Homemade Healthy Cookie Butter

Cookie butter is a spread made from ground up spice cookies with a consistency like nut butter. The cookies have a taste similar to gingerbread cookies. It’s spectacular.

This recipe is a homemade healthy version of cookie butter. It’s almost as easy to make as my Edible Sugar Cookie Dough. After soaking some cashews, it takes just a few minutes in a food processor to purée until smooth.

Spread it on toast or crackers or use as a dip for fresh fruit. So so good!

Cashews ~ Since cookie butter is so similar to nut butter, we are using nuts in this vegan version of healthy cookie butter.

I use raw, unsalted cashews. You could use roasted, unsalted cashews, too. Soaking them for 20 minutes or so will soften them up and help them blend up super smooth.

Cashews are mild in flavor and blend up super creamy, but you could try using almonds or pecans if you prefer. For a nut-free option, try sunflower seeds.

You could also use 1 cup of nut butter, like cashew butter, almond butter, or sunflower seed butter instead of raw nuts.

Molasses ~ Molasses is a key component of that wonderful gingerbread flavor. I like robust molasses. Regular molasses or dark molasses are perfect as well. I wouldn’t suggest using blackstrap molasses as it is a much stronger and more bitter taste.

Sweetener ~ Pure maple syrup sweetens up this creamy spread.

Spices ~ Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves are classic gingerbread spices. You can adjust the amounts to your liking. A pinch of salt balances the flavors.

Oil ~ I like a drizzle of oil in this recipe to help keep it smooth and spreadable. You can skip the oil and add some non-dairy milk, as needed, to thin it out.

Soak the cashews in hot water for about 20 minutes. Drain.

Place the soaked cashews and all other ingredients in a food processor.

Blend until smooth. Stop to scrape down the sides as necessary. You’ll likely need to do this several times to ensure all the ingredients are blended properly.

Taste and adjust the spice or sweetness, as needed.

You can use this healthy cookie butter just like you would the Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter or Biscoff Cookie Butter.

Spread it on your breakfast toast, dip your apples in it, slather it on graham crackers, frost your cupcakes with it, put a dollop on your oatmeal, add it to smoothies, or lick it from your spoon!

The possibilities are endless really.

Fridge: Store leftovers in an air-tight container or mason jar in the fridge for 7 to 10 days. The spread will stiffen up as it sits in the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so to soften and become more spreadable.

Freezer: You can also freeze these healthy cookie butter. It should keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.

~ Soak the cashews in hot water so they blend up smooth and creamy.

~ The amount of spices used creates the perfect gingerbread flavor – not too strong, not too mild. However, I realize the potency of these spices vary from brand to brand and some people are more sensitive to these strong flavors than others. Adjust the amount of spices to your particular tastes.

~ If the mixture is too thick, add non-dairy milk or water 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time to reach the desired consistency.

~ Store the homemade cookie butter in the fridge. It may stiffen up when it gets cold. Let it sit on the counter at room temperature for a few minutes until spreadable.

~ For an oil-free option, use non-dairy milk instead of oil until the desired consistency is reached.