My Speculaas Moment

My college BFF visited Madrid last weekend and he brought me this as pasalubong:




A beautiful tin can of  Hellema Speculaas Cookies from The Netherlands!
( Note: Speculaas is Dutch for Speculoos)

In the Philippines, where there is currently a Cookie Butter craze, most people associate Speculaas (or Biscoff, to those from the US) with Lotus, the Belgium-based bakery brand who must be commended for spreading the love for Speculaas cookies all over the world, and Trader Joe's, the US-based grocery brand who came up with its own Cookie Butter.


Burnt brown deliciousness!

In Belgium and the Netherlands, where Speculaas originated, there are a lot more choices in terms of brands. This was my first time to try Hellema, and I all I can say is that the distinctive speculaas spice flavor is more pronounced here than in Lotus' Speculoos biscuits. For me, that's a good thing!

Why are Speculaas cookies so delicious? There´s the burnt caramel taste, the distinct spicy punch of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper, held together by a delicate sweetness. These cookies not too sweet, with a perfect balance of salt, spices, and sugar. The earthy flavor of the biscuits is a perfect complement to one's favorite tea or a perfect cup of coffee.

In lieu of coffee, this is what I take with my Speculaas Cookies:


My new tea discovery, Lipton's Vanilla Caramel tea. Aroma palang, yummy na!


Speculaas cookies, VanillaCaramel Tea, and a handful of Englsedrops (delicious licorice, also from The Netherlands), savored at home while watching the evening's Bloomberg News. This is my favorite Speculaas moment. Winding down after a day at work, relaxing for a few minutes to clear my head and enjoy the downtime before tackling the to-dos for the shop. The past few days, when I need a break, I nibble through my Speculaas stash, and enjoy a spectacular Speculaas moment.

What about you? What's your spectacular snacking moments?