A recent post at war and yeast caught my eye for two reasons. The first was a new (to me) method for making cookies. Butter is first browned in a skillet, then honey, sugar, and cornstarch are stirred in. Next, eggs are added to a slightly cooled mixture. This cooks a bit more, then is removed from the heat after which Biscoff, vanilla, and salt are mixed in. Only then is the “liquid” portion added to the dry ingredients of flour, oats (so these are healthy!), and baking powder. Chocolate chips are the last addition, though here’s where I started veering from the recipe: I used mini m&m candies. This dough is supposed to be shaped and frozen before baking, but I wasn’t waiting for my cookies, so baked them up then and there. My last addition was sprinkling sanding sugar on the cookies pre-bake for an extra-sugary crunch.

The second point of intrigue was a mention of Biscoff spread. It sounded amazing (her description is mouthwatering–you must read her post) and I knew I had to try it. This jarred peanut butter-like spread is basically crushed cookies, flavorings, and oil. (A cookie recipe made with a cookie spread? How wonderfully ironic.) It was as easy to find as my local Wal-Mart, so bought a jar (ok, three jars–two crunchy and one creamy) that night.

It’s fantastically tasty stuff. (Not particularly healthy, but sometimes yummy is more important than healthy.) What blew me away was that I had never heard of it before. I studied foods in college and have spent all of my time since working in the consumer food industry–researching trends, working with recipes, etc. How did I not know of Biscoff? Many many thanks to war and yeast and its talented author for introducing me to this awesome and over-the-top tasty spread.

Back to the cookies: How did my version turn out? Very well, thanks. The brown butter gives them a salty and rich undertone. They are soft and chewy, but not fall-apart so; they’re compact and firm, without being crispy or dry. I liked the cookies even more a day later. The flavor seems to have aged (can cookies age?) and the crumb compacted just a bit. They are excellent cookies.

I share a photo so you can compare what I baked up (without the freeze) to iamahamster’s cookies. (Please compare the cookies, not the photos. She is a far better food photographer than I.) My cookies look sort of the same, though drier. I’d image the time in the freezer might have made them more moist. Also, less chocolatey as I used a different stir-in.

my biscoff cookies, based on war and yeast’s recipe which was based on Top With Cinnamon’s recipe

I invite you to try Biscoff if you haven’t already and also to whip up a batch of these cookies. Make a tweak of two to the recipe, if you dare, to keep the chain of baking evolution going.