If Dave and I had our way, peanut butter and peanuts would be a food group all on their own. Seriously, we can’t get enough of it!
If you looked in our pantry right now (and almost any day) you would see 2 open containers of peanut butter, 3 open containers of peanuts (all different varieties), peanut butter M&M’s, Resse’s peanut butter cups, Monster Cookies, and Rice Chex Bars.
And if you looked in our freezer, you would find several more bags of Resse’s and at least 3 containers of Chocolate Moose Tracks ice cream (Dave’s ultimate favorite).
However, even though we could literally eat peanut butter with a spoon, we have a couple extended family members and close friends who are severely allergic to anything containing peanuts… so I always have to be super careful whenever I make food I know they will eat.
I’ve also been getting several reader requests to share a few recipes with peanut butter substitutes — or at least share a way to “re-make” all my many peanut butter-laden dessert recipes.
So today, I’m super excited to be partnering with Biscoff to share their yummy new nut-free peanut butter substitute.
DISCLOSURE: This post is sponsored by Biscoff which means I received free products and monetary compensation for sharing my thoughts with you. My intense love of peanut butter and this new yummy spread are all my own! Read my full disclosure policy for more information.
First things first…
What exactly is Biscoff Spread?
Biscoff Spread is a nut-free spread made in Lembeke, Belguim from original Biscoff Cookies.
Biscoff Spread was first introduced to the US in 2011. It’s made from all-natural ingredients, has no artificial color or preservatives, no trans-fats, no cholesterol, it’s vegan, and of course, it has no nuts!
Yes, it is totally NUT FREE — and for those with questions, you can read more about the spread here or discover where you can buy this spread in a store near you.
Since Dave and I are such huge fans of peanut butter, I new a peanut butter substitute would be a hard “sell” for us. But after testing it on toast, sandwiches, with apple slices, and in a variety of baked goods, I can confidently say that Dave and I BOTH give it 2 thumbs up!
We’ve previously tried a few other peanut butter substitutes but actually ended up throwing most of the jars away (and you know how much I hate wasting food) because we just couldn’t eat them.
I think the big thing with all the other peanut butter substitutes was the weird texture. Even if it doesn’t taste exactly like peanut butter (and how can it if it’s not made from peanuts) I NEED the texture to still be thick, silky, creamy, and gooey.
Biscoff Spread is all of the above!
It’s definitely sweater than traditional peanut butter, but the texture is 100% spot on. It looks like peanut butter, it feels like peanut butter, and it bakes like peanut butter (which was a huge bonus for me.)
..
So after Dave and I mutually agreed that Biscoff Spread was an awesome peanut butter substitute, I decided to whip up a batch of our most favorite peanut buttery treat — and use Biscoff Spread instead of peanut butter.
The results = super yummy Scotcharoos that anyone with a peanut allergy can eat, and anyone without a peanut allergy will still want to eat!
Recipe for Biscoff Scotcharoos:
INGREDIENTS:
- 6 c. Rice Krispies
- 1 c. corn syrup
- 1 c. white sugar
- 3 T. butter or margarin
- 1 c. Biscoff Spread (creamy or crunchy work well)
TOPPING INGREDIENTS:
- 1 c. Biscoff Spread (creamy is best for this)
- 1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
DIRECTIONS:
- Generously butter a 9×13 inch baking pan (or line with wax paper). Set aside.
- In a large bowl, measure out 6 c. of Rice Krispy cereal. Set aside.
- In a small sauce pan, mix together corn syrup, sugar, and butter.
- Cook over medium heat until mixture comes to a gentle boil.
- Remove from heat, and stir in Biscoff spread until fully incorporated.
- Pour mixture over Rice Krispies and stir until fully combined.
- Transfer mixture into 9×13 inch pan and use wax paper to press it down firmly into the pan.
- In the same saucepan, melt chocolate chips and Biscoff spread over medium low heat until smooth.
- Spread chocolate mixture over top of bars and let cool (I put my in the fridge if it’s really warm.)
- Cut into squares and enjoy!
I’m so excited to have finally found a really delicious peanut butter substitute that will allow me to bake some of my favorite treats for our family and friends with peanut allergies.
