Speculoos Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wasn’t planning on doing any baking last night, but boredom took over and at some point while browsing the web, I found myself on a site that mentioned Speculoos Cookie Butter.  I quickly realized I had a jar in the back of the cabinet and decided to come up with a recipe that would use some of it up.  (Trader Joe’s carries it; my friend Jen is the one who got me hooked, and now I’m passing that on to all of you. You’re welcome.)

Well, that may have been the greatest idea I’ve had in a while.  These bad boys are on another level, people!  If you’ve never tried Cookie Butter, you should immediately run out and try a jar anyway, but after you’re done digging in with a spoon, try this recipe out for yourself.  It’s awesome.

And the kicker?  You could totally eat this batter raw right out of the bowl because there’s no eggs involved!  I thought about saving some batter to eat atop yogurt or as a snack in itself, but after eating three raw spoonfuls I decided to just bake all of it. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon sugar
• 1/2 cup cookie butter
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F
2. In small bowl, mix oats, flour, baking soda, and cinnamon sugar; Set aside
3. In medium bowl, add cookie butter, brown sugar,applesauce, ground flaxseeds, water, and vanilla and mix with electric mixer until smooth and creamy
4. Add dry ingredients slowly until blended
5. Spoon batter onto ungreased cookie sheet by rounded tablespoons
6. Pat down tops of cookies slightly if desired (shape will not change when baked)
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown
8. Let cool on the baking sheet for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely 
9. Try not to eat the entire batch in one sitting. Enjoy!

Makes approximately 23 cookies.

(Adapted from this recipe.)