 | It has been suggested that this article besplit out into a new article titledSpeculaas, because Speculaas and Speculoos have diverged into two distinct culinary products. Speculaas is a spiced biscuit (German: Spekulatius) linked to the Dutch spice trade. Speculoos is a caramelized variant (German: Karamellgebäck) that arose in Belgium. The name 'speculoos' is a regional phonetic derivative of 'speculaas' that now identifies a different recipe without the traditional spice mix. (Discuss)(December 2025) |
 Speculoos (Belgian variant) | |
| Type | Biscuit |
|---|---|
| Course | Snack |
| Place of origin | Belgium (speculoos) Netherlands (speculaas) |
| Associatedcuisine | Belgian cuisine; Dutch cuisine |
| Serving temperature | Room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Wheat flour, sugar, cinnamon; Speculoos: sugar syrup; Speculaas: granulated sugar, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, white pepper; sometimes mace, ginger, coriander |
| Variations | Biscuits: thin biscuits; molded figures; chunky speculaas (thicker biscuits); stuffed speculaas (filled with almond paste);bread toppings: speculoos spread; schuddebuikjes (small speculaas crumbs) |
| Other information | Regional terminology and spice mixtures differ; see Terminology section |
Speculoos (Dutch:[speːkyˈloːs]ⓘ;[1]French:spéculoos[spekylos];German:Spekulatius[ʃpekuˈlaːtsi̯ʊs]ⓘ orKaramellgebäck[kaʁaˈmɛlɡəˌbɛk]), known asspeculaas in theNetherlands (Dutch:[speːkyˈlaːs]ⓘ orbiscoff (/ˈbɪs.kɒf/BISS-koff) internationally, is abiscuit, with origins in theLow Countries (Belgium and the Netherlands),[2] baked with speculaas spices, which is a mix ofcinnamon, and sometimes other spices:nutmeg,clove,ginger,cardamom andblack pepper — the actual spice mix varies by region and manufacturer.[3][4] They are usually flat, crisp and moulded to carry certain traditional images. Historically it was popular to eat speculoos around the feast ofSaint Nicholas (Dutch:Sinterklaas). The oldest sources on speculoos also mention weddings and fairs. However, it has become normal to eat speculoos all year round, especially with coffee or tea, or with ice cream. Speculoos stuffed with almond paste (Dutch:gevulde speculaas) and the thicker speculoos chunks (Dutch:speculaasbrokken) remain a Christmas specialty in the Low Countries.
Apart from Belgium and the Netherlands, it is also well known in adjacent areas inLuxembourg, northernFrance, and in the west ofGermany (Westphalia and theRhineland).[5][6] It gained popularity in the formerYugoslav countries, where it is manufactured by theCroatian food companyKoestlin. The cookie can also be found inIndonesia and is usually served there atChristmas or on other special occasions.[7] The biscuits have become internationally popular. By the 2020s, in Flanders, the speculoos name is sometimes used in place of the traditional speculaas name.[8]
The Dutch namespeculaas evolved from the older formspeculatie (speculation), used to mean "desire" or "pleasure". Originally,speculatie described fine baked goods, appealing to sophisticated tastes. Over time, this term developed dialectal variations likespeculacie andspeculasie, in which later the ie-suffix was erroneously interpreted as diminutives—eventually resulting in the non-diminutive form known today asspeculaas.[9][10] In Belgium, a variant calledspeculoos arose, especially in French-speaking regions.Speculoos, thought to derive from aBrabantian dialect pronunciation, omits the traditional spices in favour of caramelized sugar for flavour. Another theory for the name is that, because it omits the traditional spices due to less wide availability and higher prices in Belgium compared to the Netherlands, the -laas was changed to -loos which means without. It became internationally popular, especially with the introduction of speculooscookie butter.
Speculoos roots go back to theklaaskoek or "Saint Nicholas cake", a festive treat linked to Saint Nicholas Day on December 6. These earlyklaaskoeken were among the precursors to what we now recognize as speculoos. Speculoos likely originated in the Low Countries during the Middle Ages, when exotic spices arrived via expanding trade routes. Once a luxury treat, it became associated with Saint Nicholas festivities, often featuring figures of the saint or festive symbols. As the Dutch spice trade grew in the 17th century, speculoos became more accessible.[citation needed]
In Europe,Lotus speculoos is the most recognized brand. This manufacturer supplied the biscuits individually packaged to the catering industry. In the United States, Mexico 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 wordspeculoos from local markets, to harmonise their products with their Biscoff brand.[11][12] Several chains of supermarkets have started their own product under their generic name. In the US, windmill or almond windmill cookies are mostly based on speculoos.
Workers in theLow Countries traditionally made a sandwich in the morning with butter and speculoos or speculaas biscuits. This took on a spread-like consistency by lunchtime.[13] In 2008, two competitors entered a contest on the Belgian television show,The Inventors (de Bedenkers), with a spread made from speculoos cookies[13][14]—Els Scheppers, who reached the semi-finals, and the team of chef Danny De Mayer and Dirk De Smet, who were not selected as finalists. Spreads made from crushed speculoos biscuits went into production by three separate companies and became popular.[citation needed]
By 2007, several Belgian companies began marketing a speculoos paste, now available worldwide under various brands and names: asSpeculla,Cookie Butter, andBiscoff Spread. As a form of spreadable speculoos biscuits, the flavour is caramelized andgingerbread-like, with a colour similar topeanut butter[15] and a consistency ranging from creamy to granular or crunchy. The spread consists of 60% crushed speculoos biscuits and vegetable oils.[15][13] In the United States the grocery chainTrader Joe's sells its own brand of cookie butter and cookie butter ice cream.[15]
Media related toSpeculoos at Wikimedia Commons| National | |
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