Sunday, August 10, 2014

Homemade vegan chocolate chip cookie butter, plus a frosting to use it

homemade vegan chocolate chip cookie butter, plus a frosting to use it

Confession time:

I hate cookie butter.

There. I said it. I hate peanut butter’s sexier, slightly fatter older sister, the pet poodle of the food blog world and dessert lovers everywhere, the “personal crack” of at least five million Trader Joe’s-shopping, Biscoff-toting speculoos addicts around the world. Bite me.

I remember when I first heard about it after seeing a recipe pop up in my reader for cookie butter blondies. The idea was fascinating. The essence of a cookie, all packaged up in a neat little jar? A jar you could buy from Trader Joe’s, no less, meaning you can still feel virtuous and food-conscious while eating it?! Incredible! And so I promptly began pestering my mother to buy a jar (or two) of the stuff.

Poor little June. Imagine her dismay when she ripped open a brand new container and took a spoonful, only to find that no, it did not taste like cookie dough or chocolate chip cookies or whatever, but rotten, vomit-flavored, tongue-coating, gag-inducing shit. Disgusting. I’ve not touched the stuff since.

Though it turned out my mom and brother loved it, so we’ve continued to buy cookie butter alongside our equally-virtuous jars of Nutella and creamy-style peanut butter.

But still I dreamt of a spread that truly captured the idea of what a cookie was to me—the pure, buttery goodness; that sweet, slightly caramelized flavor; maybe a hint of chocolate. And really, what is stopping us from using other cookies to make cookie butter, not just those dreadful speculoos things? Why haven’t we made snickerdoodle butter? Or gingerbread butter? Or chocolate wafer butter? Or—

homemade vegan chocolate chip cookie butter, plus a frosting to use it
OMG June no.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE BUTTER.

I told you there was some special higher purpose to those chocolate chip cookies I made yesterday. Rather than eat them like a normal person, I tossed them in the food processor with some coconut oil and cashews to turn them into thick, creamy (if not quite as creamy as the commercial stuff) cookie butter—the stuff of dreams. Quite honestly, this is the most delicious food to look like fecal matter since Nutella itself.

It may look awfully chocolaty, but the flavor is more inclined towards the caramel-y, brown sugar flavor of a chocolate chip cookie base, with notes of chocolate and a bit of nuttiness from the cashew butter. And speaking of cashew butter...that means this is healthy, right? Good enough for breakfast? Smeared on some toast, maybe?

homemade vegan chocolate chip cookie butter, plus a frosting to use it
Dream on, Baby June.

But in case you aren’t keen on having a whole bunch of cookie butter hanging around the house with only your spoon as company, I’ve added it to a basic buttercream recipe for cupcakes, cakes, or whatever else you put frosting on. Magical shit, that is. Probably one of the best frostings I’ve ever made, short of that lavender buttercream I whipped up for that other cupcake recipe.

Here’s how you make it.

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Chocolate chip cookie butter

Ingredients

226 grams • homemade vegan chocolate chip cookies • 8 ounces

54 grams • coconut oil, melted • ¼ cup

64 grams • cashew butter (store-bought or homemade) • ¼ cup

Instructions

Place cookies in a food processor. If you want, you can break up the cookies a little bit before putting them in there if your processor isn’t that powerful. Grind up those cookies until they are small crumbs, then pour in coconut oil and keep blending until smooth. You may need extra coconut oil for more smoothness. You can keep this chilled or at room temperature depending on the consistency you want.

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Chocolate chip cookie butter frosting

Ingredients

128 grams • chocolate chip cookie butter (see recipe above), at room temperature • ½ cup

226 grams • nondairy margarine, softened (you can substitute up to half with coconut oil) • 1 cup

500 grams • powdered sugar • 4 cups

30 grams • nondairy milk • 2 tablespoons

Salt to taste

Instructions

Place cookie butter and margarine in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Slowly add powdered sugar until combined, then add nondairy milk and pinch of salt. Beat until frostalicious and fluffy. Add salt to taste. For a stiffer consistency, add up to a quarter cup more powdered sugar; for a looser consistency, add up to a tablespoon more milk. Use immediately.
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homemade vegan chocolate chip cookie butter, plus a frosting to use it
Like my china? Hmmm? I'm trying to use some nice props here, give me some credit.

