Cookie Butter Recipe

What is cookie butter, and how do you make it?

By
Laurel Randolph
Photo of Laurel Randolph
Laurel Randolph
A fervid lover of the culinary arts and all things Instant Pot, Laurel has been writing about food for 10 years. One of her cookbooks was the #2 cookbook of 2017.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 03/7/22
Tested by
Bahareh Niati
Bahareh Niati
Tested by Bahareh Niati
Bahareh Niati is a professional food photographer and recipe developer. Baking and sweet treats are her favorites, and she shares her creations and love for baking on her blog Baking is Therapy.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Cookie butter

The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 0 mins
Chill: 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Yield: 2 cups
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
107 Calories
7g Fat
12g Carbs
1g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 107
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 5mg 2%
Sodium 54mg 2%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 14mg 1%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 25mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Sure, chocolate spread and nut butter are great, but let's talk about the glory of cookie butter. The sweet, buttery, spiced flavor of cookies in creamy, spreadable form. While you can find it in various supermarkets, it's incredibly easy to make at home with the help of a food processor.

Simply process crumbled cookies into a fine powder, then add boiling water. This will help any sugar dissolve and turn the crumbs into a smooth paste. Coconut oil or butter turn it into a creamy spread, and a little honey helps perk up the flavor.

This recipe makes two cups—the perfect amount to fill a pint jar with a spoonful left over for tasting. Or divide it between two half-pint jars, keep one for yourself, and give one to a lucky friend.

What Is Cookie Butter?

Cookie butter is typically made using Belgian-style speculoos cookies, like Biscoff. The thin and crispy caramelized biscuits are flavored with brown sugar and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, or cardamom. This spreadable form of the classic cookies has that signature spiced flavor with a similar texture to peanut butter.

Try cookie butter spread on toast, pancakes, waffles, apple slices, banana, or use it to sandwich together cookies.

“If you’re a fan of Biscoff cookies, you’re going to love this cookie butter! It’s rich, sweet and creamy and I loved how easy it is to make. You can try this cookie butter in desserts or with some apple slices for a delicious treat!” —Bahareh Niati

Cookie Butter Recipe/Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces Biscoff or speculoos cookies

  • 1 cup boiling water

  • 1/4 cup refined coconut oil, or cubed unsalted butter

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 pinch kosher salt

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients to make cookie butter

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  2. Break the cookies up with your hands and place them into a food processor.

    Broken cookie pieces in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  3. Pulse a few times, then process on high until the cookies are fine crumbs.

    Fine cookie crumbs in a food processor

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  4. Add the boiling water to the ground cookies and pulse a few times to combine. Scrape down the sides of the processor bowl with a rubber spatula.

    Water added to cookie crumbs

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  5. Add the coconut oil or cubed butter, honey, cinnamon, and salt. Process until smooth and creamy, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl, making sure the mixture is well combined.

    Coconut oil, honey, cinnamon, and salt added to cookie mixture

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

  6. Transfer the cookie butter to a pint jar or 2 half-pint jars, with lids. Let chill for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before serving.

    Cookie butter in a jar

    The Spruce Eats / Bahareh Niati

Tips

  • For super smooth cookie butter, make sure to process long enough to ensure the cookie crumbs are very fine. Using boiling water helps to dissolve any sugar in the cookies yielding a creamy texture.
  • Coconut oil produces a slightly thicker spread after chilling than butter, but either work well in this recipe.
  • Be sure to chill before serving. This allows the coconut oil or butter to set up, making the mixture spreadable.
  • It's easy to halve this recipe if you'd like to make one cup.

How to Use Cookie Butter

Use your homemade cookie butter in recipes that feature the ingredient or swap it for the peanut butter or chocolate-hazelnut spread called for in these recipes:

Recipe Variations

  • Spice up this cookie butter by adding more ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and/or clove.
  • Add a splash of vanilla or a little almond extract.
  • Swap the honey for molasses for a richer flavor.
  • While speculoos cookies are the most traditional for cookie butter, any dry, crunchy cookie that crumbles easily can be used. Gingersnaps are an especially good option, but crunchy sugar cookies and chocolate cookies will also work. Avoid chewy or moist cookies and cookies with chocolate chips or a filling.

How to Store

  • Homemade cookie butter will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week.
  • We don't recommend freezing cookie butter, since defrosting often breaks the emulsion, causing the oil to separate.