If you’d like more delicious recipes made with Biscoff Spread, check out the Biscoff Pinterest page and follow my Biscoff Pinterest board.
Have you ever tried Biscoff Spread? What did you think?
Kerri says
I already have a slight obsession with Biscoff. I don’t like peanut butter (except in Reece’s) but I love this stuff!!!
Evelyn says
Andrea you never seize to amaze me since the day I started following you. I have loved Biscoff cookies since I tasted them on AirTran Flights (flight snack years ago). I would buy these when I could find them back then. Now a spread OMG you made my Friday thanks for testing and the recipe. Now to find some here in Orlando, FL.
Andrea says
Thanks Evelyn — and for the record, you can totally make these with peanut butter too. It’s just nice to have a peanut butter alternative since we have one relative and a couple friends with a peanut allergy. Enjoy sunny Florida — it’s snowing here in MI right now 🙂
Mary says
Curious about the peanut butter version of this recipe since I do not see it listed with your other recipes. I have always made Scotcheroos topped with chocolate and butterscotch chips. Peanut butter in the cereal base but not in the topping. Would you mind sharing your original recipe or point me to a place where I can find it? Thanks.
Leanne says
I have one of those kids with the tree nut allergy (a bunch of them….) and the peanut allergy….and yes, it only takes one trip to the ER in an ambulance while both of you are gasping for air, to constantly be telling them to STAY AWAY from it if you don’t know what’s in it…
one thing I like about Biscoff is it has a distinctly DIFFERENT smell than even soy nut butter. We’ve never tried any substitute “butters” of any kind, so there would be no confusion. I like this product because a pretty scent sensitive child could pick up this is not a nut butter of any kind! maybe I should make some “biscoff” cups with it! yummy!!
and on a personal note–I know it’s an inconvenience for parents to not send their children to school without pb&j…but if you saw my child, gasping for air, vomiting, and being admitted to the hospital and totally traumatized…it makes the pb&j thing so much smaller…
I appreciate people, like you, Andrea, who go to great lengths to help other parents like me out!!!
MaryBeth says
Love love love Biscoff, both creamy and crunchy! I buy it in bulk and buy the cookies whenever I find them. My daughters love it too. Might just have to head to the pantry with a spoon and treat myself to a little right now 🙂
Barb says
I’ve been in love with Biscoff cookies for years. For most of those years, I enjoyed them as a rare snack on an airplane; finding them occasionally at expensive specialty shops that I always left empty handed. Imagine my surprise when I accidentally found a Biscoff store at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. In that moment I was prepared to buy the cookies, then they gave me a sample of the spread… be still my heart … I changed my purchase. For weeks I, daily treated myself to a spoonful of the spread. If you can’t find the Biscoff spread, Trader Joe’s is selling a speculoos spread that is supposed to be similar to Biscoff, but I haven’t tried it.
I still love the cookies and just yesterday, upon seeing them at Costco for the first time, I bought a multi-pack and now find myself craving them, yet again, but unlike cravings past, this one will be satisfied when I get home tonight!
Stacey B. says
While no one in my family has such an allergy, this does look really good! My husband loves peanut butter…and I can tell he’s trying to start our toddler at a young age. 😉
Andrea says
Stacey, you can easily substitute peanut butter in place of the Biscoff for this recipe — that’s how I normally make our Scotcharoos if no one with a peanut allergy will be eating them 🙂
CityGirlCountryBloke says
Huh. I might give this a try. There is a child in my son’s class with a severe nut allergy. We never, ever send either one of our children to school with any sort of nuts for fear it might get to the child with the allergies so my kids are normally craving PB&J’s all weekend. (-: And this might work during the week on the nights when we have no idea what we are going to put in our kids lunches the next day and we haven’t gone grocery shopping. That’s when I most miss not being able to include PB&J’s in lunches. Great post!
