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

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.

Taste of nostalgia

The word 'Speculoos' supposedly derives from the Latin speculum (mirror): it is the mirror image of the wooden mould in which it has been made. But what once was a Belgian and Dutch speciality saved for Sinterklaas has now become a global sensation with manufacturers shipping the biscuits worldwide.

Yes! Biscoff is just a branded commercial name for speculoos flavour. However, some biscoff flavour biscuits can be more chewy or cookie-like than the traditional, crispy speculoos biscuit.

In summary

In the world of spiced cookies, Biscoff and Speculaas hold a notable place, each with their own unique characteristics. Speculaas offers a distinct cinnamony spice blend with a crisp texture, while Biscoff delights with a caramelized sweetness and a crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth sensation.

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.

As for the creation of speculoos, the recipe is generally credited to Antonie (or Antoine) Deplée, a Belgian patissier (pastry maker) from Flanders. Deplée registered the recipe in 1870 in Hasselt and the origin of the biscuits has been considered distinctly Belgian ever since then.

Speculaas is an iconic Dutch holiday cookie. It is so delicious, I just have to share it with you here. Even though it is traditionally a 'holiday cookie', it is actually eaten year around (probably because it is so delicious).

Is Lotus a speculoos? ›

Lotus Bakeries NV is a Belgian multinational snack food company founded in 1932. Based in Lembeke, Kaprijke, the company's best known product is Speculoos (known as Biscoff in the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia).

The story of Lotus Biscoff starts in 1932 in a local bakery in Lembeke, a Belgian town. The unique recipe was brought to perfection with carefully selected natural ingredients. Today, Lotus Bakeries is still family-owned and based in its home town. And from there, the tasty cookie continues to conquer the world.

While speculoos, and its slightly spicy flavor (ingredients include cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, and ginger), tickles many a Belgian adult's nostalgic tendencies, the shortbread biscuit is more than ever a thing of the present.

Lotus Bakeries stresses that the price increases over the past two years were always aligned with actual costs, and were unavoidable due to unprecedented increases for raw materials, packaging, transport and wages, among others.

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.

Cookie butter is a sweet, spreadable, edible paste that is made from spice cookies, along with sugar and oil or some other kind of fat. Lotus Biscoff spread is probably the most familiar brand of cookie butter.

Noun. speculaas (plural speculaas) Speculoos, a spiced biscuit traditionally eaten around Saint Nicholas Day and Christmas; in particular, the variety from the Netherlands, when contrasted with Belgian speculoos.

Speculoos Cookie History

Speculoos are thought to have originated in the Netherlands as early as the 17th century. This was a time when spices were just becoming widely available to more people due to the growth of the Dutch East India Company.

Some are traditional cookies, some are modern cookies. One of the two new types that I made this year are these: Speculaas (Dutch) aka Spekulatius (German). They are a traditional Dutch spice cookie, usually rolled very thin and then imprinted with a design.

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.