2 teaspoons of coconut milk at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
  4. Store in glass ball jars or a sealed container of your choice. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
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http://glutenfreefarina.com/2016/01/13/gluten-free-cookie-butter-aka-biscoff-spread/

Buon Appetito!

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