Homemade cookie butter is so easy to make! This Gluten-Free Cookie Butter recipe is vegan, allergy-free, and can be made with any cookies you have on hand! This healthy copycat of your favorite Trader Joe's spread will be a new sweet treat or snack for the whole family to enjoy!
Cookie butter! Have you ever had it? I was gluten-free way before it became a trendy "thing" via it's rise to Trader Joe's stardom. It's everything you love about cookies, but as a spread which you can slather on just about anything you want to make a little more...naughty. Think of it as a sugar/carb-based nut butter. A dessert spread for sure, but a scoop to tame the midnight munchies works too!
What is cookie butter?
Here in America, we know cookie butter as Trader Joe's #1 most popular and top-selling product. A decadent spread made from crushed biscuit/shortbread cookies (Speculoos) and gingerbread spices, mixed with milk, oils, and sugar. Speculoos cookies are actually from the Netherlands/Belgium region of Europe, but all good things must come to the US! Biscoff spread is the same thing, but the European brand. Biscoff is oil-based though, while Trader Joe's cookie butter is dairy-based. Another way to think about it is like Nutella. The Italian chocolate hazelnut spread. "dessert-style peanut butter", if you will.
What can you do with cookie butter?
You may be thinking, "Rebecca, why don't I just eat a cookie?". Valid question, but why not take the cookie craving to a new level? Cookie butter is perfect for:
- Fruits (think apple slices!)
- Breakfast topping for pancakes, waffles, stuffed french toast, oatmeals and hot cereals
- A perfect edible gift to jar up
- Melt some over ice cream sundaes
- Bake it into breads, muffins, (stuffed) cookies, etc.
- Just grab a spoon a dig in!
How to make Gluten-Free Cookie Butter (with any cookie!)
You can use ANY crunchy cookie you have on hand and flavor it up with mix-ins and spices to your heart's content! Just throw all your ingredients in a blender and blend things up until you get that prized "butter". It couldn't be any easier!
What you need to make homemade cookie butter:
- Crunchy Cookies
- Coconut Oil
- Sweetener
- Spices, Extracts, Add-ins
For Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter:
- Enjoy Life Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies (or Double Chocolate Cookies)
- Coconut Oil
- Vanilla Extract
- Sweetener
- Extra Chocolate Chips....(if you want)
For Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Spice Cookie Butter:
- Enjoy Life Crunchy Sugar Cookies
- Coconut Oil
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Allspice
- Brown Sugar Sweetener
- Vanilla Extract
For Gluten-Free Speculoos Cookie Butter:
- Enjoy Life Crunchy Honey Graham Cookies (not vegan)
- Coconut Oil
- Cinnamon
- Ginger
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Molasses
- Vanilla Extract
These DIY cookie butter formulas are an allergy-free, slightly healthier version of the Trader Joe's spread you've been jealous of your friends without food allergies eating in front of you! It checks off all the boxes:
- Gluten-Free
- Vegan
- Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free)
- Kid-Friendly
- Giftable
- Fun, Quick, & Easy to Make and Customize!
Storing your cookie butter:
It does not need to be refrigerated. The coconut oil will make it harden up if you keep it in the fridge. Room temperature in a jar is the way to go. It's just like shelf-stable nut butter! Your cookie butter will be best if used within a month of grinding up (you'll get bonus points if you can make it last longer than a day!)
If you want to make it super drippy, opt for a liquid/syrup sweetener and add additional water or liquid coconut oil. Having a super high-powered blender or food processor will help as well, just like when making homemade nut/seed butter.
