Chocolate and Speculoos Popsicles

Photo and recipe by: Sweetest Kitchen

Holiday isn’t over yet, so the best way to celebrate this lovely season is by creating this oh so delicious treats for your kids! Follow recipe below:

Makes 6 popsicles

Ingredients

Chocolate stripes:
1/2 cup (4 oz) water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 level tablespoon creamy Speculoos spread
1 oz bittersweet chocolate
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons 2% milk
1 teaspoon water
1/8 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Speculoos stripes:
1/2 cup (4 oz) water
scant 1/4 cup sugar
3 level tablespoons creamy Speculoos spread
pinch of salt
3 tablespoons 2% milk
1 1/2 teaspoons water
1/8 teaspoon white wine vinegar

To make chocolate stripes:
Combine the 1/2 cup water, sugar, Speculoos, chocolate and salt in a small saucepan and place over very low heat.  Whisk until the sugar, Speculoos and chocolate has melted and continue cooking and whisking over very low heat for another 5 minutes, or until most of the chocolate granules have dissolved.  Remove from the heat and let cool about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.  Whisk in the milk, 1 teaspoon water and vinegar.  Refrigerate until cool, stirring every so often.

To make the Speculoos stripes:
Combine the 1/2 cup water, sugar, Speculoos and salt in a small saucepan and place over very low heat.  Whisk until the Speculoos melts down and the mixture is warm, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and let cool about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.  Whisk in the milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons water and vinegar.  Refrigerate until cool.

To assemble the popsicles, place popsicle sticks into the Zoku maker and pour the cooled chocolate mixture about 1/4 of the way up the molds (about 1 tablespoon per mold) and let freeze completely.  Then pour the cooled Speculoos mixture halfway up the molds (again, about 1 tablespoon per mold), letting this layer freeze completely.  Repeat the stripes until you reach the fill line.  Ensure the popsicles are frozen, then remove them from the molds with the Super Tool.  Repeat for the next 3 popsicles.

If you don’t have a Zoku, you can probably make these in the traditional way, but you might not want to take the time to freeze multiple layers.  Maybe try just two layers instead!

Speculoos Crembulee

Photo and Recipe by Candico

This holiday season Speculoos crembulee will surely be a star once you served it as a dessert, follow recipe below:

Ingredients

For 4 persons:

• 4 level tablespoons of Candico light brown soft sugar
• 30 g of castor sugar (‘Tiense Suiker’)
• 80 g of Speculoos spread
• 50 cl of full-cream milk
• 4 egg yolks

Method

1. Heat the oven to 5 – 150 °C.
2. Beat the egg yolks with the castor sugar to a pale frothy mixture.
3. Melt the crumbled Speculoos spread in half of the milk on a low heat until completely melted. Add the rest of the milk, pour this mixture over the eggs and mix.
4. Divide the mixture over 4 crème brûlee dishes (or 4 soufflé dishes). Put them in a large oven-proof tray and fill it with warm water to ¾ way up the small dishes. Leave to bake for 30 min. Leave to completely cool and then place in the fridge for a few hours.
5. Just before serving cover the crèmes with a fine layer of soft brown sugar and caramelise with a crème brûlée torch or under a hot grill (if using the grill, place ice cubes around the dishes). Wait 5 min and serve.

Crunchy Speculoos Balls

Recipe and photo by made to create

This simple treat is easy to create, perfect for dessert and snack for kids. Follow recipe below:

Ingredients

11 ounces speculoos cookie butter spread (one 11oz. jar from Trader Joe's)

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter, softened

1 cup organic powder sugar

2 cups crispy rice cereal

17 ounces dark chocolate, melted for dipping

Directions

Begin by combining the Speculoos and the softened butter in a large mixing bowl, stirring well to incorporate. Next, add in the powder sugar and give it a few stirs. Now add in the crispy rice, and using your hands mix everything together. Roll balls using about two tablespoons of the mixture for each ball, and place them on a few large plates, or one large cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer. Freeze the balls for at least 20 minutes. Then melt your chocolate in a glass bowl, either in the microwave or in the stove top using the double boiler method. Roll each frozen ball in the melted chocolate, and place on a plate or cookie sheet lined with foil. I usually use two spoons to twirl the balls in the chocolate to get them fully coated. You could always stick toothpicks in the top of the balls before freezing to make it easier to dunk them in the chocolate. Once you have coated all the balls, place them in the freezer to set for at least another 20 minutes. Then store in an airtight container in either the refrigerator or freezer until ready to serve.

White Chocolate Speculoos Krispies

Photo and Recipe by: Plain Chicken

You can give a delicious twist to rice krispies by following the recipe below

Ingredients:

2 cups Rice Krispies cereal
2 cups honey roasted peanuts
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup Speculoos spread
1 package (24oz) vanilla almond bark

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine cereal, peanuts and marshmallows. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt almond bark and speculoos on High for 1 minute and then in 15 second intervals until fully melted. Stir almond bark into cereal mixture. Mixture will be slightly runny. Drop by tablespoons onto waxed paper. Let set until firm, 2 hours. Store in an airtight container.