Homemade Cookie Butter

Of course we love biting right into a cookie, but a world in which we can slather our other favorite things in cookies is even better. That’s why cookie butter was invented. This recipe is easy to make and comes in at just four ingredients. Cookies taste great as they are, so you really don’t need a laundry list of ingredients — just enough to transform their state from solid to spread.

Cookie butter is traditionally made with Speculoos, a spiced crispy cookie from Belgium. Gingersnaps are a worthy substitute and are easy to find at any grocery store. You could also try this recipe with Nutter Butters or graham crackers.

When it comes to using cookie butter, our advice is to treat it just like peanut butter. Spread it on sliced fruit (like apples or bananas) or toast, get it melty and spoon it over waffles, stuff it in French toast, swirl it into cake batter, or dollop it over ice cream.

• Cold butter and cold cream help with the emulsification (i.e, keeping the fat from separating in the cookie butter). When the food processor runs, the blade and engine heat up the food inside it and you’re going to need to run it a bit to break the cookies down. Heat can cause the fat to separate from the cookie spread.
• For the best texture, first pulse the cookies and butter until fine crumbs form, then pour the cream in with the engine running just until incorporated. The cold butter will break down and incorporate with the crumbs, but if you were to process the cream the whole time, you’d risk whipping it.