Speculoos Cookie Butter Recipe

Speculoos from Trader Joe's

Apple Swan and Homemade Cookie Butter

This morning...New Year's Day on Facebook, my friend Sandy shared a YouTube video of how to make a swan from an apple.  Since I was waiting for everyone to wake up, and bored, I watched the video and decided to give it a try.  Fearful that my swan would be a total mess, I started with an old apple, a bit squishy and a bit past it's prime.  After I hacked the apple, my swan looked more like a turtle.  For the second attempt I used a firmer, fresher apple with much better results, pictured above.   

About 3 weeks ago we discovered Speculoos at Trader Joe's.  When I asked the sales clerk what Speculoos was and if she liked it, her reply was, "OMG, that stuff is get out of town good". She was absolutely right and when a cookie butter recipe magically appeared the next day in the December 2013 Food Network Magazine, we knew we were going to try it asap.

The cookie butter recipe is delish!  I saved my Speculoos jar from Trader Joe's and the Cookie Butter recipe from Food Network makes just enough to fit perfectly in the recycled jar.  I added a date label, since the cookie butter lasts 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

What a fun surprise for my family to see an apple swan on the table this morning with a yummy snack. 

We like the cookie butter with apples, but you can also use it as a dip with celery, pretzels, and other fruits.  Or drizzle on pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, and ice cream.

Happy New Year, 2014!  

Cookie Butter Recipe
Food Network Magazine, December, 2013

12 gingersnaps
6 whole graham crackers
5 shortbread cookies
3 Tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup coconut milk


Roughly crush, then pulse in a food processor until finely ground:
12 gingersnaps
6 whole graham crackers
5 shortbread cookies

Add 3 Tablespoons cold water and pulse until combined, then let sit 10 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
and a pinch of cinnamon

With the processor running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup coconut milk and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Update:  We are on our 3rd batch of this stuff, so what to do with the extra cocconut milk?  Make chocolate speculoos of course, lol.

Use Special Dark Cocoa to make Chocolate Cookie Butter

 Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Cookie Butter Recipe
my slightly modified Food Network recipe

12 gingersnaps
6 whole graham crackers
5 shortbread cookies
3 Tablespoons cold water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
a pinch of cinnamon
4 Tablespoons Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cocoa, pictured above (do not use regular cocoa, it will taste like milk chocolate).
1/2 cup coconut milk


Roughly crush, then pulse in a food processor until finely ground:
12 gingersnaps
6 whole graham crackers
5 shortbread cookies

Add 3 Tablespoons cold water and pulse until combined, then let sit 10 minutes.

Add 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
and a pinch of cinnamon

With the processor running, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup coconut milk and blend until smooth.  Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.  Swirl with the non chocolate Speculoos for a flavorful butter.  Or, just argue over which is better, lol.


My son really likes this stuff, so this morning I cut a groove in a banana and filled it with cookie butter...he loved it!  I used to do this with peanut butter and called them banana boats :)

Here is the video on how to make an apple swan, from Grant Thompson's YouTube channel "King of Random".