Is it speculaas or speculoos? (2024)

FAQs

Is it speculaas or speculoos? ›

Speculaas and speculoos are 2 different biscuits. Speculaas is typical cookie from the Netherlands based on the specific flavour of "speculaas"herbs. At Lotus Bakeries, we produce Speculoos, a biscuit that obtains it taste by the special production proces of the karamelisation of sugar in the biscuit.

The name speculaas has to do with the wooden molds the cookies are made in (we call it a speculaasplank, speculaas (sometimes also called speculoos) comes from the word speculum which means; mirror). One of the more famous shapes is a windmill of course!

Speculaas (Dutch: speculaas, French: spéculoos, [spekylos], German: Spekulatius) is a type of spiced shortcrust biscuit baked with speculaas spices originated from the County of Flanders territory in present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands.

In the United States and the United Kingdom, the same company is branded as Lotus Biscoff, short for biscuit with coffee. Company founder Jan Boone Sr. created the original recipe in 1932. In October 2020, Lotus Bakeries decided to omit the word "speculoos" from local markets, to harmonise their brand.

The biscuit that the company Lotus Biscoff made famous is called speculaas. Hailing from the Netherlands, the biscuit was born around 1650, shortly after the Dutch spice trade began. They quickly became associated with the European Sinterklaas holiday (celebrating Saint Nicholas) on December 5 and 6.

Dutch people believe that speculaas was created in the Netherlands in the 17th century. It was the time when the Dutch East India Company brought spices to Europe and were more widely available. The primary spices used at that time were cinnamon, cloves, mace and ginger.

Coffee lovers all over the world ask for a Biscoff with their latte or espresso. Unsurprisingly, the name Biscoff itself is a combination of 'biscuit' and 'coffee'.

The Dutch word "koekje" was Anglicized to "cookie" or cooky. The earliest reference to cookies in America is in 1703, when "The Dutch in New York provided...'in 1703...at a funeral 800 cookies...'"

“The mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves makes it quite a tasty treat, and because they are so small it's very easy to eat more than a few of the smaller versions easily.” Because of its association with flying, the Biscoff cookie can also lock into the sensory memory.

Biscoff biscuits, also known as speculoos cookies, are a type of sweet treat that is typically high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and unhealthy fats. Consuming excessive amounts of these biscuits on a daily basis can lead to several health issues.

Is Biscoff just gingerbread? ›

Speculoos, the cookie family to which Biscoff belong, are often described as a type of gingerbread, but that's a little misleading. Aside from their use of caramel sugar, speculoos don't have quite the same bite; their spice blend tends toward aroma rather than heat.

Speculoos cookies, also known as Belgian Speculaas, are crisp roll out cookies made with spices, caramel, butter, and brown sugar to name a few of the flavors that make these cookies so wonderful. If you've had Biscoff cookies, you've already had speculoos cookies (just a different name).

These crispy, spiced cookies come in a variety of shapes and are flavoured with ginger and cardamom for a delightfully festive treat. Their signature images are traditionally stamped or moulded into each cookie before baking to give Speculaas a unique character.

But while it's been known as speculoos in Belgium since its invention, when Lotus took the brand to international markets in the 1990s, it abandoned its native name. Instead, it gave it the name Biscoff — a portmanteau of “biscuit” and “coffee” — easier to say for an international audience.