Soft Cookie Butter Cookies — Not sure what to do with cookie butter? Make this recipe! These cookies are tender, moist, and filled with warming spices! If you like the flavor of cinnamon, ginger, soft gingersnaps, or molasses, these warm and comforting cookies will be your new favorites!
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The Best Recipe Using Cookie Butter!
I can’t believe I didn’t have a recipe for cookie butter cookies on my site. That’s fixed now. And there’s no butter and no white sugar in them.
I’ve got umpteen recipes using cookie butter, but I didn’t have cookies. If you haven’t tried the stuff, crawl out from under your rock and prepare to eat the whole jar the day you buy it.
It’s spreadable cookies. And it’s out of this world good.
If you like gingersnaps, gingerbread, ginger, molasses, and cinnamon, cookie butter will be your BFF.
What better way to use spreadable cookies than to make cookies with it? Makes perfect sense to me.
I combined elements from two of my all-time favorite cookie recipes, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies and Soft Batch Dark Brown Sugar Cookies.
There’s no butter used and no granulated sugar used. Only brown sugar is used and it keeps cookies so moist.
(Please don’t write to say that brown sugar is really just granulated with molasses. If I had a nickle. Oh boy.)
They’re similar to the Softbatch Dark Brown Sugar Cookies in texture, thanks in part to not over-flouring the dough so they stay incredibly soft and moist, with a slight chewiness around the edges.
The dough is fast and easy to make, and the batch size is very modest, at just a baker’s dozen. If you can’t trust yourself around a jar of cookie butter, you don’t need more than a dozen of these laying around either.
I’m no stranger to brown sugar-based cookies and these were wonderful. The brown sugar caramelizes, creating a rich, buttery cookie with hints of caramel and vanilla.
Combined with the cinnamon, ginger, and spices in the Cookie Butter, there’s so many comforting flavors and they’re some of my new favorites. Definitely perfect as fall and cooler weather sets in.
And I can check cookies-made-with-cookie-butter off my to-make list.
Ingredients in Cookie Butter Cookies
Making cookies has got to be one of my new favorite cookie butter uses! Here’s what you’ll need to make cookies with cookie butter:
- Egg
- Cookie butter / Biscoff Spread
- Light brown sugar
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Cinnamon
- Baking soda
- Salt
How to Make Cookie Butter Cookies
Cookies are one of the simplest cookie butter desserts you can make! Here’s an overview of how the recipe is made:
- Cream together the cookie butter, egg, brown sugar, and vanilla.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Scoop the dough into balls and chill them for at least 3 hours.
- Once the dough has chilled, bake the cookies just until the edges have set and the tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center.
How to Store the Cookies
Store cookies airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Alternatively, unbaked cookie dough can be stored airtight in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months, so consider baking only as many cookies as desired and save the remaining dough to be baked in the future when desired.
Cookie Butter Cookies FAQs
Cookie butter is made by grinding speculoos cookies (think slightly caramelized, buttery, cinnamon-heavy gingersnaps) into a butter-like spread, which has the consistency of thick peanut butter.
Most people tend to use Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter and Biscoff Spread interchangeably, myself included. However, my understanding is that Biscoff Spread is the original “cookie butter” that TJ’s based its product off of.
Yes! I love add-ins to the max and was going to trash them up and add chopped cookies, like Biscoff cookies or TJ’s Bistro Biscuits, cinnamon graham crackers or cinnamon chips, but I wanted the rich, flavorful dough to shine. However, you’re welcome to add up to 1/2 cup of mix-ins, if desired.
I always chill my dough because it results in cookies that are puffier and thicker. But for these cookies especially, chilling is mandatory.
I added cornstarch because it keeps cookies and crusts softer and more tender. It’s really a miracle worker in baking and kept these cookies soft and supple.
In addition to these fabulous cookie butter cookies, you can use your jar of cookie butter to make bars, sandwich cookies, cakes and more! Try using it like you would peanut butter and see what happens.
For more recipe ideas, here are all of my cookie butter desserts.
Biscoff is sold at many mainstream grocery stores and at big box retailers. I’ve even seen it at places like TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. Or just order it. Or buy the TJ’s version if you’re near a TJs.
