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Calm and Bright: Speculoos S’mores to Welcome the New Year

Jan 5 by Anita 26 Comments

speculoos star smores stack 1
 
  

Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were merry and bright. It’s a little late, but I thought I’d share our New Year’s Eve treat: it may be holiday-themed, but I think you’ll agree after you read about it that it’s worth eating any time of the year.

speculoos star smores 1
 

I seem to have a fondness for s’mores at the end of the year, and I found myself wanting to make some version of them again this New Year’s Eve. My twist of inspiration this time came from a jar of cookie butter I had in the cupboard – the one with “speculoos” printed on the label.

Speculoos, or speculaas (I’ve seen them spelled both ways), are a crisp, spicy cookie from the Netherlands, traditionally made at the beginning of December for St. Nicholas’ feast. The closest American analogue is the gingersnap, but whereas they have a predominately peppery kick from the ginger, speculoos have a sweeter, more multilayered flavor. The spice mix for speculoos varies but cinnamon almost always dominates, followed by nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Other spices that can make appearances include white pepper, mace, cardamon, coriander. You can buy speculoos spice mixes online, but I think part of the fun is coming up with the blend that tickles your taste the best.

Of course, speculoos got a huge boost in visibility over here in the states when Trader Joe’s invented cookie butter, a spread made of crushed speculoos (there are similar spreads out there – in the UK it often goes by biscoff spread). I’m willing to bet there’s many more people out there who know about and have tried cookie butter than the actual speculoos. That’s fine – there’s room for both in my dessert playbook, as these s’mores illustrate.

Instead of classic grahams, I decided to make speculoos. Traditionally, they’re rolled and pressed into a mold, but you can simply cut out shapes with a cutter. I made stars for New Year’s, but you can make simpler circles or squares instead (it makes for easier filling as well). I worried about the cookies being too firm to work well as sandwich cookies, so I kept the cookies very thin, and I found that the fillings will help soften the cookies as well, if you let them sit for a bit.

Building on the sweet-spicy speculoos goodness, the fillings include a layer of cookie butter, a dollop of dark chocolate ganache, and a swirl of marshmallow cream. I found the spices and chocolate worked well to play off the fluffy sweetness of the marshmallow, achieving that gooey-crisp-chocolatey amalgam that is s’mores perfection. I made these earlier in the day and we bruleed the marshmallow at the last minute, to enjoy as the last moments of 2014 ticked down.
 

mini speculoos stars 1
 

I’m pretty happy with how this last-minute inspiration came together – I know, it’s hard to go wrong with cookie butter, but it was fun to use it in a new spin on a classic comfort dessert.

Also, with the coming of the new year we’re also approaching Isabelle’s second birthday. I don’t have much to express about her impending two-year-old status except a bunch of exclamation marks, but this last month has been particularly exciting as she seemed to go through a big developmental spurt: suddenly she went from short phrases to full, complete sentences. This increased eloquence was accompanied by a marked burst in independence. Terrible twos about to descend on us? Well, I guess there’s more than one way to view it. For example, she’s been watching what I’ve been doing and trying to imitate me, which led to her very first stint as Mommy’s baking helper, right before the end of the year! She helped me roll out the speculoos dough and cut out the stars – she claimed all the little stars were “Isabelle’s cookies”. Here she is, proudly showing off her first baking project!
 

speculoos helper 1
 

I’m really looking forward to doing more baking with my little miss in 2015 – perhaps there will be some more kid-friendly recipes making their way onto this blog. I’m also looking forward to sharing more about my upcoming cookbook when it comes out, and I have so many other projects on my wish list. Here’s to seeing how much I can fit into 2015, and I hope this year is full of excitement and joy for you as well!
 

speculoos star smores side 1
 

Speculoos S'mores

About 24 cookies, or 12 s'mores
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Speculoos

  • 2 cups (272 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) packed light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache

  • 6 oz bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
  • 3/4 cup (173 g) heavy cream

Marshmallow Cream (Swiss Meringue)

  • 1 cup (200 g) sugar
  • 4 large egg whites
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup cookie butter or biscoff spread

For the speculoos:

  • Whisk flour, spices, and salt together in a medium bowl.
  • Beat butter in stand mixer with paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugars and beat until light and fluffy, another 3 minutes.
  • Add in egg and beat to combine. Add in vanilla and beat to combine.
  • Add flour mixture all at once and beat just until combined and dough starts to come together.
  • Turn out dough onto a clean surface and divide into two parts. Form into rectangles about 1/2" thick, wrap in plastic, and chill in refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats.
  • Roll out one block of dough to 1/4" thick. Cut out 2 1/2" round cookies with a cookie cutter, or use whichever size you like. If the dough is sticking, re-chill in refrigerator before moving cookies to baking sheets. They bake better when cold.
  • Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, rotating halfway through, until cookies are golden brown and just set at the center. Be careful if you do a complex shape like a star, the ends can burn first, so watch them carefully. Cool on wire racks.

For the ganache:

  • Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream to boiling on the stove.
  • Pour cream over chocolate and let sit for a minute. Stir to combine cream into chocolate. Place ganache in refrigerator to chill while you are making the marshmallow cream.

