Speculaas

Speculaas, also known as speculoos, is a delightful spiced shortcrust biscuit that’s a holiday favorite in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and Austria, especially around Christmas. These biscuits are renowned for being thin, crunchy, and caramelized, often featuring an image or figure stamped on the front before baking. The dough is a fragrant blend of spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardamom, hearkening back to the rich history of the Dutch East Indies spice trade. Unlike other doughs, speculaas dough doesn’t rise much and can be prepared using various leavening agents.

The name "speculaas" has intriguing origins. It may derive from the Latin word "speculum" (meaning mirror), "speculator" (an epithet for St. Nicholas or a bishop), or the Dutch word "specerij" (meaning spice). Regional varieties include the Belgian Hasselt speculoos and the German Spekulatius. The most famous brand in Europe is Lotus Speculoos, marketed as Lotus Biscoff in the US and UK. There’s even a spreadable version made from crushed speculoos cookies, known as Speculla, Cookie Butter, or Biscoff Spread.

In the United States, Trader Joe's offers a popular cookie butter made from speculoos cookies. This spread has garnered fans worldwide for its delicious caramelized and gingerbread-like flavor. The idea for this spread dates back to the Low Countries, where workers would mix butter and speculaas cookies to create a delightful treat. Brands like Lotus Biscoff have since turned this concept into a variety of spreadable speculoos cookie products, delighting taste buds around the globe.