The mysterious ingredient that’s got people talking: Speculoos

To many, Speculoos might just sound like a strange word, but to us here at Juliette & Chocolat it’s synonymous with many delicious treats! Speculoos pronounced “speck-you-lows”, also known as Saint Nicholas cookies, are spiced shortbread cookies that originate in Belgium. Although everyone has a different variation of the cookie, the most common distinct ingredients are: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and, of course, butter. Created in the 1930’s and known as both a holiday cookie and a Belgian cookie found in coffee shops, these cookies are definitely worth all the talk.

Slowly making its way to North America, Speculoos is becoming quite the decadent treat, and the opportunities for recipes are endless. The cookies are divine and can be used to create brilliant recipes such as cheesecakes, chocolate bonbons, crumbles, ice-cream cookie sandwiches and so much more.

At Juliette & Chocolat we use Speculoos in several recipes in both the cookie form and in what we call “cookie butter”. Cookie butter is an indulgent treat made from Speculoos cookies ground into a paste until it becomes spreadable. We can compare the texture to that of a spreadable praline, and we use it to add a richness and creaminess to all kinds of treats. We use it in chocolate bonbon, in chocolate creations such our praline Easter rabbits and ducks, and in our milk chocolate bar with Speculoos filling, and our Speculoos fondant- which is a twist on the molten lava cake with a cookie butter heart.

Sounds delicious right? Well, you can even try Juliette’s Speculoos cookie recipe at home!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• All-purpose flour 140g
• Brown sugar 250g
• Butter 250g
• 1 egg
• Cinnamon 5g
• Ginger 5g
• Anis ground 2g
• Ground clove 1g
• Baking powder 2g

And here’s how the magic is created:

1. Cream the butter and the brown sugar together. Once you get a creamy texture, you can add in the egg until it blends into the mixture.
2. Add in your dry ingredients. Once everything is mixed together, cover the dough and place in the fridge for approximately 1 hour.
3. Using a rolling pin, spread the dough to get a thickness of about 5mm. Once the dough is evenly spread out, detail the cookies using a cookie cutter of your choosing.
4. Preheat oven to 350° and cook cookies for approximately 12 minutes. Makes approximately 30 cookies.

Lastly and most importantly, indulge in the magic of the Speculoos!