Not Peanut Butter: Give Brownies A Delicious Upgrade With One Jarred Ingredient

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The Lotus Biscoff cookie originated in 1932 as a way of capturing the magic of the speculoos cookies that Flemish children ate on December 6th, also known as Sint Niklaas Day. Today, Biscoff cookies have traveled across the proverbial pond and are enjoyed worldwide — and an offshoot product, Biscoff cookie butter, is exactly what you need for scrumptious brownies. Whether you bake brownies from scratch or utilize a boxed mix, a layer of cookie butter mixed in with your brownies is sweet, spiced heaven with a smidge of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

We've seen cookie butter incorporated into brownies a few different ways. You can pour half your brownie batter into the pan, carefully layer in the cookie batter with your spatula, then cover it with the other half of your brownie mix. However, this can get messy fast. A hack that we appreciate is freezing a layer of cookie butter on a sheet pan so that you can simply lay it atop the batter and cover it more neatly. Of course, we've also seen Biscoff butter swirled atop a brownie with crumbles of the actual cookies included for good measure. Basically, we see no wrong way to Biscoff your brownies.

The best part about adding cookie butter to your brownies, besides the versatility and deliciousness of the hack, is that it works with just about any preparation method you prefer. Do you like to upgrade boxed brownies with extra eggs? Add 'em in! Is your secret to dense, gooey specimens banging the pan on the counter to release air bubbles? You bet your Biscoff that these cookie-buttery brownies can handle it.

If you don't already have Biscoff cookie butter in your pantry for spreadable snacking, you can pick up a 25.4-ounce jar of the good stuff on Amazon for less than 10 bucks. Those with keen eyes will note that small-format grocer Trader Joe's also sells a "Speculoos Cookie Butter" that, anecdotally, may be quite similar. The beauty of the Biscoff brand comes from its harmony with Biscoff cookies, which are often included in the cookie butter brownies in some fashion.

We recently covered a trick of adding browned butter to brownie batter for rich, nutty flavor, and we're drooling over the thought of similar brownies that also feature cookie butter. When you're talking about "sweet on sweet" confections, a little respite from all the sugar can be exactly what makes the experience great, and browned butter could work with the brownies' natural deep chocolate flavor as well as the spices in the cookie butter, creating a nuanced dessert with complex layers of flavor.

Speaking of complex layers, you might just catch us adding extra crunch to our cookie butter brownies. Chopped nuts are almost always welcome in this dessert, and we love the idea of bitter walnuts or almonds against the sweet, spiced kiss of the cookie butter. Anything that breaks up sweetness will be a great bet in your bite, including crumbled pretzels or a nice salted caramel drizzle. Perhaps a cheesecake swirl or similar element would be of interest? The mild savory notes of the cheesecake would break up the incessant sweetness while adding decadence to your dish.