Belgian Spice Cookies (Speculoos)

Belgian Spice Cookies or Speculoos are amazingly crispy, crunchy and delicious. I think that the first time that I had these cookies, also called Biscoff was on a Delta flight. Since then, I've tried my hand at duplicating the not-too sweet spicy taste and crunchy honeycomb-type structure with disappointing results. That is, until now!

These Speculoos are as close to the Delta Biscoff as I could possibly hope for! The recipe was inspired by the Belgian Spice Cookie recipe from America's Test Kitchen. I saw the cookies being made in Season 20, Episode 4 titled Spiced and Sweet. As soon as I saw this, I knew that I would be trying these cookies!

The Secret is in the Sugar

It turns out that one of the keys to the not-too sweet caramel flavor is Belgian brown sugar.

Belgian brown sugar has a complex caramel flavor that is very different from the American brown sugar which is a combination of refined sucrose and molasses. In the US, Belgian brown sugar is difficult to find.

The solution was to use turbanido sugar.

Turbinado sugar is made from sugar cane. In fact it comes from the first pressing of sugar cane that gives off cane juice. That cane juice is only boiled one time leaving residual molasses and brown color as opposed to the multiple boiling times when making granulated sugar. In the boiling process, the sugars crystallize. Those crystals are then whirled in a centrifuge to get rid of excess moisture. This results in turbinado sugar.

Ingredients for Belgian Spice Cookies

Most of the ingredients in these incredible cookies are those that you would find in any cookie recipe: flour, butter, egg ,sugar, baking soda and salt. As I just indicated, however, the sugar is not the regular granulated sugar or brown sugar, but rather turbinado sugar. Also the cookies contain cinnamon, cloves and cardamon for the spices. 

Processing the Turbinado Sugar

TurvinSO sugar has rather large crystals. Before the turbanido sugar could be used in this recipe, I needed to process it in a food processor fitted with a steel blade to break up those crystals. 

Therefore, I added the turbinado sugar to the food processor and processed it for about 30 seconds. This processing produced a fair amount of sugar dust, so I let the dust settle for a bit before removing the cover of the food processor.

Making the Dough for the Belgian Spice Cookies

Once the turbinado sugar had been processed, I added the butter which I had cut into ½-inch pieces. I processed the sugar and the butter until the butter had been fully incorporated into the sugar. This took about 30 seconds.

Next, I added the egg to the food processor and processed the mixture until the egg was fully incorporated. This took about 10 seconds.

At this point, I turned my attention to the dry ingredients. I whisked together the flour, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, salt and baking soda.

Then, I added the dry ingredients to the food processor. I processed the dough ingredients until the flour mixture was fully incorporated. This took about 30 seconds.

At this point, I transferred the dough to a gallon Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, I rolled the dough to fill the bag. As I rolled the dough towards the open end of the Ziploc bag, I made sure not to get any of it on the tracks of the bag. Rather, I carefully rolled out any air and sealed the bag.

I placed the sealed bag on a cutting board to keep it flat and placed it in the freezer. After about 30 minutes, the dough was firm and ready to be cut into cookies.

Finishing the Belgian Spice Cookies

I removed the Ziploc bag from the freezer and carefully cut it away from the cookie dough. Then I used my pastry cutter wheel to trim the four sides and then to cut the dough into 32 rectangular pieces. 

I carefully transferred 16 of the cookies a baking sheet lined with parchment paper being sure to leave about 2-inches between the cookies. I repeated this with the remaining cookies.

I popped the cookies into a preheated 300°F oven for about 30 minutes. The reason for using the low oven temperature and long cooking time was to completely dry out the cookies so that they would be crispy and crunchy. I removed the cookies from the oven and let them cool for about 20 minutes on the baking sheet.

Now the moment of truth - were the cookies close to those that came to love from Delta flights? A resounding yes! They were crispy throughout with subtle caramel undertones and a crunchy honeycomb like interior. Yum!

Other Amazing Cookie Recipes Using the Ziploc Technique

I wish that I could take credit for coming up with the technique of using a Ziploc bag to roll the cookies. However, I read about doing this from one of Dorie Greenspan's posts. It consistently works like a charm for not only these Belgian Spice Cookies, but also these amazing cookies. You should definitely try the technique.

