No-Bake Cookie Butter Spread Ginger Molasses Cookies

When I realized just how much I love cookie butter I knew I had to make something with it.

Rather than just eat it by the spoonful straight from the jar.

Jars of sweet spread and spoons inserted in them are wonderful, but ya know.

I decided to actually make something with my new best friend.

And that’s where these cookies entered the picture.

They are the moistest ginger molasses cookies I’ve ever had.   And the most robust in flavor.

And the easiest.

These cookies are pretty close to just eating cookie butter straight up because they’re essentially cookie butter and cookie crumbs.

But I thought cookies, made with cookie butter spread and cookie crumbs and sugar and chocolate, was better than just eating cookie butter spread on its own.

Maybe not though.  But that’s how my brain works.  Nice try, right?

When in doubt, make cookies with something.

Even if you’re using cookies to make cookies.

And at this time of year, when many of use are “baked out”, these happen to be no-bake.

The no-bake part is especially in Aruba where it’s too hot to turn on the oven

…And because everything melts very quickly in my un-airconditioned kitchen.

Cookie butter spread cookies melting in my mouth is my preference.

This looks long but I promise it’s really just: cookie butter spread + sugar + crushed cookies = cookies

I was just being extra thorough and giving all kinds of options.  I get very excited around cookie butter spread.

[print_this]

No Bake Cookie Butter Spread Ginger Molasses Cookies (No Bake, Vegan, with Gluten Free Option)

1/4 c cookie butter spread (TJ’s Speculoos Spread, Biscoff Spread, Markant; or use sunflower seed butter, peanut butter, or almond butter)

1/2 c Biscoff cookies, crumbled (or use molasses cookies, gingerbread cookies, storebought gingersnaps, graham crackers/graham cracker crumbs, etc. – Beat cookies or crackers them with the back of a knife in a small ziplock baggie or crush up a neutral cereal such as Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes.  You could likely use oats or ground oats, too.)

1/4 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 c chocolate chips, melted (for drizzling over the top of finished cookies.  Or try 1 tbsp chocolate chips + 1 tbsp cookie butter, melted together, then drizzled)

Optional:

1 to 2 tbsp molasses (I used crushed Biscoff’s which already have a molasses flavor but add molasses, to taste, as desired.  If adding molasses, you will need to add more dry ingredients, i.e. Biscoff cookies, molasses cookies, graham crackers, etc. and possibly more brown sugar, to taste, in order to compensate for the wetter dough)

pinch ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, to taste

For chocolate cookies, add 1 to 3 tbsp cocoa powder to the dough

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a spoon until dough comes together.  Form into small cookies or balls.  Melt chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl, in 20 second bursts, stopping and stirring to encourage melting after approximately 20 seconds.  Drizzle melted chocolate over the top of cookies and allow to set up before serving.

Notes: Dough may seem a bit crumbly but use your hands to encourage it to come together.  The fat content in the cookie butter spread combined with the brown sugar will likely allow for crumbly looking dough to come together.  “Squeeze” the dough with your hands to see if it comes together but if it doesn’t, add a bit more cookie butter spread as needed.

Conversely, if dough seems to wet to form into cookie shapes, add more dry ingredients, i.e. Biscoff cookies/gingersnap cookies/graham crackers until appropriate dough consistency is reached.

Yields: 9 small cookies (or fewer depending on size.  The beauty of this recipe is that it’s small.  Double or triple recipe as desired).

Store cookies in an airtight container on the countertop, in the refrigerator, or in the freezer

To keep gluten free, use a nut butter that is GF such as peanut butter, almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.  Use a gluten free cookie that is similar to these gingerbread/molasses spice Enjoy Life Brand, the Mi-Del Gingersnaps, make your own GF cookies, or omit the crushed cookies and use a crushed cereal like GF Rice Krispies.  Take care all other ingredients do not contain trace gluten and are suitable for your needs.

Biscoff cookies and Biscoff spread are vegan.  Take care all other ingredients are suitable for your needs if keeping vegan.

—-

The remainder is optional  (to try if you’re feeling adventurous or creative):

1 scoop neutral, vanilla, or chocolate flavored protein powder to the mixture in lieu of some of the Biscoff cookies/molasses cookies/graham crackers

add any type of chips to the dough: white chocolate, dark, semi-sweet, milk, peanut butter chips; mini chips will probably work better but not essential to use minis

add candied ginger pieces, raisins, dates, other dried fruit, seeds, or nuts to the dough

Add 1 to 2 tbsp Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua, plain/vanilla/marshmallow/cake-flavored vodka or your favorite liquor to the dough.  If you do this, you will need to add more dry ingredients (Biscoff cookies/molasses cookies/graham crackers, and possibly more brown sugar, to taste, in order to compensate for the wetter dough)

melt 1 tbsp white chocolate chips (or dark/peanut butter/butterscotch chips) + 1 tbsp cookie butter (or alternative nut butter) in the microwave for 20 seconds and drizzle this mixture over finished cookies

top cookies with coconut flakes, a dusting of cocoa powder, powdered sugar

make sandwich cookies out of them with chocolate frosting or cream cheese frosting as the filling

[/print_this]

I said before that the Creamy Cookie Butter White Chocolate Banana Smoothie was my new BFF in Aruba.

But these gems have given the smoothie a run for its money.

Really though, you can’t compare a smoothie and cookies.

I think the cookies will always win.

Because I used crushed Biscoffs in the cookies, the resulting gingerbread-molasses flavor was very pronounced.  If you like robust-flavored ginger and molasses, these cookies are for you.

They are wonderfully robust without having that bite that ginger cookies sometimes have which isn’t always the most pleasant.

As I indicated in the recipe, if you don’t have Biscoff cookies or speculoos-style cookies on hand, you can crush storebought gingersnaps or molasses cookies.

Or just use graham cracker crumbs.  It all works.

Don’t forget the chocolate drizzle.  Feel free to make chocolate frosting or cream cheese frosting.  Both would be lovely on these.  Or make sandwich cookies with frosting as the middle layer.  So many options.

The beauty is that they are no-bake, one-bowl, and a 10-minute project.

They remind me of the Almond Butter Cookies (Raw, Vegan, GF) I made years ago.

Except I far prefer cookie butter to almond butter.  I prefer peanut butter to almond butter.  I prefer sunflower seed butter to almond butter.  Of all the nut butters out there, almond butter is my least favorite nut butter.

That said the, raw vegan almond butter cookies are good, especially if almond butter is your thing.

But I like these better.   Because cookie butter spread is my thing.

Consider them your holiday gift.  To yourself.

Questions:

1. Have you tried Cookie Butter Spread? (TJ’s version, Biscoff brand, or another brand)  Do you love it? 

2.Do you have a favorite nut butter of all time?

3. Have you made anything with cookie butter spread, Biscoff Spread, Biscoff cookies, etc.?

I made No Bake Peanut Butter Biscoff Cookie Dough Bites

and

Creamy Cookie Butter White Chocolate Banana Smoothie

And when I’m back in San Diego I have more cookie butter spread baking projects and recipes I want to tinker with and try.

Have a fabulous week!