Cookie Butter Cookies

Gainesville just got a Trader Joe's!!!  It's awesome.  Mr. T and I went the first Saturday that they were open.  It was so crowded that we didn't get a chance to really look around but one of the things I did manager to grab was a jar of Cookie Butter.

Cookie Butter is the consistency of peanut butter but is made up of gingersnaps (and other stuff).  Alone it's pretty amazing but made into a cookie it transforms into... COOKIECEPTION!!

I want to give this cookie another chance.  I think my downfall was using a super basic cookie recipe.  Mr. T liked them fine but I felt that the lack of flour in them made the sugar granules more obvious.

Cookie Butter Cookies:

1 cup cookie butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350.  In a mixing bowl mix the sugar, egg, and vanilla together.  Add the cookie butter and mix until the mixture just comes together.

Spoon onto a cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.

** I used a fork to make cross hatches in my cookies (just like you would regular peanut butter cookies).  You don't have to though.

Chewy Ginger Cookies

I love ginger cookies.  The older I get the more I lean towards lovely ginger cookies instead of chocolate peppermint cookies for the holidays.  (I still love a chocolate peppermint cookie... make no mistake about it)

These are not ginger snaps.  These are soft and chewy... and delicious.

Chewy Ginger Cookies:
(King Arthur Flour)

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 large eggs
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Sugar for coating: I used regular granulated sugar but sparkling white sugar would be pretty

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until they're light and fluffy.

Add the molasses, baking soda, salt, and spices.  Mix well.  Add the eggs, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.

Add the flour and scrape down the sides again.

Scoop the soft dough into 1 ½" balls and roll them sugar.

Space the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 ½" between them.

Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes. The centers will look soft and puffy.  Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool them on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.