Speculoos

Have you fallen victim to the this thing called cookie butter that everyone is talking about? Everyone's taking pictures and showing it off on their instagram, So I hopped into the bandwagon and bought one. 

I opted to try the Lotus Biscoff Caramelized Spread. 

If you have a sweet tooth you need this in your life. Lotus is a Belgian Bakery famous for caramelised biscuits and Speculoos which they have turned into a spread. It is advertised as an alternative to chocolate hazelnut spread and peanut butter. But the taste is somehow similar to a coco jam. I am a bit disappointed when I tasted this product because I expected more because of the buzz that the cookie butter/biscuit spread has  created. 

I do not think anything can replace peanut butter as far as I'm concerned.  It's too sweet for my taste. Obviously it is not chocolate or hazelnut but it's a sweet spread which comforts your taste buds in the way I imagine Nutella does.

But have you ever wondered where the Speculoos word came from? 

Speculoos (fr) or speculaas (nl). The speculoos is a traditional Belgian biscuit which was initially only eaten for Saint Nicolas. In the meantime however due to its success, you can find speculoos all year round. Usually served with your coffee in bars and restaurants, but also as part of dessert as speculoos ice cream. The name itself comes from the Latin ‘species’, meaning spices. 

Why the name? A speculoos is all about spices and granulated brown sugar. I found this recipe online that I'd like to share so you can make your own Speculoos Cookie to go with your spread. 

Homemade Speculoos 

- 500 grams (17 2/3 ounces, about 4 cups*) flour
- 150 grams (2/3 cup) butter, at room temperature
- 1 egg
- 300 grams (1 1/2 cups) brown cassonade (substitute the darkest brown sugar you can get)
- 1 teaspoon mixed ground cake spices (traditionally cinnamon and cloves)

(Yields about 50 speculoos.)

Preheat the oven to 180°C (360°F), and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a food processor or by hand, mix the butter, sugar, spices and eggs. If you're using a food processor, transfer the dough into a large mixing bowl now, as the rest has to be done by hand. Add the flour in batches, and knead the dough until it comes together and gets buttery and brown.

Divide the dough in two. Spread a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface, and use a rolling pin to spread one half of the dough on it (this is so it doesn't stick to the counter, without the addition of flour), until it is about 5 mm (1/5 inch) thick. Use a special speculoos mold to cut out cookies, or just cut the dough in long and narrow rectangles, about 3 x 7 cm (1.2'' x 2.8'').


Use the blade of a knife to transfer the cookies onto your cookie sheet, and put into the oven to bake for twelve to fifteen minutes (the cookies will still be soft in the center). Slide the parchment paper onto a rack for the cookies to cool and harden. Repeat in batches with the rest of the dough.

Recipe adapted from La Bonne Cuisine