Le Bon Petit Chou: Repurposing Speculoos Spread

Whenever we go to Belgium, I always bring back multiple packages of Speculoos cookies. They are so crisp and buttery - the perfect complement to a cup of coffee! I have never seen Speculoos sold in the U.S., but I have recently seen Biscoff cookies in certain grocery stores. Speculoos and Biscoff cookies are very very similar, and I honestly don't know if there is much of a difference. I'd be curious to know...a topic for future research.

Anyways, a year or two ago, I started hearing about this new craze: Speculoos Spread (or Paste, some call it). I was intrigued. Did this spread really just taste like Speculoos but creamy-fied? I needed to try it! I asked my dad to bring some for me from Belgium on his next trip to the U.S. I tried it first on a piece of toast. Woah it was just like the cookie! ...except after another bite, it was just too sweet to go on bread. Alas, I didn't know what to do with my giant jar of Speculoos Spread. Finally, I stumbled upon a recipe for Biscoff Oatmeal Cookies on Two Peas and Their Pod, and I thought: perfect! The taste of Speculoos was meant to be in a cookie format, not spread on bread. I would repurpose the spread into a crunchy cookie!

Now, it struck me as a little odd what I was doing...performing a reversion of sorts. I think the spread is basically made from Speculoos cookies ground up with a little more oil to give it a creamy consistency. And now, I was making back into a cookie? Did this make sense? This didn't phase me for too long, and I promptly whipped up a batch of these crunchy, caramelized cookies. They are delicious with coffee or with ice cream (I ate them with homemade lemon ice cream).

Speculoos Oatmeal Cookies (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup Speculoos Spread (or Biscoff Spread will work)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
In your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, Speculoos Spread, and sugars on medium speed until smooth and creamy.
Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Reduce the speed to low and add in the dry ingredients. Mix only until everything is incorporated
Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
Use an ice cream scoop (or two spoons) to spoon the dough onto your baking sheet. Leave ample space (2 inches) between the cookies. Do not press the cookies down.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are golden and slightly firm around the edges. Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sweet and buttery wet ingredients.

And the dry ingredients all ready to go.

Egg and vanilla into the creamed wet ingredients.

The marriage of the wet and the dry.

Dough ready to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Cookie dough lumps.

Then they get flat and crispy!

This recipe makes plenty of cookies (don't worry - they freeze beautifully!).

Serve these special cookies in a whimsical mug for added flair.

Now for the perfect complement to your cookie:

Lemon Ice Cream (adapted from David Lebovitz)

Ingredients:

zest of 2 organic lemons
1/2 cup (100 gr) sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
2 cups half-and-half
pinch of salt

Directions:

Put the lemon zest into your food processor or blender. Add the sugar and process until zest is very fine.
Add the lemon juice and process until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Add in the half-and-half and process until smooth.
Chill for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Then, freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Transfer to a container and freeze further in the freezer.