Gingerbread Cookie Dough Peanut Butter

Soft gingerbread and molasses cookies are some of my favorites, even preferred to chocolate chip.

And I have a major thing for peanut butter. And cookie dough. This is all of that, in one.

In a way, it’s a very amped-up version of Biscoff Spread or TJ’s Cookie Butter, although that’s not what I was trying to create. I already have a recipe for Homemade Biscoff/Cookie Butter.

It’s boldly flavored with molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, and has much more pop than Cookie Butter or Biscoff.

If you’re never tried making your own peanut butter, please change that. Homemade peanut butter tastes nothing like storebought. It’s creamy, drippy, comfort food in a jar.

It’s like trying to compare from-scratch Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with dough-in-a-tube. Not the same.

The recipe is inherently gluten-free, and it’s easily kept vegan by using plain peanuts and vegan white chocolate chips.

For most of my homemade peanut butters, I use Trader Joe’s Honey Roasted Peanuts ($2.99 for 1 lb). You can use (lightly) salted peanuts too, but since most of the peanut butter I make is dessert-style, honey roasted peanuts are a nice touch.

The process of making this peanut butter follows the same general process of making plain homemade peanut butter.

Add peanuts to the canister of the food processor. You’ll need a decent quality food processor that’s up to the task of running for at least 15 minutes. I don’t think this is a job for a mini food processor.

I don’t think this is a job for a Vita-Mix. I love mine dearly, but you need the action of the blades in a food processor rather than the whirring action of a Vita for this job. I fear a Vita would overheat very quickly and you’d end up with a paste that never breaks down and cleanup underneath the blade would be a hot mess. I’m sure some people have done it in a Vita, but I’ll stick with my food processor.

Turn it on and watch it go. Wheeee!

I find the less I stop, start, and scrape down the sides of the canister, the better. Turn it on and leave it alone.

There peanuts go through various stages in the approximately five minutes it takes to go from peanuts to peanut butter:

crushed peanuts

crushed into a fine powder

a paste

a thicker paste

and a big peanut butter “dough ball” will form

And then the big ball magically breaks down.

And turns into gritty peanut butter.

Keep processing and the peanut butter will get smoother, creamier, and thin out.

Keep processing until you’re certain the peanut butter is smooth enough for your liking, another minute or so. No harm in ‘over’-processing.

Add the molasses, spices, and white chocolate. I used one 10-ounce bag of white chocolate chips and didn’t melt them first. I have a ferociously strong food processor and given the heat that’s already generated from making the peanut butter, it’s enough to soften and integrate the chocolate chips for me.

However, if you have an older or less powerful machine, melt the white chocolate first, then drizzle it in.

Although I usually don’t need to add oil to my peanut butter, to this batch, I drizzled in about one-quarter cup coconut oil because my peanut butter was very thick and paste-like. Peanuts are a natural product and it figures that some are just drier than others. I blame winter weather, everyone’s dried out, even peanuts. This bag was a dry batch and a little coconut oil did the trick.

There’s way too many other bold flavors present for the coconut oil to be detectable, but use canola or vegetable oil if you’re more comfortable.

I’m comfortable keeping all of my nut butters for at least a couple weeks at room temp, although it’s rare they last past 1 week. In the fridge, I have stored homemade peanut butter for 5 months (got lost in the back of the fridge) and it was fine. There are no preservatives, so use common sense.

It’s creamy, smooth, it’s nut butter-as-dessert and it’s dangerous to have around.

Make this when you’re  not trying to squeeze into that little holiday dress. It’s sinfully decadent and ignorance is bliss.

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Gingerbread Cookie Dough Peanut Butter (gluten-free with vegan option)

By Averie Sunshine

Move over Biscoff & Cookie Butter. This tastes like gingerbread cookies & it’s DIY in 10 mins! Making your own peanut butter is fast, easy, and homemade tastes nothing like storebought. It’s creamy, buttery smooth, and this blend is so indulgent. This is like a very amped-up version of Cookie Butter or Biscoff spread, although much bolder, and prominently flavored with molasses, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make it when you’re not trying to squeeze into a holiday dress because it’s sinfully decadent. It’s inherently gluten-free, and easily kept vegan by using plain peanuts and vegan white chocolate chips. I recommend a full-size (not mini) food processor and prefer my food proc to Vita-Mix for the task.

Prep Time: 1 minute minute

Additional Time: 14 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 ounces (1 large & 1 small mason jar)

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Ingredients  

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• ▢ 16 ounces 1 pound honey-roasted peanuts (or your favorite type of peanuts)
• ▢ ⅓ cup light, medium, or dark molasses (not blackstrap, too pungent)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cinnamon, to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ pinch of salt, optional and to taste
• ▢ one 10-ounce bag white chocolate chips, or white chocolate bar, chopped; melt the chocolate first if your food processor is weaker or older
• ▢ drizzle of coconut oil], canola oil, or vegetable oil, optional and only if needed (I used about 1/4 cup [coconut oil

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Instructions 

• Add peanuts to the canister of a food processor, process on high power until creamy and smooth, about 5 minutes. Stop to scrape down the sides of the canister if necessary. However, I find the less scraping and interruptions, the better.
• The peanuts will go through stages of: crushed, crushed into a fine powder, a paste, a thicker paste, a big “dough ball”, and then the ball will break down into runnier peanut butter. At the point the peanut butter is runny, continue processing for about 1 to 2 more minutes, making sure the peanut butter is as smooth as desired.
• Through the feed tube with the processor running, add the molasses, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and optional salt.
• Slowly add the white chocolate chips about 1/2 cup at a time, allowing time for chocolate to become integrated and broken down after each addition. If your food processor is weaker or older, melting the chocolate first is highly recommended so mixture doesn’t turn gloppy and seize up.
• If needed, drizzle in oil to help mixture smooth out. If you run into any issues with thick or pasty peanut butter which can happen after adding the chocolate, troubleshoot by adding oil which will help thin it out. Secondly, simply allowing extra processing time and just letting the machine run for 10 to 15 minutes will usually help thin out any pasty peanut butter.
• Transfer peanut butter into glass jars or other airtight containers with a lid. Store peanut butter in the refrigerator or at room temperature. At room temperature, it firms up somewhat as it cools, but stays runny and soft. In the refrigerator, because of the chocolate and optional coconut oil, it hardens and solidifies, but softens up again after 10 minutes at room temperature. It can be stored at room temperature for at least two weeks and in the refrigerator for months; let common sense be your guide. Recipe is gluten-free provided that the peanuts and chocolate chips used are gluten-free. To keep vegan, use plain peanuts and vegan white chocolate chips.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 148kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 3mg, Sodium: 30mg, Sugar: 21g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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