These Biscoff Brownies are ultra fudgy and loaded with swirls of creamy cookie butter and crispy Biscoff cookies!
I feel like I should be a spokesperson for cookie butter. I’m constantly creating various recipes with this magical spread, and I oddly get a high off of introducing people to the deliciousness of this genius invention. It’s like spreading the word of Jesus, but in this case it’s cookie butter. It’s a heavenly experience that I believe everyone should encounter in their life.
To say that I’m obsessed would be an understatement. All you have to do is type cookie butter or Biscoff into the search field of my blog, and you’ll be bombarded with an almost endless stream of recipes to choose from. However, surprisingly I still I had yet to incorporate this celestial spread into one of my favorite treats–the brownie.
So today, I’m sharing one of the most decadent collisions of flavors you’ve ever laid teeth on…
These Biscoff Brownies aren’t just easy on the eyes, but they taste BEYOND exquisite. They’re so incredibly moist and fudgy, you won’t find a dry crumb in the house. Not only are they swirled with luscious pockets of creamy cookie butter, but these brownies are packed with crispy Biscoff cookies. There’s truly something magical that happens when you intertwine the dark richness of chocolate with the brown sugary, caramelized sweetness of Biscoff.
They’re the most divine match made in heaven…
What is Cookie Butter?
Cookie butter is a creamy spread made from cookies. It’s also known as Speculoos spread and has a very similar texture to peanut butter. Lotus Biscoff is the most well-known brand that produces Speculoos cookies and cookie butter spread. Speculoos cookies are crispy and have a spiced caramelized flavor. They’re comparable to gingersnaps, but not as gingery or pungent.
Nowadays, you can find cookie butter in most grocery stores. The most popular brand is Biscoff, but you can also use anything that says Speculoos spread or simply, cookie butter. Trader Joe’s always has cookie butter in stock, and I’ve found this it’s usually less expensive than Biscoff.
Why You’ll Go Bonkers For These Brownies?
Perfect Texture – As I mentioned earlier, these brownies are EXTRA fudgy. Even the corner pieces are supremely moist! To me, the perfect brownie is thick, dense, dark chocolatey, and almost gooey in the center without being under-baked. These brownies are ALL of that.
Crackly Tops – These brownies bake up with that perfectly shiny crinkly crackly top. You know what I’m talking about–that gorgeous, glossy, paper-thin crust that’s exceptionally delicate? It’s basically a must in the world of brownie lovers.
Now I’m no rocket surgeon, so I can’t really explain the science behind creating those crackly tops. HOWEVER, I can clue you in on some tried-and-true secrets…
- Secret #1: Melting the butter. This recipe actually calls for browning the butter, but I’ll get into that a little later.
- Secret #2: Melting semi-sweet chocolate chips into the butter. While the butter is still hot, stir in the chocolate chips until they’ve melted completely.
- Secret #3: Adding the sugars to the warm butter-chocolate mixture, allowing the heat to dissolve the sugars.
Browned Butter – Whenever a recipe involves melting the butter, I almost always take it a step further by browning the butter. Because who doesn’t LOVE extra flavor??
To brown the butter, all you have to do is cook the butter a little longer, while also keeping a close eye on it and stirring constantly. As the butter cooks, it’ll begin to sizzle and foam up as the water evaporates and the milk solids toast. You’ll start to see tiny golden brown specks swirling throughout the butter, and it’ll smell nutty, toasty, and toffee-like. Once browned, immediately take the pan off of the heat, and stir in the chocolate. This will not only help to melt the chocolate, but also cool the butter slightly, so that it doesn’t continue to cook and possibly burn.
Cookie Butter Swirl – A whole (heaping) cup of cookie butter is swirled throughout these brownies. It might sound like a lot, but it’s the perfect amount to ensure that there’s cookie butter in every single bite.
To get the most even distribution, I like to pour half of the brownie batter into the pan, and dollop teaspoons of half of the cookie butter on top. Then I take a butter knife and swirl the cookie butter into the brownie batter. Finally, I pour the rest of the brownie batter evenly into the pan, drop teaspoonfuls of the rest of the cookie butter, and swirl once more. Try not to go overboard on the swirling since you still want those large pockets of cookie butter throughout the brownies.
BRIMMING with Biscoff Cookies – I absolutely LOVE adding crispy cookies to brownies. The crispiness of the cookies combined with the soft and fudgy brownies is a texture experience that’s out of this world divine! You’ll need about 10 Biscoff cookies to create one cup chopped. I also like to break up a few extra cookies by hand, and push them into the top of the brownies just before baking in the oven. Not only does this make the brownies more picturesque, but the cookies get nicely toasted in the oven.
There’s absolutely no denying how delectably dense and phenomenally fudgy these brownies are. The addition of the cookie butter and buttery cookies just takes these brownies over the top!
And if you’re feeling extra adventurous, warm one in the microwave for a few seconds and “A la mode” it with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream. Trust me, you’ll thank me later…
Biscoff Brownies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped or chips
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 10 Biscoff cookies, chopped
- 1 cup Biscoff spread (cookie butter)
For Topping:
- 3 Biscoff cookies, broken into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. As the butter melts, it’ll start to foam, then turn a clear golden color. Continue to stir the butter, scraping up any browned specks from the bottom of the pan as it starts to brown. It should have a nutty aroma.
- Once browned and nutty, turn off the heat. Working relatively quickly so the butter doesn't continue browning from the residual heat in the pan, whisk in chopped chocolate until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Add both sugars to the butter mixture and whisk vigorously until combined. Allow to cool until just barely warm.
- Add the eggs, yolk, and vanilla, and whisk until smooth.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir in the flour, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder until just combined. Fold in the chopped cookies.
- Pour half of the batter into the baking pan. Dollop teaspoonfuls of half of the Biscoff spread evenly on top, then swirl with a knife. Pour the rest of the batter on top, followed by dollops of the rest of the Biscoff spread, and swirl once again with a knife.* Press the broken Biscoff cookies into the top of the brownies.
- Bake for 37-42 minutes, or until brownies look set, and there's no jiggle in the center when you gently wiggle the pan. Allow to cool in the pan for at least 2 hours** before slicing and serving.