Cookie Butter Quick Bread

Cookie Butter Quick Bread  (original title Sweet Biscoff Loaf)- made May 6, 2017 from Biscoff Cookies & Spread Cookbook

After my month of baking mostly just plain brownies, snickerdoodles and every Levain Bakery copycat of chocolate chip cookies that I could find, I wanted to make something completely different. I browsed my (dusty) bookshelves and was reminded that I had this cookbook for Biscoff cookies and spread. When I first bought the book, I tried out several things at once from it. Then, per my usual MO, put it back on the bookshelf, moved on to other recipes and forgot that there were likely still recipes in it that I wanted to try.

I had even earmarked the recipes I wanted to try first with various post-its sticking out of it. This was one of those earmarked recipes. I’m not normally a fan of quick breads. My banana bread is the one I make the most often but mostly because my family asks for it all the – freaking – time. Otherwise, I don’t make them a lot. I don’t have anything in particular against them and they, by definition, are usually easy and quick to make.

But quick breads have commitment issues to me. They’re not like regular bread of the flour, shortening, yeast, salt and water variety but they’re not cakes either of the fluffy texture and frosting camp. Instead they’re something in between. Mostly they’re like muffins in loaf form and I don’t make good muffins. They have their place but they’re not my go-to dessert, know what I mean?

Still, this one used cookie butter and you know I’m a fan of the cookie butter. I baked this in 3 mini loaf pans so I could use one for a taste test and give the other two away as whole loaves. When they first came out of the oven and I tried it the same day I baked it when it had cooled to room temperature, I really liked it. The crust was a little crunchy but not hard and the texture was great, a little fluffy like a good quick bread but only slightly more dense than a cakey cake. All was good. The cookie butter flavor wasn’t that strong but the texture was good and it still tasted delicious.

Then I tried another piece the next day and I didn’t think it was quite so great after all. The top had softened and there was no more pleasing crunch or firm texture like a good muffin top normally has. Instead it was just soft and a little moist. Meh. The inside had also started to get a slightly dry mouthfeel which I don’t like. I know you could refresh the texture by popping it into the microwave for a few seconds but even warm or room temperature, the cookie butter flavor wasn’t very prominent. So….not sure I’d make this again unless I was serving and eating it within a few hours of baking it.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy Biscoff or cookie butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray 9 x 5" loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
3. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together biscoff or cookie butter and granulated sugar until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and milk, mixing until combined.
4. Add dry ingredients, mixing in gently and beating until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Serve warm.