Speculoos Cookie Bars

I developed a slight addiction to a Trader Joe’s product called Cookie Butter sometime last year-if you’ve ever tasted it, you can understand why. There are secret underground communities dedicated to worshiping the stuff. I’m dead serious, just look up cookie butter on Tumblr and browse for about 30 seconds. It combines everything that is good about gingerbread and peanut butter and cookies into one addicting jar.

All love fades eventually, though and then you are left with the remnants of your broken relationship. In my case, that’s about 4 jars of cookies butter hiding in a cabinet. I had honestly forgotten about them until the past weekend. I was forced to move everything out of my pantry to make space for a washer and dryer (yay!). Our recent 14 inches of snow inspired me to make a warm, comforting dessert and I knew I could find a use for all that cookie butter.

Recipe adapted from Butter me up, Brooklyn

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• 4 tablespoons Earth Balance , melted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds, ground to a powder
• 6 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup speculoos cookie butter
  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 8×8 Pyrex pan liberally. Grind flax seeds, whisk in water, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and allspice together. In a separate bowl, mix Earth Balance and both sugars thoroughly, then add flax seed mixture and vanilla. When well combined, add cookie butter and stir until smooth.
3. Add flour mixture and stir well. Pour into Pyrex dish and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, if desired.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Top with frosting once the bars have cooled.
   

For the Frosting:
2 tbsp vegan butter
2 tbsp Speculoos Cookie Butter
2-3 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tsp plant milk

1. Beat together butter and cookie butter until soft. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time and beat until fluffy. Use plant milk to thin if needed.

Tags: cookie bar, cookie butter, dessert, food, speculoos, trader joe's, vegan