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Softbatch Cookie Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup creamy Cookie Butter or Biscoff Spread
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed (dark brown may be substituted)
- 1 ½ tablespoons vanilla extract, yes tablespoons, not teaspoons
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or up to 1 cup flour as necessary, see directions below
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl and electric hand mixer), cream together the egg, cookie butter, brown sugar, and vanilla on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Do not shortchange this creaming step, and if using a hand mixer, 6-7 minutes may be necessary. Don’t overbeat or overdo it so that the oils start releasing (more prone to happening with peanut butter than Cookie Butter); just make sure the mixture is properly creamed.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, baking soda, optional salt, and mix on low speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute; don’t overmix. The dough will be soft and on the oily side, but it should come together and not be sticky, tacky, or wet. If it is, add up to 2 more tablespoons of flour, for a total of 1 cup, and mix to incorporate. Due to climate and variance in ingredients such as moisture level of brown sugar, volume of egg, brand of Cookie Butter, etc. the flour amount could vary by a few tablespoons.
- Using a medium 2-inch cookie scoop, form heaping two-tablespoon mounds (I made 13). Place mounds on a large plate, flatten mounds slightly, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter. Properly chilled dough is mandatory.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line a baking sheet with a Silpat, or spray with cooking spray.
- Place mounds on baking sheet, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for 8 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if slightly undercooked, pale and glossy in the center. Do not bake longer than 9 minutes if you want Softbatch-sytle cookies because they firm up as they cool (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp while the oven preheated, and were baked for 8 minutes. They have slightly chewy edges with soft, pillowy, gooey centers).
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Spiced Cookie Recipes:
Soft & Chewy Dark Brown Sugar Cookies — These cookies are sweetened entirely with dark brown sugar! Between the molasses in the sugar and the molasses in the dough, these cookies are rich, deep and caramely in flavor!
Brown Sugar Maple Cookies — Dense and not at all cakey, with the perfect balance of chewy edges and soft, tender, pillowy centers!
Chewy Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies — Amply flavored with molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Chocolate is used three times! Cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and chocolate chunks are used, making these perfect for chocolate lovers!!
Soft & Chewy Molasses Gingerdoodles— These soft molasses cookies taste like a cross between chewy gingerbread cookies and crinkly snickerdoodles. An unbeatable holiday cookie recipe!
Molasses Crinkle Cookies — The richness and depth of the dark molasses, coupled with dark brown sugar and spices, make them some of my favorite cookies ever!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies — Between the molasses, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin pie spice extract that I used, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies beautifully showcase the flavors of fall!
Soft and Chewy Sugar-Doodle Vanilla Cookies – Part soft sugar cookie, part chewy snickerdoodle, with tons of rich vanilla flavor!
Chai Cookies — The chai spices give the cookies so much depth of flavor. Cozy, comfort-food cookies that warm you up inside!
Any ideas how to make an egg free version?
I don’t, sorry. You could make try one of the egg-replacer products and see how it goes but I haven’t tried.
I just made these a few min ago. Averie, seriously one of your best cookie recipes. I love them. P.s. I also plan to make your carrot cake loaf. But I want to enjoy it for more of a quickbread, an I just omit the frosting?
I have a Carrot-Zucchini, Carrot-Apple, and Carrot-Banana Bread. Google ‘Averie Cooks Carrot Bread’ and you’ll seem them all. They are still soft and tender and definitely more quickbread than carrot cake in a loaf. I’d go with one of those.
As for these cookies, I made them years ago when Cookie Butter was the hot and trendy thing and I remember loving them and thinking, wow, these were GOOD! I am glad you think they’re some of my best ever!
I made these today and chilled for 3 hours but they were fairly flat and oily. So oily that after they cooled on the pan for a few minutes as instructed there was a layer of oil on the baking sheet so I then rested them on paper towels and they completely soaked through 3 layers! After all the oil got sopped up they actually tasted delicious although very soft to the point of almost not staying together when picking them up. So my question is would adding more flour solve this problem? If adding extra flour do I need to adjust anything other ingredients? The taste really was great so I would like to try them again but fix the oiliness. I used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Spice Cookie Butter, could that maybe be more oily than regular cookie butter (I haven’t tried the plain)? I’ve made tons of your recipes with no problems ever so I’m figuring there has to be something simple I’m missing!
Thank you!
So my question is would adding more flour solve this problem? = Probably more flour would solve it, I wouldn’t alter the other ingredients.
In terms of the oiliness, pumpkin is naturally SO moist that if they used any natural pumpkin in their pumpkin CB, then that could be it right there. Try making with regular CB and see how that goes. Also read this post for my cookie tips, i.e. Silpat, King Arthur, etc.
https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/02/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
Thanks for trying the recipe and yes I am thinking there is something simple, and likely could be the CB.
