Speculoos

Speculoos, also known as Speculaas, is a spiced biscuit that is typically cooked around St Nicholas Day in the Netherlands on the 5th of December. Shortbread biscuits are frequently decorated with images of a ship, elephant, farmhouse, horse, or other aspects from the St. Nicholas myth. The name of the biscuit could be derived from the Latin word speculator, which means "one who sees everything," which was St Nicholas' title. It could also have been derived from the Dutch word 'specerij' which means spice.

With traces of cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, or ginger, the thin, crunchy biscuits are prepared. The Dutch enjoy Speculoos so much that they've made their own versions, including those with anise or almond flour.

The best aspect about Speculoos, though, is that it can be used as a bread spread. This variant of the cookie butter is created with 60% crushed Speculoos cookies and is known as Speculoos, Speculla, or Biskoff Spread. Els Scheppers of the popular Belgian TV show "De Bedenkers" popularized the caramelized ginger flavor (The Inventors).