At the risk of being tagged a "troll", here's my two cents on this old thread. I've had an empty box of Jules Destrooper's Almond Thins on my computer desk for several months to remind me to look again to see if anyone has developed a recipe and put it online. (I tried it a couple of times myself at first but the results were, well, disappointing.) I found this thread on today's Google search. I don't know anything about Trader Joe's similar cookies, as we don't have that supermarket chain in the New Orleans area, but the list of ingredients in the Destrooper butter almond cookie is clearly different from the "Destrooper" recipe linked above at Yahoo! Answers: INGREDIENTS: WHEAT FLOUR, BROWN SUGAR, BUTTER, ALMONDS, SALT. (Listed in that order.) Of note: no egg, no vanilla. The only sources of moisture in the genuine Destrooper's are the brown sugar and the butter and I'm guessing I could try a dozen more times before I figured out the proportions and baking technique that would work. (I'm an OK cook but not that much of a baker.) Perhaps "WHEAT FLOUR" is how folks in Belgium refer to "whole wheat flour" but I'm not thinking this is the critical difference, at least vis-a-vis Destrooper's (versus Trader Joe's). I'm thinking that adding egg and vanilla and omitting the molasses flavor of the brown sugar would tend to make a very different cookie, regardless of the proportions of other ingredients and the baking technique. I'll let you know if I ever figure it out...

I found this in an old cookbook my mother used from the 40's. I'll post it with the original recipe & the variation following. FUDGE 2 cups sugar 1 or 2 squares chocolate 1/8 tsp cream of tartar or 2 TBL corn syrup 2/3 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla 2 TBL butter Mix the sugar, milk, grated chocolate, cream of tartar or corn syrup & boil rather slowly, stirring until the ingredients are well blended. Boil to the soft-ball stage (238°.) Remove from the stove, add the butter but do not stir it in. When lukewarm, add the vanilla & beat until it creams; that is, until the shiny appearance disappears & the fudge will hold its shape when dropped from the spoon. Spread it in a buttered pan & when it hardens mark it into squares.~~ **Peanut butter may be used instead of chocolate, using 2 TBL of the butter to each cup of sugar in the recipe. Like butter or other fat, it should be added after the fudge is cooked.~~

Look in foodtv.com and get Paula Deens recipe for Apple Raisen muffins. these are the best I have ever eaten - you won't be sorry

agmss15 - what you wrote ties in with what I just found on this site: https://www.leaf.tv/articles/can-you-substitute-peanut-butter-for-butter-in-baking/ "Substituting Peanut Butter for Butter Unlike other fats and oils, butter, depending on the style and salt content, is at least 80 percent fat, with milk solids and water making up the remaining 20 percent; on the other hand, peanut butter is only 50 percent fat. It contains 25 percent protein, fiber and other carbohydrates in addition to fat. To effectively substitute peanut butter for butter in a recipe, first combine equal parts creamy peanut butter and oil; use the mixture cup for cup as you would use butter in cakes, muffins, cookies, brownies or quick breads." Thanks! I'll go ahead and do it, but I think I'll use canola rather than coconut oil.