• Pecan Shortbread: All butter Pecan Shortbread uses only five ingredients. These delicately flavored cookies are filled with toasted pecans, and have a rich buttery texture. They are delicious and elegant, but simple enough to make for any occasion, making them the perfect cookie.
• Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies: Espresso-Chocolate Shortbread Cookies have the quintessential buttery shortbread taste and texture with just a hint of coffee flavor to enhance the chocolate and the perfect amount of sweetness. They are super easy to make and are sure to impress!
• Oatmeal Spice Shortbread: Oatmeal Spice Shortbread is the perfect marriage of the nutty texture of oats, and the crumbly texture of shortbread. The cookies are delicately flavored with a hint of cinnamon and healthy oats. In addition, I couldn't make these delicious cookies without the addition of toasted pecans.
• Meyer Lemon Sablés: Meyer Lemon Sablés, with their characteristic "sandy" texture, are buttery rich with a delicate hint of lemon from lemon zest. 

Chula's Expert Tips

• The amount of cinnamon called for in this recipe might sound like a lot, but it really does not overpower the taste of the cookies.
• Baking soda improves Maillard browning in cookie dough, adding an extra dose of toastiness and crunch to the cookies.
• You can use demerara sugar in place of the turbinado sugar. Just be sure to use the same amount by weight and process the Demerara sugar in the same way as the turbanido sugar. 
• The processing of the turbanido sugar produces a fair amount of sugar dust. Wait a bit for the dust to settle before removing the cover of the food processor.
• When rolling out the dough, be careful to not get any of it on the tracks of the Ziploc bag. Dough on the tracks could impact the ability to produce a good seal.
• Rather than placing the dough in the freezer for 30 minutes, you could place in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. If you're not ready to bake the cookies, you can leave the dough in the freezer for up to one month.
• The pastry cutter wheel that I used was the Happy Sales Pastry and Pasta Cutter Wheel. I really like this pastry wheel cutter because it creates a deep zig-zag pattern in the dough.
• These cookies will remain crispy and crunchy when stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for several weeks, if they last that long. You can also store the cookies in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

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Belgian Spice Cookies (Speculoos)

Belgian Spice Cookies or Speculoos are amazingly crispy, crunchy and delicious. They're not too sweet with a crunchy honeycomb-type structure. If you like the Delta Biscoff, you'll love these cookies.

4.88 from 8 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Time in freezer 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Cookies

Cuisine Belgian

Servings 32 cookies

Calories 69 kcal

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups (7.5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 5 teaspoons ground cinnamon (See Tip 1)
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda (See Tip 2)
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¾ cup (6 ounces) turbinado sugar (See Tip 3)
• ½ cup (4 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
• 1 large egg

Instructions

 

• Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• Add turbinado sugar to food processor fitted with steel blade. Process for 30 seconds to break down sugar crystals. (See Tip 4)
• Add the chilled butter to the food processor. Process until butter is incorporated with the sugar, about 30 seconds. Add the egg. Process until incorporated, about 10 seconds.
• Add the dry ingredients to the sugar/butter mixture in the food processor. Process until flour is well incorporated, about 30 seconds.
• Transfer cookie dough to gallon Ziploc bag. Leaving the top open, roll the dough into an even layer that fills the bag. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so that it doesn't cause creases. Seal the bag, and place in freezer for at least 30 minutes. See (Tips 5 and 6)
• Preheat oven to 300°F
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Put the ziploc bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough onto a parchment lined board or counter; discard the bag. Trim the four sides of the dough with a fluted pastry wheel cutter. Using a ruler as a guide and a fluted pastry cutter wheel, cut the dough into 32 1-¼ inch rectangles. (See Tip 7)
• Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes.
• Yield: 32 Belgian Spice Cookies. (See Tip 8)

Tips/Notes

1. 5 teaspoons of cinnamon might sound like a lot, but it really does not overpower the taste of the cookies.
2. Baking soda improves Maillard browning in cookie dough, adding an extra dose of toastiness and crunch to the cookies.
3. You can use Demerara sugar in place of the Turbinado sugar. Just be sure to use the same amount by weight and process the Demerara sugar in the same way as the Turbanido sugar.
4. The processing of the turbinado sugar produces a fair amount of sugar dust. Wait a bit for the dust to settle before removing the cover of the food processor.
5. When rolling out the dough, be careful to not get any of it on the tracks of the Ziploc bag.
6. You can also place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours instead of placing it in the freezer. If you're not ready to bake the cookies, you can leave the dough in the freezer for up to one month.
7. The pastry cutter wheel that I used was the Happy Sales Pastry and Pasta Cutter Wheel.
8. Store cookies in an air-tight container. They will remain crispy and crunchy when stored at room temperature for several weeks, if they last that long. You can also store the cookies in an air-tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Calories: 69kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 55mgPotassium: 12mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 98IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Belgian Spice Cookies, Speculoos

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