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!
I found this recipe because I accidentally bought 2 jars of cookie butter so wanted to do something with it. These cookies are perfect. Not too many ingredients so we had everything already. I mixed by hand and they came out perfect. Also only in the fridge an hour and didn’t come out flat. Just amazing! Try after they cool for 5 minutes and you will be a convert for these forever. So soft and delicious! Will for sure bake again.
These cookies turned out amazing! I’ve made them twice now. Followed the directions perfectly and they’ve turned out amazing both times.
I am making these tomorrow, but can’t make the dough till just an hour or two before I bake them; can I freeze the dough and put it straight into the oven from the freezer?
yes
Hi Averie,
I made the cookie butter cookies. I think I did everything according to your recipe, and they taste great, but they are not “pillowy”, they are very flat. Any idea what I may have done wrong?
I have a post here about cookie baking tips for success, i.e. Silpat, chilling, King Arthur flour, etc. https://www.averiecooks.com/the-best-soft-and-chewy-chocolate-chip-cookies/ It’s hard to say from afar what happens but I always recommend trying those things for optimal results. Glad they taste great though!
Hi Averie,
I made the cookie butter cookies. I think I did everything according to your recipe, and they taste great, but they are not “pillowy”, they are very flat. Any idea what I may have done wrong?
I made this recipe exactly as directed and just like a previous comment my dough came out crumbly. At the author’s recommendation I added more cookie butter but it still turned out crumbly. I ended up balling them and then chilling them. Unfortunately when I took them out and laid them onto the cookie sheet they crumbled when I pressed one cookie ball. I decided not to press the remaining balls. After baking them for 8 mins I gently pushed them down with a spoon and let them cook another 3 mins then cooled them. They then turned out fine. I’d definitely add chocolate chips next time. Solid 3 out of 5 recipe.
I live in TX. Very hot here today. The dough wound up crumbly. I added extra flour, very little, but I couldn’t scoop them. I had to roll them like sugar cookies. Course, they’re baking right now so I haven’t tried them yet. They smell wonderful though. Thoughts? I have had problems with cookie dough during the summer months. It makes baking difficult. House is baking from the outside and then the oven makes the kitchen feel like an oven.
It is hard to bake in the heat and humidity especially and results can be unpredictable.
If the dough was crumbly I would guess that there was too much flour added or not quite enough cookie butter, and/or that your cookie butter was drier than mine. It’s really hard to say but in that case I would have added more cookie butter to get it to be less crumbly and/or less flour.
Hi there! I’ve frequented your site many times and I recently found this and really wanted to create a masterpiece of a Thanksgiving dessert using this recipe as a component. I just have one question: What do I need to do in order to bake this in a 9×13 pan?
I would just simply press the dough into the pan and bake it. But being that I haven’t tried doing it that way I can’t give any guidance about baking times.
I seem to be having a problem with my cookies. These were done in Texas don’t know if that makes a difference. The cookies are not as fluffy and about the third day they are getting hard. The only trick I have not tried was King aurther flour. What else could be causing this? Help
It’s really hard to say what happens when someone tries a recipe and I am not right there with them to troubleshoot. I would say don’t bake them quite as long if you think they are getting hard. However by day 3, no cookie is going to taste as good as it did on day 1. Also try KA flour.
Maybe elevation difference?
I seem to be having a problem with my cookies. These were done in Texas don’t know if that makes a difference. The cookies are not as fluffy and about the third day they are getting hard. The only trick I have not tried was King aurther flour. What else could be causing this? Help
Could you add oatmeal to this recipe?
You could but I haven’t tried it that way so can’t give any guidance.
The oatmeal would need to replace some of the flour. If you just add it in without changing the flour amount, it’ll make them too dry.
Do you think Crunchy Cookie Butter would make a difference in the recipe?
Probably not but I personally prefer the texture of smooth in this recipe.
okay, thank you for replying!
I can’t give a nickel but living in Egypt treasures like Domino’s brown sugar or any brown sugar for that matter are hard to come by. That being said can I go ahead and make my own as a replacement for this recipe? How do I even have TJ cookie butter? Stocked up on a recent trip home and snuck it in my checked baggage….this stuff is good.
Would it be okay to bake these cookies in muffin tins like your cookie cup recipes?
Probably but because I haven’t tried them that way I cannot say for sure about the exact results you will get.
I was trying to power through the end of a chocolate-Speculoos swirl jar from Trader Joe’s, and made this recipe. Mmmm mm that turned out well! They’re a deeper brown color, like molasses cookies but still with that spicy cinnamon-y warmth. I added some flakey sea salt to the top of them, so they wouldn’t be too too sweet, and they turned out marvelously. Thanks girl!
Hi! I just wanted to ask, what happens when oil comes out from the mixture? Will it still turn out fine? Because living in a tropical country, it might be because it’s too hot :(
It’s hard to predict exactly what will happen in all baking situations. Sometimes you just have to try and find out. Good luck!
Try popping the dough in the freezer before shaping. It will drawl out some of the excess humidity.