#PutSomeSpecOnIt

What could be better than a sandwich with Speculoos?  How about a Speculoos cookie sandwich with Speculoos in the middle, yum!

Yield: 

14-16 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 package (8-ounces) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Speculoos spread plus more for filling
• 1 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
2. Beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar, and Speculoos together until creamy.  
3. Add flour and mix until dough forms
4. Using a small cookie scoop (1 tablespoon measure), drop rounded mounds of dough onto a baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  
5. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until edges are light golden brown and centers are set.  
6. Let cool for 2 minutes on baking sheet, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.
7. Spread 1/2 of the cookies with a thin layer of Speculoos and place the remaining cookies on top to form a sandwich.  

Who Needs Zippers When There's Speculoos Buttons?!

Speculoos Buttons are not only cute, they're also very delicious! Spread some Speculoos on top of these cookies and get twice the Speculoos flavor! #PutSomeSpecOnIt

Yield:

Makes about 90

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 large egg white
• Sanding or other decorative sugar

Preparation

1. Whisk first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter in a medium bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add both sugars and molasses; continue to beat until mixture is smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla; mix for 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add dry ingredients and mix to blend well.
2. Scrape dough from bowl and divide into thirds. Using your palms, roll each piece of dough into an 8" log. Wrap logs tightly in plastic or parchment paper and freeze for at least 3 hours. (For neater edges, remove logs from freezer after 1 hour and roll on counter.) DO AHEAD: Dough can be made up to 2 months ahead. Keep frozen.
3. Arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
4. Whisk egg white in a small bowl to loosen; lightly brush all over 1 log. Sprinkle with (or roll in) sanding sugar. Using a long, slender knife, slice off a sliver of dough from each end of log to make ends flat. Cut log into 1/4"-thick rounds. Transfer to 1 baking sheet, spacing 1/2" apart; place in freezer while you cut the next log. (The cookies hold their shape better if you bake when dough is cold.) Repeat with remaining dough.
5. Bake 2 sheets of cookies, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 6 minutes, until tops are golden brown and centers are almost firm, 11-13 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks and let cool. Repeat with third sheet of cookies. DO AHEAD: Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

National Coconut Cream Pie Day!

Coconut Cream Pie

Did you know that May 8th is National Coconut Cream Pie Day?  We did because we always love finding new ways to enjoy Speculoos!

Try out this recipe courtesy of Honest Cooking!

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 hour

Serves: 4

This pie does beautifully chilled over night in the fridge. It sets the custard, allows it to relax, and for the flavors to develop.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews (soaked for at least 2 hours)
• 1 15 oz can of Coconut milk
• 1 cup Sugar
• Scant tsp Salt
• ¼ cup Bird's Custard Powder (You can sub cornstarch in a pinch)
• 2 tsp Vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons Coconut Cream
• ¼ cup of Coconut oil (broken into small pieces, not melted)
• 2 cups Unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 Pack Speculoos cookies 
• 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil or margarine (to mix with the crumbled cookies)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375° F
2. In the meantime, take your entire pack of cookies for a spin in your food processor or blender. Combine these with your melted coconut oil or margarine, and press down into a greased 9" pie plate. Pop this in your oven for 10 minutes to set it.
3. Once your cashews are properly soaked, blend them with about ⅓ cup of water in a food processor or blender to form a loose puree, or cream. This will take a bit, you're looking for smoothness. If it's balling up on you, add a few more tablespoons of water.
4. In a large bowl, pour your coconut milk, custard powder (or cornstarch), and whisk. If you're using the Bird's custard powder, you'll notice a delightful shade of pale orange, but just keep whisking until there are no lumps of dry powder.
5. Evenly distribute the coconut oil through the rest of the custard. Add the solid coconut oil, coconut creme, vanilla, and shredded coconut, and whisk.
6. Once that's nicely combined, add in your cashew cream, and resume whisking.
7. Gently pour your custard into your pie crust.
8. Bake for 35-­40 minutes. 
9. When you pull it out, it shouldn't jiggle wildly, only slightly. 
10. Cool on a wire rack