chocolate chip cookie butter

You know what's really super sad? Making some really, really good cookie dough... and then overbaking the cookies. OH MAH GAH.. I am so mad at myself! When the cookies were baking, they kept being really gooey... so then when the timer was up and they were still really jiggly, I was like, "Well, let's add a couple more minutes." So I did that... a couple of times. I ended up just taking them out of the oven after a while even though they were still really jiggly and just figured they would cool off and be gooey. Um, wrong! They cooled off and they turned into ROCKS. Like... I wear braces and I was kind of afraid I'd pop a bracket. That's how hard they got. Whoooops.

So what's a girl to do? I mean, me and my roommates ate a few but they really were way too hard to enjoy. I asked my lovely Facebook fans what to do and I got a lot of great answers, but all of them required me to make a whole new dessert and just use the cookies as the crust or something. While those would have worked... I got a fun new idea in mind. How about cookie butter? I have seen this silly thing ALL over the blogosphere, from using the Biscoff spread in brownies and cookies to some bloggers making their own. I figured if you could make cookie butter from plain buttery cookies, why not chocolate chip cookies?

This chocolate chip cookie butter came out SO good. I searched Google and Pinterest for a recipe to use, and I was seriously disappointed! Not only did most recipes also use nuts or peanut butter, some didn't even have cookies in them at all. And I thought this was supposed to be cookie butter? I really wanted to make something containing little more than cookies, and I especially wanted it to be nut-free. While I figure many people eat this stuff just because it's good, I'm sure there's a good chunk that eat it because they're allergic to nuts or peanuts and can't eat nut spreads. So if I made it WITH nuts, then what would be the point? I am so pleased with this super simple, easy cookie butter I came up with! All you need is crunchy cookies, honey, water, oil, and chia seeds. And the chia seeds are totally optional! I just added them for thickening the spread and for a little crunch. This spread takes just minutes to make, and it's the perfect way to use up your overbaked cookies. 🙂

Chocolate Chip Cookie Butter
Inspired by My Beautiful Disasters
Yields: about 2 cups

15-20 crunchy chocolate chip cookies, homemade or store-bought {such as Chips Ahoy}
2 tablespoon neutral-flavored oil {I used corn oil}
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon chia seeds
about 1 cup of water, more or less as needed

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cookies until finely chopped. Add in the oil, honey, and chia seeds, and pulse until incorporated. While the mixer is running, slowly stream in the water a little at a time until desired consistency is reached. Stir in chunks of cookies, if desired. Transfer to an airtight jar or container, and store in the fridge. I figure this can also be stored at room temperature, but I haven't tried it myself. Enjoy on toast, fruit, or by the spoonful. 🙂