If you’re a frequent Trader Joe’s shopper, you’ve probably heard of a little thing called Speculoos Cookie Butter.
The hype is REAL. And the hype is well-deserved.
I’d always ignored all the excitement around this spread. It never really seemed appealing to me. Like, what the hell is it supposed to be anyway? A cookie in butter form? I could just eat a cookie! Or actual peanut butter! But, the other day, I finally decided to give it a try. I picked up a jar on my lunch break (the perks of working 10 minutes from TJ’s)and spread it on some toast when I got home for a quick snack.
I fell in love. Seriously. The wedding is planned for December of this year. Black-tie event. Children allowed…
Okay, focus, Samara. What were we talking about again? Oh yeah, this spread! It’s delicious, yet so hard to describe. Think of your favorite cinnamon cookie or a perfect slice of a flavorful autumn pie. That’s what this stuff tastes like. In soft, spreadable form.

What is cookie butter anyway?
A magician makes this spread from a European treat called Speculoos, a thin cookie flavored with cinnamon, cardamom, and other spices. Then, he waves his magic sugar wand and casts a spell to make his creation absolutely irresistible.
Ok, I’m being extra. But seriously, it’s good stuff!
How do we make ice cream with it?
We’ll start with a simple base of sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream, just like our Lemon-Blueberry Swirl Ice Cream. Next, we’ll add a small amount of our Speculoos spread, fold in some thinly chopped chocolate, and freeze.
That’s it! Easy, peasy lemon squeezy.


And by the way, y’all: today is National Ice Cream Day!
So celebrate with this easy, no-churn recipe!

No-Churn Cookie Butter Ice Cream
Equipment
- Loaf pan
- Immersion blender or handheld mixer
Ingredients
- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- ¼ cup Trader Joe's speculoos cookie butter
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups heavy cream, chilled
- 1 cup thinly chopped chocolate optional
Instructions
- Place a loaf pan in the freezer to chill.
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, salt, vanilla extract, and cookie butter. Stir with a spatula until completely smooth.
- In a large bowl, use a handheld mixer or immersion blender to beat chilled heavy cream to stiff peaks. When the beaters are removed from the mixture, the peaks should stand up on their own. This takes a few minutes on low-medium speed. Do not overbeat.
- Pour about one cup of the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture. Use a spatula to fold and stir them together until smooth. Then, pour that mixture into the bowl with the remaining whipped cream. Again, fold and stir until the mixture is combined with no streaks.
- Gently fold in chopped chocolate, if using.
- Remove the loaf pan from the freezer, and pour in the ice cream batter. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze. For a soft-serve texture, freeze for 5-6 hours. For solid, scoopable ice cream, freeze overnight.
- Serve in bowls or cones and enjoy!
Notes
- Chill heavy cream in the freezer for about 20 minutes prior to whipping. I also recommend chilling the bowl and whisk attachment that you’ll be using.Â
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