Cookie Butter Cookies

I know.

I know, I know, I know.

But hear me out for a second. Making cookies out of cookie butter isn't going backwards. It's completing a circle. We can get all into Lion King songs right now. That's good, right?

Okay, I'm losing you again. Maybe I should first explain what cookie butter is for those of you who may not know. Cookie butter is a spread made up mostly of Speculoos cookies which are traditionally eaten on Sinterklaas, St. Nicholas's feast in the Netherlands, Belgium and northern France. (Yes, I did a bit of research.) History aside, the butter has the consistency of thick peanut butter and tastes like cinnamon, nutmeg and all things wonderful about late Fall and Christmas baking. (Psst: Check out all my sandwich spreads!)

I could probably eat it by the spoonful, but it is also good on toast, with chocolate and with apples I'm hoping because that will likely be my breakfast tomorrow. To see if it bakes like peanut butter, I incorporated it into some cookies and it really does a lovely job. The warm spices spread throughout the cookies, which can be good on their own, made into sandwich cookies or crumbled over ice cream. Be creative with the cookies or with the butter itself. Just don't be surprised when you find yourself in line at Trader Joe's the next day with half a dozen jars in hand.

Cookie Butter Cookies

Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup cookie butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking sheet.
Blend butter, cookie butter, sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla. In separate bowl whisk together flower, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Mix in chocolate chips by hand if desired.
Roll into walnut sized balls and place on baking sheet about two inches apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove to cool on a cooling rack.

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Candy-coated Chocolate-covered Sunflower Seed + Oatmeal Cookies

One thing I enjoy probably as much as baking is traveling. In the last year and a half I've made my way through a decent number of East coast cities—Philadelphia, New York and Boston to name a few—and am often planning out my next adventures: the West coast, the South, Italy, France, England.... Even a small trip to Chicago accelerates my pulse, which is where the inspiration and possibility of these cookies enter.

A few suburbs out of the city, I stayed with a friend, C. She and I have been friends for years, having gone to grade school together. After a truly delicious breakfast at Egg'lectic Cafe (get the blueberry granola pancakes with raspberry sauce; the sauce is essential and oh so good), we did some shopping at Target and Trader Joe's. It was my first Trader Joe's outing and I was internally going through posts from other bloggers about their favorite things to purchase. Right as I was turning to leave, my eye caught a brightly colored plastic container. Candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds. They had to be mine.

While perfectly delicious on their own, I wanted to throw these happy seeds into a baking project. Cookies seemed the most logical choice, so I got to work combining the totally healthy seeds with totally healthy oatmeal. These guys are a healthy breakfast snack, basically.

These cookies are slightly chewy and studded with pastel colored seeds for a little hidden surprise. I found myself eating three in under two minutes, so make sure to share these with friends. Or get ready to eat breakfast all day long. There's no shame in that.

Candy Coated Chocolate Covered Sunflower Seed + Oatmeal Cookies
Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup flour

1 cup oats

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup candy coated chocolate covered sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking pan.
Blend butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add egg an vanilla and mix until incorporated. In separate bowl whisk together flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into wet batter. Stir in sunflower seeds.
Roll out walnut sized balls of dough and place onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Let cookies cool on cooling rack.

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