For the marshmallow cream:

  • Combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in a medium metal bowl and place over a pan of simmering water.
  • Whisk the sugar mixture constantly over heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture looks smooth and shiny, about 3 minutes.
  • Remove mixture from heat and pour into a stand mixer bowl. Whisk on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the mixture has cooled.
  • Beat on high speed until stiff glossy peaks form, about another 5 to 10 minutes. Add vanilla and beat to combine.
  • Scrape the frosting into a piping bag fitted with a medium star tip.
  • Lay out the cookies in pairs. Spread some cookie butter on half of the cookies. Top with a layer of chocolate ganache.
  • Pipe a swirl of meringue on top of the ganache. Place a second cookie on top and press down. Use a brulee torch to brown the meringue.
  • Serve immediately, or you can let them sit out for a couple hours - the ganache and meringue will soften up the cookies.

Filed Under: Cookies, Recipes Tagged With: chocolate, marshmallow, s'mores, speculaas, speculoos

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Comments

  1. 1

    Lauren says

    Jan 5 at 6:01 am

    Look at that beautiful girl!!! I forgot our kids were about the same age. I’m already planning my little guy’s party… I just can’t believe they are almost 2. My baby!!! Sniff! 🙂

    Reply
  2. 2

    Kaitlin says

    Jan 5 at 10:17 am

    Oh, how pretty! I love how perfectly browned the piped meringue is. Happy New Year!

    Reply
  3. 3

    Angela says

    Jan 5 at 11:33 am

    This is totally my kind of cookie! Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait to make these!

    Reply
  4. 4

    Shannon peterson says

    Jan 5 at 2:33 pm

    Oh my gosh, these sound amazing! Cookie butter is kind of my weakness!

    Reply
  5. 5

    Alycia//Crazily Normal says

    Jan 5 at 4:19 pm

    I will be trying these ASAP! I love smores!!!!

    Reply
  6. 6

    Chrissy says

    Jan 5 at 5:43 pm

    Well those look delicious! Now I want some smores!

    Reply
  7. 7

    Claire says

    Jan 5 at 7:23 pm

    SO cute! Look yummy too!

    Reply
  8. 8

    Mary says

    Jan 5 at 8:19 pm

    This looks great! I’m gluten free, so I am curious how they’d come out if I switch out the flour 🙂

    Reply
  9. 9

    Karissa says

    Jan 5 at 8:43 pm

    She is so cute and I love s’mores and these are adorable.

    Reply
  10. 10

    Beth@FrugalFroggie says

    Jan 5 at 8:44 pm

    Looks like a fun treat. I love s’mores.

    Reply
  11. 11

    Kelly - A Side of Sweet says

    Jan 5 at 9:42 pm

    Anita! These look INCREDIBLE! How do I get on the list to get some! I absolutely adore s’mores. Your daughter is such a cutie!

    xxo,
    Kelly
    http://asideofsweet.com

    Reply
  12. 12

    Alyssa says

    Jan 6 at 12:22 am

    I am so pinning these.

    Reply
  13. 13

    Katie Matthews says

    Jan 6 at 5:39 am

    I’ve never had a smore in my life. Is that really bad to admit? We melt marshmallows, but this takes on a whole other level of sophistication! Looks so good!

    Katie <3

    Reply
  14. 14

    Kyla Currier says

    Jan 6 at 6:58 am

    OMG! I love s’mores and these look amazing! I can’t wait to try them!
    xo, Kyla
    kymariec.com

    Reply
  15. 15

    Rebekah says

    Jan 6 at 8:25 am

    These look too good to eat!! I mean, I’d still eat the whole bowl but I’d admire them for at least a minute first!

    Reply
  16. 16

    Lindsay says

    Jan 6 at 9:47 am

    Oh my these are just too cute!!! Love them!

    Reply
  17. 17

    Ayana Pitterson says

    Jan 6 at 9:53 pm

    My daughter would LOVE you. For the last couple of weeks she has been begging me to make smores. But, these look even better than the ones I intended to make. Thanks for sharing. PINNING!!!!

    Thrifting Diva
    http://www.thriftingdiva.com

    Reply
  18. 18

    Nichole says

    Jan 7 at 9:17 am

    OMGosh! Those look ah-mazing. I am absolutely going to have to try this!

    Reply
  19. 19

    yaitza says

    Jan 7 at 10:45 am

    you had me a s’mores lol such a cute and delish looking cookie

    Reply
  20. 20

    Sarah @ Bonjour Sucre says

    Jan 8 at 12:49 am

    Yum! They look great! I love smores and speculoos. Thanks for sharing the recipe – I really want to try these.

    Reply
  21. 21

    Sarah Beth says

    Jan 9 at 7:19 am

    Those are the prettiest smores ever!

    Reply
  22. 22

    Susan says

    Jan 9 at 8:46 am

    Speculaas is the Dutch word for these cookies, Speculatius would be the German word, and Speculoos is used in part of Belgium (Speculaas in the rest of the country) – that’s what I have gleaned so far from my studying of the subject.

    Reply
    • 23

      Anita says

      Jan 10 at 11:40 pm

      Thanks Susan – love linguistics!

      Reply
  23. 24

    Lana @ The Truth About Blondes says

    Jan 12 at 8:51 am

    These look sooooo good.

    Reply
  24. 25

    Jess says

    Jan 12 at 12:42 pm

    Oh yum! These look great! Also little baby girl is way too precious!!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Bloggers’ 30+ Favorite Holiday Cookies | The Spiffy Cookie says:
    Dec 13 at 8:25 am

    […] 16. Dessert First – Speculoos S’mores […]

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about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. More about pastrygirl

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