No way. Too good to be true. Cookie butter? Sign me up...

No way. Too good to be true. Cookie butter? Sign me up…

Desserts / October 22, 2014

Trader Joe’s has already achieved the highest ranking in my book. They don’t need to do anything else and I will always be loyal. So when my sister introduced me to one of their more fantastic food offerings, SPECULOOS COOKIE BUTTER, the swoon factor went up about 100 points. And once you taste it you’ll understand why I swirled it into the richest, creamiest vanilla custard pie I’ve ever made. Then, because the Speculoos Biscuit has a bit of a gingerbread taste, I laid it all on a bed of my lime, ginger, and honey syrup. YUM!

The story behind our Speculoos craze is my sister and her love of all things TJ. And because she is allergic to peanuts and chocolate, (I know, I was hatched…we can’t be related.) she has glommed on to this stuff like a teenager to free WiFi and we have followed the LUV.

I have been planning on making something with this yummy stuff for some time. Pie is what came first.

SO!!!

What is Speculoos? Click here to read about it on Trader Joe’s website.

Now, if you’re not currently in your car, driving to the nearest TJ’s to get some, and you are by some strange stretch of the imagination remaining in front of your computer, check out the photos and recipe for my VANILLA CUSTARD PIE WITH SPECULOOS COOKIE SWIRLS below to see one of the ways you can use this fabulous concoction!

Vanilla Custard and Speculoos Swirl Pie

With Lime Ginger Syrup and Roasted Pecans

Ingredients for Paula Deens Custard Filling:

1/3 C plus ¼ C sugar
3 T cornstarch
¼ t salt
1 ½ C 2% milk
2 egg yolks lightly beaten
2 T butter
2 t vanilla
2 egg whites

Additional Ingredients:

1/3 C Speculoos Cookie Butter*
Juice from one lime
1 T honey
1 t fresh grated ginger
2 T light Caro syrup
1/3 C toasted pecan pieces

Direction:

(These are taken from her Banana Pie recipe. I simply omitted the bananas and added the cookie butter.) In a saucepan over medium heat combine 1/3 C sugar with the cornstarch, and salt. Then blend in milk, and then the yolks. Cook, stirring constantly with a wisk until it thickens. Immediately take off the heat and add in butter and vanilla. Then cool to room temperature. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top while it cools so the top doesn’t congeal. In another bowl, mix the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then add the ¼ C sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Now, fold the whites into the custard, slowly folding with a spatula and working to incorporate gently but not by whipping. Pour into a cooked crust.
(These are my twists from here on out!) Heat the cookie butter in the micro for about 10-15 seconds. Only until it’s soft but not hot. Drizzle it on top of the pie, and swirl in with tooth pick or handle of spoon to desired design. Let cool in fridge, covered, overnight until set.
Before serving, blend the lime juice, honey, ginger, and syrup in a small bowl and whisk thoroughly. Place several small spoonfuls of the syrup on the bottom of the plate, place piece of pie on top of that, and then scatter toasted almonds on top.
* Can be found at Trader Joe’s!