Homemade Gluten-Free Cookie Butter
Homemade Gluten-Free Cookie Butter (Vegan, Allergy-Free)
Homemade cookie butter is so easy to make! This Gluten-Free Cookie Butter recipe is vegan, allergy-free, and can be made with any cookies you have on hand! This healthy copycat of your favorite Trader Joe's spread will be a new sweet treat or snack for the whole family to enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 5 Minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 Cups 1x
- Category: Snack, Dessert
- Method: Blender, No-Bake
- Cuisine: American, European
Ingredients
Homemade Cookie Butter Base Formula:
- 1 (6.3 oz) Box Gluten-Free Crunchy Cookies
- ¼ Cup Liquid Coconut Oil
- 1 to 2 TB Liquid Sweetener
- Spices, Extracts, Add-ins
For Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter:
- 1 Box Enjoy Life Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies (or Double Chocolate Cookies)
- ¼ Cup Liquid Coconut Oil
- 1 TB Liquid Sweetener
- ½ Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
- Extra Allergy-Free Mini Chocolate Chips (optional)
For Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie Spice Cookie Butter:
- 1 Box Enjoy Life Crunchy Sugar Cookies
- ¼ Cup Liquid Coconut Oil
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- ½ Tsp Ground Ginger
- ¼ Tsp Ground Allspice
- 1 TB Brown Sugar Erythritol (or preferred brown sugar)
- ½ Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
For Gluten-Free Speculoos Cookie Butter:
- 1 Box Enjoy Life Crunchy Honey Graham Cookies
- ¼ Cup Liquid Coconut Oil
- 1 ½ Tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- ½ Tsp Ground Cloves
- ½ Tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1 TB Molasses
- ½ Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Crumble your box of cookies a bit so they can fit into a high-powered blender or food processor.
- Melt the coconut oil, if needed, and add it to the blender along with the sweetners, spices, extracts, and any other add-ins.
- Blend the mixture until you get a smooth or desired cookie butter consistency*.
- Store in an airtight jar for up to 1 month.
Notes
*Add additional melted coconut oil or water if you need help getting your cookie butter smooth!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 Tablespoons
Whether you want to finally be able to indulge in this Trader Joe's copycat, blend some up to give as a holiday gift, or get creative in the kitchen with your kids, this sweet homemade treat is just the thing to make!
More edible gift recipes to try:
- Homemade Vegan Peppermint Bark
- Sesame Seed Crunch Candy
- Easy Gluten-Free Chocolate Covered Pretzels
- Cinnamon “Sugar” Pretzels
So tell me:
+ Have you ever (or did you ever) have cookie butter?
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Miz Helen
I love giving edible gifts! Cookie butter is a perfect idea!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It is a great gift!
Molly
YUM! What a fun way to make your own unique flavors of cookie butter. I'm definitely going to have to give this a try!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Yes, super fun to customize!
Nadalie Bardo
Cookie + butter = heaven! What an amazing combination of deliciousness. Two things us free-from eaters aren't used to. Love it.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Well, not that kind of butter though, so...
Ashley R
This look so good. I didn’t know you could even make your own cookie butter. How neat.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Just blend away!
Katlyn Brown
That looks SOOOOO good!!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Great!
Christa
I love cookie butter! I usually buy it in a jar from Trader Joe’s but making it at home sounds so fun.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Well yea, that's what I talked about in the post
Mona
I've never had a cookie butter before 😀 But this one looks like my son would love, and he is soo picky when it comes to food.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Well, cookie butter is only an occasional treat.
Michele Morin
No, I've actually never tried cookie butter! Thanks for the intro.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
You're in for a treat!
Kileen
Wow, this sounds so yummy! Definitely need to make this sometime, I'm sure my family would love this treat!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Everyone will! Customize to everyone's tastes!
Ney
Whoa! Never heard of cookie butter before but after this post I really have to make it! And it looks so easy. Thanks for the recipe.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, very, very easy!
Carissa
I've never had cookie butter before! This sounds delicious!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Time to make some!
Bethany Ashlyn
This looks absolutely delicious! I've never actually heard of cookie butter before today and, now that I have, I feel like I've been missing out! Plus, with a gluten intolerance, I'm always looking for yummy alternatives. I'll definitely be trying this recipe out for sure!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Homemade is always the best way to try something first!
Steph
OH my. This looks so amazing. I still haven't tried cookie butter. i think I'll like it too much and eat the whole thing. haha
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Well give this homemade version a go!
Jimmy
I think I might have to save this for later
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
A perfect gift for yourself or someone else, haha!
Jocelyn
I'd never heard of cookie butter before. But now that I have I'm going to have to try some.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Now is the time to try!