If you’d like, feel free to use another cookie recipe in place of the chocolate chip cookies. You could even try another cookie flavor entirely—though be sure to use cookies on the thinner, crispier side. These chocolate chip cookies were barely crispy enough to turn into butter; any thicker, and this whole thing would’ve been a gross, gloppy mess instead of creamy amazingness.

Another tip: you can substitute any vegetable oil for the coconut oil; but know that if you use a type of oil that is liquid at room temperature, your butter won’t be quite as thick. In a pinch, you can also use peanut butter (or another nut butter) instead of the cashews if you are okay with a slightly more accentuated nut-flavor.

But it’s all good. This is just ground-up cookies, people. Can’t go wrong with that.

Up next: another cupcake base recipe, starring chocolate (obviously) and our FAVORITE green, squashy vegetable. Are you excited?!

20 comments:

  1. Ok, this sounds both amazing and dangerous! We don't have cookie butter in Australia, or to my knowledge in England, but your homemade chocolate chip spread sounds fantastic.

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    1. Thanks! It's probably for the best you don't have cookie butter over there :P But this homemade stuff is awesome!

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  2. I have been seeing all your delicious desserts in my FB stream and I just had to stop by to tell you that you have successfully made my mouth water on every post. Thanks :)

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    1. Oh, I'm glad you think so! Been posting a lot lately I guess. But I'm happy to here you like them! :)

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  3. Agreeed! I don't like when there is tooo much butter frosting either. Cream cheese frosting? Yes purrlease! Peanut butter frosting? Hell yeah? Chocolate chip frosting a la June? Bring it on, it looks great :D

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  4. Ooo, I think you are really onto something there with the homemade cookie butters, ginger bread and snickerdoodle - yes please!! I was pretty unimpressed also with cookie butter when I picked some up a couple of years ago. Pretty photos! : )

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    1. Thank you! I will probably end up making some other flavors of cookie butter in the near future so you can look forward to that :)

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  5. HAHAHAHA!! Omg I think I died reading this! I love how so many vegans convince themselves that their *not very well composed* junk substitutes taste like the real thing..it doesn't. It's like, no. I would pay to read your commentaries no matter how the thing tasted though! Hilarious. This recipe looks awesome, I have to try! And I agree with the above, v pretty photo's. I couldn't help myself re-pinning your tiramisu pancakes over there either...*_*

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    1. Thanks so much! Glad you like my writing, that made my morning :')

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  6. Well, I do really love cookie butter. But I bet I would also love your interpretation of it as well! Let's be honest, the more cookie butter varieties there are in my life, the better.

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  7. Whaaaa? You don't like cookie butter? I hadn't tried it until recently, but I knew I'd love it because I LOVE those biscoff cookies they give you on airplanes. All buttery and cinnamony and stuff. Chocolate chip cookie butter does sound like next level deliciousness, though! I promised Josh cookie butter frosting on his cake this year though, so apparently it's on everyones mind lately!

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    1. I know I know, it's blasphemy :P But this homemade version will blow you away, I promise! :)

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  8. That looks very, very delicious. Blessings dear. Catherine

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  9. I have never seen cookie butter before. Is it sold with the nut butters? I'm going to have to search for this, it sounds delicious!

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    1. I've never seen Biscoff before, but I'm pretty sure the Trader Joe's cookie butter is by the nut butters. Or something. It seems like they're always running out. I guess it depends if you like speculoos flavors and such. Chocolate chip cookie butter is much better, IMHO :P Anyway thanks for reading!

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  10. I’ve often heard of cookie butter but had no idea what it really was. It sounds…scrumptious!

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    1. It totally is scrumptious! Thanks for stopping by :)

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