Gooey Biscoff filled cookies
Thick and crisp yet soft cookies with speculoos spread in both the filling and the dough.
A double hit of speculoos, or triple if you count the crumbs on top, these cookies are the perfect mix of textures. Plus, it’s got the depth of browned butter (though optional, of course!) and a sprinkle of salt to balance out the sweet.
Cookies have made several appearances on my website. Speculoos has also made several appearances. So, of course I had to combine the two.
Plus, speculoos (the spread, in particular, but the biscuit is great too of course) is one of my favourite flavours to use in baked goods and sweet treats. Several of my co-workers tried biscoff spread (as a dip) and expressed that they weren’t fans of it. I was flabbergasted because what’s not to like about it??????? Sweet, caramelised, mildly spiced goodness, it is liquid gold (I swear I’m not biased).
Gonna be honest though, I never know whether to call it speculoos or Biscoff here. I generally call it speculoos because that’s what I first knew it as, and because Biscoff is only one brand of it (well, Lotus is the brand, and they call it Biscoff.). Plus, Biscoff to me sounds like a cough lolly. However, I tend to put Biscoff in the title because that’s what a lot of people know it as.
I do find that there is a difference between Lotus’ Biscoff spread and other speculoos spreads. In my opinion, Biscoff spread is a little sweeter and less spiced, usually with an ever so slightly lighter and warmer colour, and just a tad smoother in texture (talking about the smooth variety here, of course).
For this recipe, either will work just fine. You don’t have to use Biscoff just because I used the biscuits in the photos. I just wanted something recognisable to a lot of people in the photos, ya feel me?
I tend to veer towards using the spread instead of the spices or biscuits. Why? Simply for ease. Biscuits you’ll have to pulverise in a food processor, and that means more washing. Spices means you’ll have to measure out all the different spices (unless you already have a spice mix) and ensure the caramelised flavour is prevalent enough. Using the spread is simply less fuss. They’ve already got the ratio of spice to sweet, caramelised goodness down pat, so why mess with what ain’t broke?
These cookies are designed to be thick, so if you decide to make them smaller, they may not spread out as much. In fact, I would go bigger instead of smaller if you wanted to change the size. If you want smaller ones, you should press them down before baking and freeze smaller balls of spread. If you want them big but flatter, keep the size but smoosh them down a bit before baking.
Feel free to just use softened butter instead of browning it if you’re in a rush. I am a sucker for browned butter in everything, but it’s just as good without it.
You could also try experimenting with other sweet spreads like Nutella. Maybe I’ll try a Nutella version next myself…
Recipe
For the biscoff filled cookies
Makes approx. 16 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
140g smooth Biscoff/ speculoos spread
180g unsalted butter, browned and cooled, PLUS roughly 30g (softened) to make up to 180g
100g castor sugar
150g brown sugar
180g smooth Biscoff/ speculoos spread
2tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
380g plain flour
1tsp baking soda
1tsp salt
80g Biscoff/ speculoos biscuits, crushed
cracked sea salt (optional)
METHOD:
1. Divide the 140g of spread into roughly 1/2tbsp (8-9g) balls and freeze on a baking paper lined tray.
2. Beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Beat in the 180g spread and the vanilla. Beat the eggs in one at a time, ensuring the first is fully incorporated before adding the second.
3. Sift in the flour, baking soda, and salt and beat on low until just combined. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (preferably overnight).
4. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 170°C and line a couple of baking trays with baking paper.
5. Roll the dough into 60-70g balls. Flatten and place a frozen Biscoff spread ball in the middle. Wrap the ball up with the dough and roll it in the crushed biscuits. Alternatively, you could flatten some dough, put the frozen spread on top, then cover with another flattened bit of dough, sealing the dough together around the spread. Repeat with the remaining dough and spread. Don’t worry too much if the spread is not fully enclosed.
6. Bake for 12 minutes or until lightly golden. They should still be soft to the touch and will firm up as they cool. Sprinkle on the cracked salt whilst cookies are still warm if desired.
That’s it!
Enjoy fresh, or pop in the microwave for 10 seconds or so for a ‘just out of the oven’ feel and to enhance the gooeyness.
