Speculoos is a popular crunchy biscuit in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, traditionally eaten during Christmas. The biscuit is made with brown sugar and various spices, and its name varies depending on the country. The dough is rolled up thinly, cut into pieces, shaped, and cooked.
Speculoos is a kind of crunchy biscuit or flat biscuit popular in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Its shape is usually rectangular with a decorative image embossed on the face of the cookie, although modern versions of the cookie can come in various shapes. These biscuits can be eaten hot or cold and are a good accompaniment to drinks such as tea, coffee or hot chocolate.
There are many variations of the cookie name, depending on the country. Speculoos is commonly referred to as such in France, but is known as “speculaas” in Holland and “speculatius” in Germany. The origin of the word is not certain, but some argue that “speculoos” comes from the word “specerij”, which means “spice” in Dutch. Others attribute the Latin word “speculum” to the wooden mold used for biscuits.
Traditionally, speculoos were cooked on St. Nicholas Eve, December 5th or 6th. The decorative images on the biscuits were usually characters or scenarios from accounts told about Saint Nicholas. The most common image would be St. Nicholas himself, sometimes emblazoned with an edible red dye to his red hooded coat. In accordance with Belgian and Dutch Christmas customs, children would fill their shoes with hay for St. Nicholas’ horse and arrange the shoes by the fireplace. The next morning, the shoes would be filled with speculums and other gifts.
Speculoos biscuits use common ingredients such as butter, flour and eggs, but what gives the biscuit its unique flavor is Belgian brown sugar called “vergeoise brune”, made with beets. This sugar also gives the cookie its rich brown color. Modern recipes usually substitute brown vergeoise for the dark brown sugar which is more widely available. Another factor that makes these cookies so unique is the use of various spices, such as cinnamon, cloves, ginger and even pepper. Chopped nuts such as almonds and walnuts can also be added for texture and flavor.
The dough is usually made by mixing the dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients. The dry ingredients are then slowly added to the mixed wet ingredients until the ingredients have blended well. It’s important, however, not to mix the dough too much or too quickly, as this can result in very hard cookies. The dough is then rolled up thinly, cut into pieces, shaped and cooked. Many recipes recommend refrigerating the dough before pressing it with the mold, as the imprint would be more evident.
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