If you know me personally, you know I love nothing more than talking your ear off about all things sugar. And if you’ve allowed me to do so, you’ve probably heard me talk about cookie butter. AND if you’ve said in reply, “What’s that?” you’ve most certainly heard me shriek in surprise that you’ve yet to be introduced to the best thing ever.
I repeat. BEST. THING. EVER. Let’s start at the beginning.
Speculoos (or Speculaas) is a traditional Dutch spice biscuit, typically baked for the St. Nicholas feast. It’s flavoring comes from brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and sometimes white pepper.
Probably the most well known brand of speculoos cookie is Biscoff, made by Lotus Bakeries, originally in the 1930s. By 1985 it became the snack of choice of Delta airlines. In 2011 a contestant on a Belgian TV show called “The Inventors” invented Biscoff Spread - a peanut-butter-textured spread made from the biscotti cookies themselves. And at some point after that, some genius at Trader Joe’s discovered it and they made their own version, dubbing it “Cookie Butter."
It’s simply the most delicious flavor with the most luxurious texture. If you love peanut butter, and you love gingerbread, you will fall head over heels. Maybe it’s TMI, but honest to god I think I would bathe in cookie butter if I could.
I probably bake with biscoff spread/cookie butter (I use them both) at least once a month. So, when looking for a finger-food dessert to accompany this year's Thanksgiving pies, I stumbled upon Wine & Glue’s Salted Chocolate Cookie Butter Bark and it was a no brainer.
Line a half sheet pan (18”x13”) with wax paper on the bottom.
Melt 9oz of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (1.5 cups if using chips) in the microwave (don’t know how? See Tips & Tricks!)
Quickly spread the chocolate in a thin even layer covering almost all of the wax paper. It will be easiest to do this using an offset spatula. Put the sheet in the freezer while you prepare the cookie butter mixture.
Using a stand or hand mixer, cream 2TB of room temp. butter, 1 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 cup of Trader Joe’s Crunchy Cookie Butter. You can use any brand of non-crunchy too, but I prefer the added crunch since it’s bark. You can also do this step by hand, but it’s much easier to do it with a mixer and the mixture will come out smoother. If using a mixer, remember to start mixing slowly unless you want to be blanketed in powdered sugar!
As long as the sheet has been freezing for at least 15 minutes, pull it out and spread the cookie butter mixture evenly over the chocolate. If the cookie butter mixture is too stiff to spread, zap it in the microwave for 5-10 seconds (but not longer!) to soften it up, or press it onto the chocolate using your fingers. Measure out 1tsp of sea salt and set aside.
Melt 9oz MORE of semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (1.5 cups if using chips) in the microwave, and then drizzle it evenly over the cookie butter, so you’ll have to do very little spreading with the spatula in order to get it covered. If the chocolate is warm, it will eventually start to melt the cookie butter and mix together. Not that this would be terrible, but it’s not really what you’re going for.
As soon as you’ve finished spreading the chocolate, sprinkle it evenly with the sea salt. You might not use all 1tsp of it - that’s okay.
Back to the freezer! Let it be for at least two hours, but ideally overnight. When you pull it off the pan, break it into pieces and you’re good to go.
Happy Baking!
SUPPLIES & INGREDIENTS
Half sheet pan (18"x13")
Wax paper
Offset spatula
Freezer space
18oz (3c) of semi or bitter-sweet chocolate (chips are fine), divided
2TB butter, room temperature
4oz (1c) powdered sugar
240g (1c) Trader Joe's Crunchy Cookie Butter
1tsp sea salt
DIRECTIONS
Line a half sheet pan with wax paper on the bottom.
Melt 9oz the chocolate in the microwave (don’t know how? See Tips & Tricks!)
Quickly spread the chocolate in a thin even layer covering almost all of the wax paper. Put the sheet in the freezer while you prepare the cookie butter mixture.
Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter, powdered sugar, and cookie butter. You can also do this step by hand, but it’s much easier to do it with a mixer and the mixture will come out smoother. If using a mixer, remember to start mixing slowly unless you want to be blanketed in powdered sugar!
As long as the sheet has been freezing for at least 15 minutes, pull it out and spread the cookie butter mixture evenly over the chocolate. Measure out 1tsp of sea salt and set aside.
Melt the rest of the chocolate, and then drizzle it evenly over the cookie butter, so you’ll have to do very little spreading with the spatula in order to get it covered. If the chocolate is warm, it will eventually start to melt the cookie butter and mix together. Not that this would be terrible, but it’s not really what you’re going for.
As soon as you’ve finished spreading the chocolate, sprinkle it evenly with the sea salt. You might not use all 1tsp of it - that’s okay.
Back to the freezer! Let it be for at least two hours, but ideally overnight. When you pull it off the pan, break it into pieces and you’re good to go.
As long as it stays cold (I kept mine in the fridge) you’re fine to stack all the pieces in tupperware. I’d imagine it would keep that for about two weeks, maybe longer, but you’re a freak of nature if it manages to last that long in your house. If you do want to save it for the future - maybe for a short-notice party or a host gift - make sure it’s in a very tightly sealed container and I’d say you’re safe to freeze it for 6-10 months.