Cookie Butter Texture

[lovkel]

I have been experimenting with making my own cookie butter. I am looking for ideas to make the texture closer to that of the store-bought stuff, which has a texture similar to that of smooth peanut butter.

 

My basic recipe was 4 oz speculoos cookies (that I made), 1-2oz oil (soybean and/or coconut), 1-3 T powdered sugar. 

 

Originally I ground the cookies in a food processor until they were about as fine as it could make them. After pulsing in the oil(s), the texture was pretty grainy. Next, I warmed a batch to make it fluid, then blended it in a blender until it was as fine as it could make it. This got me closer to the texture I was looking for, but not quite there.

 

I was thinking of trying a grain mill, but then I'd have to buy a grain mill. :-)

 

Any other ideas?

 

Thanks!

[annabelle]

Are you looking to achieve something like Biscoff spread?  I think you are headed in the right direction for a spread.

 

Have you tried using butter as your fat, rather than oil?

[Lisa Shock]

Do you have a mortar and pestle? If so, I'd suggest trying that both dry at first, then wet. I think you can get smaller particles this way.

[pastrygirl]

Are you looking to achieve something like Biscoff spread?  I think you are headed in the right direction for a spread.

 

Have you tried using butter as your fat, rather than oil?

Butter will make it firmer at room temperature than oil will. If there is already butter in the cookies, adding oil will soften the mixture.

I make a few forms of liquid sable - either butter cookies and a little oil or graham cracker crumbs and more browned butter. They are quite firm at refrigerator temperature, more like raw cookie dough at room temp. After several minutes in the food processor, everything heats up and liquefies. Some sandy texture remains, so if you're OK with that, I'd recommend just going longer in the food processor rather than dirtying the blender too. Then I think your texture is just dependent on oil content. Peanut butter is about 50% fat, after all. You may want to add a little lecithin to help emulsify.

[annabelle]

Does the oil separate, pastrygirl?  That was what I was thinking with adding butter instead.  I imagine if it was around long enough to separate, then it could just be stirred like nut butters.  Adding lecithin is a good idea.

[lovkel]

annabelle - yep, like Biscoff spread. I was using oil because that is what is listed on the Biscoff spread ingredients list.

 

Lisa Shock - I hadn't thought of a mortar and pestle. I only have a small one for spices though, so grinding may get a wee bit tedious. :-) I'll give it a shot, however.

 

pastrygirl & annabelle - I thought about butter, but I didn't use it because was concerned about shelf stability. In the fridge that stuff I've made gets a bit too firm to spread easily, most likely due to the coconut oil I used. I've had a batch sitting on my counter for about a week now and I've noticed no separation of the oil. It has a decent enough spreadable texture, but it isn't as lusciously smooth/creamy/thick as the Biscoff spread.

 

I am OK with some sandy texture, but I am looking for something less prominent than I presently have. I will have to try a few more batches and just let the processor run longer.

[Kerry Beal]

Here is a link to my cookie butter experiment.  I used my sumeet which is like a coffee grinder on steroids.  

[pastrygirl]

Does the oil separate, pastrygirl?  That was what I was thinking with adding butter instead.  I imagine if it was around long enough to separate, then it could just be stirred like nut butters.  Adding lecithin is a good idea.

When I make it, I use it as a layer in a dessert that is then refrigerated, haven't tried leaving it at room temp for long. Seems like too much oil would separate eventually, like natural peanut butter. Maybe lecithin is better when you have a fat and a liquid that you want to not separate, rather than fat and solids. What do they use to make other peanut butters homogeneous?

[annabelle]

The back of the Jif jar says hydrogenated vegetable oil.

 

Tasty. 

[GlorifiedRice]

Process the cookies in a Vitamix the same way as you would for making flour out of grain.

Then sift several times to get a silky texture.

Combine with powdered sugar and organic shortening (made from palm oil)

You will use a lot of shortening, it will shock you how much.