Andrea says
I’ve heard of more people not being able to pack anything with nuts for school lunches. That would be horrible. I swear I had a PB&J almost every other day growing up — my mom would have gone crazy if she didn’t have that staple to fall back on! Maybe the Biscoff will help save your school lunches 🙂
Shelia says
I’m going to have to give this a try. I love peanut butter and continue to use it for 2 of my 3 children but 1 of my 3 (my 13 yr old son) has a severe nut allergy. So of course like most families with a nut allergen you are always checking ingredients and even taste testing things before letting them eat it. My son has always been curious what some of my specialty recipes taste like (in which I use peanut butter) and it’s always hard to describe. Now i can substitute this and let him have a try hopefully. And yes cashews are even more dangerous. After a trip to the ER when he was 6 due to tasting a cashew at a friends house. Never even swallowed it just put it in his mouth and immediately reacted severly. So our lesson has always been to stay away from any type of nut. Thanks Andrea for doing this review and letting us know.
Becca says
Thank you so much for sharing this! I have been seeing recipes with Biscoff on Pinterest but hadn’t done the research into what exactly it was. Our daughter is allergic to peanuts & we have had to eliminate several yummy treats over the years. I’m so excited to get some of this & try it out!
Catherine says
I would just like to take this opportunity to clarify something, and its only because I only recently found out about that myself when my 2 year old daughter had a very severe allergic reaction and we later found out she was allergic to tree nuts (pistachios, cashews, pecans and walnuts mainly) and I believe it is important to know to make sure we keep our kids and friends safe…
Peanuts are not tree nuts. A peanut is a legume, like a bean or a soybean.
Some people are allergic to peanuts, but have no issues with tree nuts.
Some people are allergic to tree nuts, but have no issues with peanuts and peanut butter (that’s the case for my kid!)
And some people are allergic to both!
Some people can be allergic to only one kind of tree nuts..
I think it is important to clarify because this happened to me: I saw a product in a store with a “no peanut” sign on it… and at first I thought it was safe for my kid… But when reading the label more carefully, found out it could contain traces of tree nuts! I was stunt!
So a peanut free products isn’t necessarily safe for people allergic to tree nuts!
Not many people know this, but allergic reactions to cashews are worse than reactions to peanuts. By worse I mean more gasping, more trips to the emergency room and, you know, more possibility of death.
Just thought I’d share this information.. I have found in the last year, dealing with our daughter’s allergy, having to carry around an EpiPen at all time, always having to check everything she eats… that people are not educated enough about allergies… and I can’t blame them.. I was at the same point just a year ago! I could have put someone in danger by serving them something I thought was safe because it was “peanut free”…
Shelley says
Catherine, THANK YOU! As the parent of an almost 9-year-old child with egg, peanut, and some tree nut allergies {including cashews}, it’s important to communicate with others that cross-contamination can be as dangerous as direct contact with the allergen itself.
As I was reading Andrea’s post, I wondered if the Biscoff spread was totally nut-free. We have tried a few different substitutions at our house, including Soy Nut Butter and Sun Butter. Next on the list is Barney Butter, since my son is not allergic to almonds.
For some great baking recipes, I love the site http://www.foodallergymama.com.
Andrea says
Yes Shelley, this spread is completely nut-free — it’s made from crushed cookies. You can head over to the Biscoff website to read all the fine print if you’d like 🙂
Shelley says
Thanks for your quick reply! We always have to avoid things “processed on the same equipment as…” I should have clarified what I meant when I referred to it being nut-free.
From the website, it looks like it contains wheat and soy, so I’m adding this to our list of foods to try.
Catherine says
Thank you for the site link Shelley!!
My daughter is also not allergic to almonds, but I find it so hard to find any almonds or almond products that do not have the mention “may contain traces of other nuts”… will have to check Barney Butter.
Andrea says
Thanks for your thoughts… but as I mentioned in the post, this product is completely nut free — so it would work for people who are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. You can head over to the Biscoff website if you have more questions or need additional information.
Catherine says
Its good to know that it’s totally nut free..
I really mostly wanted to make the point to not confuse peanut allergies with tree nut allergies.. I’m sure not all of your readers are aware of the difference. And since education is the best defence for our kids, just wanted to share a little bit of info with you all! I see you have change the wording in your post which is great!! Thanks for being open to comments!
Michelle says
Catherine, I too want to thank you for such an easy, simple explaination. My daughter has a tree nut allergy and can have peanuts. Every fall at school we have a hard time explaining it to teachers and other parents. If you do not mind I would like to use some of your post to help this years teacher.
Catherine says
Michelle, be my guest!! I’m happy if this is of help to you! Its a constant battle with us too!