Speculoos are spiced biscuits from Belgium, that are flat and often shaped into traditional images such as ships, farmhouses, or elephants. They originate from the County of Flanders (a territory that is in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands).
Traditionally speculoos are enjoyed at weddings, fairs, and the feast of St. Nicolas – however nowadays they are enjoyed all year round, often with tea or coffee.
Origin & Cultural Significance
Speculoos is the Belgian version of the Dutch biscuit speculaas and is much cheaper to both buy and make as they use fewer spices than the Dutch version. Speculoos are popular all over the world – particularly the brand Lotus and their Biscoff biscuits and spread. The biscuit is made from flour, candy syrup, fat, and cinnamon.
Speculoos are thought to originate in the 17th century, when spices were first introduced to the Netherlands by the Dutch East India Company and quickly became a popular ingredient in local recipes. The name speculoos and speculaas is thought to be derived from the Latin word for ‘mirror’ in reference to the traditional images and intricate moulds used to make the biscuit.
Belgian Speculoos Recipe
Speculoos is a spiced biscuit from Belgium, that is flat and often shaped into traditional images such as ships, farmhouses, or elephants
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - 2 cups
- Butter (softened) - 1/2 cup
- Brown sugar - 3/4 cup
- Egg - 1
- Baking powder - 1 tsp
- Ground cinnamon - 1 tbsp
- Ground ginger - 1/2 tsp
- Ground nutmeg - 1/4 tsp
- Ground cloves - 1/4 tsp
- Salt - 1/4 tsp
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, cream together softened butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until a dough forms.
- Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each portion into a disk.
- Wrap the dough disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until firm.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch thickness.
- Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough.
- Place the cut-out cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them slightly apart.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 98Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 80mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g
Nutrition is provided and calculated by Nutritionix. It is for general information purposes and is only a rough estimation.