If it’s the pumpkin, less egg may help. Between egg sizes and humidity, that’s something I occasionally adjust. You just mash the white and yolk together with a fork & eyeball how much to add for the moisture you’re looking for. You don’t want to deviate too much.. but with something like pumpkin, it works pretty well.
Does one batch really only make 13 cookies? These look amazing and I really want to try them
The yield is determined by how large, or small, you shape the cookies but this is not a huge recipe to begin with. If you think you want more, make a double batch.
I used homemade cookie butter and these cookies were among the best I’ve ever made. My kids and my husband couldn’t get enough! Thanks for the recipe.
I love that you have homemade cookie butter on hand :) Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you!
After a long day with a baby that refused to nap today, I knew these would be the perfect fix!! They did not disappoint! Now I need to try all of your other cookie recipes :)
Also thank you for being so specific with times for cooking and letting rest on the cookie sheet! It really helped make mine perfect.
Glad all the tips are helpful! Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it came out great for you!
These look delicious! I plan to make a few batches for my family this weekend.
Just made two batches of this recipe. But the second I used cookies and cream cookie butter. It was amazing!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I didn’t even know cookies and cream cookie butter was a thing – I need to try that!
These cookies are wonderful! I’ve made them several times, and they always turn out perfect. Trader Joe’s made a pumpkin spice cookie butter this year, and I just whipped up a batch with it in place of the regular cookie butter! They’re chilling now, but judging by the smell, they are going to be amazing.
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad it comes out great for you whenever you make it!
I saw that pumpkin cookie butter there this week. I didn’t even buy it because I would have NO RESTRAINT with that stuff. None :) LMK how they turn out but I know they’re going to be amazing!!
I used the pumpkin spice cookie butter in these cookies, in part, so I don’t just eat the whole tub with a spoon! The cookies are soooo good!
I may just have to pick up some of that stuff this week on my TJ’s runs. They have so many amazing pumpkin things but that one looked like I should just do it :) Glad the cookies are awesome!!
Hi Averie,
Love most of your recipes. Already made them once and they were an absolute hit in the office. Just wondering if there is something else I can add to jazz them up a bit? Some butterscotch chips or chocolate chips? Thoughts on other good combos?
Keep making amazing cookies :)
Chocolate chips, butterscotch, white chocolate, any of those would jazz these up!
I’m so excited about making these. I want to replace the all purpose flour with whole wheat flour, woould that be okay? And if so, do I need to add/change anything on the recipe to accomodate for the substitute?
This isn’t a recipe I’d recommend with w.w. flour. The inherent texture will change as will the flavor. I would make the recipe as written at least once and then if you feel confident to start tweaking things on your own, you can experiment to find what works and what doesn’t.
Do you think these would be good if I added Heath Bar bits? I have never made these before but wanted to add a toffee kick. Your input would be awesome!!!
They’d probably be great!
I followed the instructions exactly how they are written, but instead of chilling the dough over night like you did in the recipe I chilled them for 3 hours like you said would be fine, but they still flattened:( none the less they were still delicious and I added dark chocolate chips. yummmm
Read this post about tips against spreading with cookies https://www.averiecooks.com/2014/02/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies.html I strongly believe in King Arthur flour, Silpats, etc. If you try all those things and then are still having issues, email me back! But glad they cookies tasted delicious and you were pleased overall! The choc chips sound great too!
Too many similar pictures posted of the same cookies…. it bogs down your page when viewing via mobile. Plus it just looks junked up. Limit yourself to 2-3 pictures and move on…
Thanks for your input and for stopping by my site. Have a wonderful day!
Hi Averie,
I know I am super late but I just found your site (gotta love Pinterest). I just had to tell you how AMAZING your cookies were. They were super easy to make and an instant with the family. I got a little nervous that my dough was a little crumbly. I had to roll balls instead of my cookie scoop, but definitely worth the little extra manual labor :) I’m going to brave and and white
Amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Averie,
Let’s try this again without accidentally hitting submit!
I know I am super late but I just found your site (gotta love Pinterest). I just had to tell you how AMAZING your cookies were. They were super easy to make and an instant hit with the family. I got a little nervous that my dough was a little crumbly. I had to roll balls instead of my cookie scoop, but definitely worth the little extra manual labor :) I may be brave and try some additions next time but I am nervous about messing with perfection :)
Amazing recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Averie,
I’m curious to know why you don’t agree that brown sugar is white with molasses added? I’ve always made my own brown sugar this way, since I like to use organic fair trade sugar, and organic fair trade brown sugar is hard to find and expensive. I looked on Wikipedia and don’t see any indication that brown sugar is anything more than white plus molasses? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_sugar