Lemon Speculoos Cupcakes

Photo and Recipe By: The Tolerant Vegan

Ingredients:

Cake ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups pastry flour (or half all-purpose and half cake flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup vegan butter substitute, softened
• 3/4 cup refined sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 cup vanilla coconut milk yogurt
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vanilla soy milk
• 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar

Frosting ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons vegan shortening
• 1/2 cup Speculoos spread
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sea salt and baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together the vegan butter substitute, sugar and lemon zest on low-medium speed until fully combined.
4. Add in the yogurt, milk and lemon juice.
5. Mix the dry ingredients together with the wet ingredients until fully combined.
6. Stir in the vinegar.
7. Spoon the batter into cupcake liners until each is 2/3 full.
8. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly.
9. Allow the cupcakes to cool while you make the frosting by placing all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mixing until fully combined.
10. Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with chocolate chips.

Vanilla Macaroons with Speculoos Filling

Photo and Recipe By: Look Who’s Cooking Too

Ingredients:

Ground almonds/ almond meal- 60 gms

Powdered sugar- 100 gms

Caster sugar- 40 gms

Vanilla paste- 1/2 tsp (or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)

Egg whites- 60 gms

For the filling

Double cream- 1/4 cup

Speculoos spread- 4

Granulated sugar- 2 tbsp (optional)

Directions:

• Before you start, get the baking trays lined with baking paper and the piping bag with round tip nozzle ready.
• Sift the icing sugar and almond meal together once or twice to make sure there are no lumps. Its ok if they are not too fine. 
• In a free standing mixer with whisk attachment whisk the egg whites till frothy.
• Add the caster sugar bit by bit, while continuously beating, till soft peaks form.It should hold its peak shape when you lift the whisk, but shouldn't be too dry and stiff.
• Add two spoons of almond powder mix into the meringue and fold it all in using a spatula. You can be a bit vigorous here.
• Add the remaining almond powder mix and slowly fold it in till you get a smooth mix.
• To check if the consistency is right the batter should fall back in ribbons when you lift the spatula.
• Also put a spoon full of the batter on a plate and if it spreads out on its own (not too fast) then you are good to go. If it doesn't, give a couple more folds and loosen it out. This is very tricky, if too loose  you are ruined.
• Fill the piping bag with batter and pipe small rounds on to the trays. leave around 2 inches gap between the shells.
• Gently tap the trays on the kitchen counter to rid of the air bubbles and keep aside to dry. This can range from 15 minutes to about an hour, depending on the humidity of the place. 
• They are ready to bake when a film forms on the shells and when you lightly touch them, they no longer stick to your fingers.
• Pre-heat oven to 140C and bake the macarons on the middle rack for 12 to 14 minutes. And do pray that nothing goes wrong in the oven. 
• Once time is up, take the trays out of the oven and leave aside to cool completely after which you can carefully remove the shells from the paper and store in an air tight container till ready to pipe.
• For the filling, whip the double cream till soft peaks form.
• Fold in the sugar and speculoos spread and mix till they all come together.
• I have eye balled the measurements here, if you need more spread flavour coming through, then add more.
• Either fill a piping bag with the filling and pipe on to the macaron shells or if you are lazy like me, use a small tea spoon and spread on to the shells.
• Sandwich them and store in the refrigerator in an air tight container over night for the flavours to set in.

Blood Orange Tarts with Speculoos Cookie Crust

Photo and Recipe by: Yin and Yang Mom

Ingredients

• For the Cookie Crust:
• ½ cup (1 stick) cold, cubed butter
• ½ cup Speculoos Spread
• ¾ cup light brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• For the Blood Orange Curd:
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• zest of 2 blood oranges
• juice of 4 blood oranges
• 4 tablespoons cold, cubed butter

Instructions

1. Prepare the cookie crusts: Cream the first three cookie crust ingredients in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the egg and the salt. Mix in the flour and cornstarch until incorporated. Roll to ⅛” thickness, between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut rounds with a cookie cutter and press into the wells of a muffin tin. Prick with the tines of a fork, and bake in a 375 degree oven, for 5 minutes.
2. Prepare the Blood Orange Curd: In a glass or metal bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together to combine. Add the eggs, yolks, juice, and zest. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, and whisk, continuously, until mixture thickens and becomes opaque. Remove from heat, and whisk in the butter, a tablespoon at a time. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, into a spouted glass measure, and fill the partially baked tart shells.
3. Bake the tarts for 8 minutes, or until set, at 350 degrees.
4. *Note: You may have extra cookie dough, so you can make cookies too!

Speculoos Pudding

Photo and recipe by: Dine and Dish

Ingredients:

• 3 Cups Whole Milk
• 1 3/4 cup Speculoos spread, divided (1 14oz container)
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons corn starch
• 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 large yolks
• Speculoos Cookies (optional, but highly highly recommended!)

Directions:

1. Whisk together Milk and 1/3 cup Speculoos spread in a large pot over medium heat, until well incorporated.
2. In a small bowl mix salt, cornstarch and cocoa powder. Add to the pot. Increase heat to medium-high and whisk continuously until boiling. Keep whisking for an additional 3-5 minutes, until mixture is smooth. Remove pot from heat.
3. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks. Temper them with 1/4 cup of pudding, and then add the tempered yolk mixture to the pot. Add remaining Speculoos spread. Whisk together until fully incorporated.
4. Spoon pudding into bowls and either serve hot, or place in fridge.
5. Optional – crumble Speculoos cookies on top of the pudding for extra yumminess!