Speculoos. Speculaas. Biscoff cookies. Since they provide no satisfaction for We Gluten Free, we've got our work cut out for us.
Speculoos are very much like gluten free gingersnap cookies, but without the ginger. I know that a lot of recipes in this style put in more spices (like nutmeg, ginger, cloves and even black pepper), near as I can tell, the only spice in the actual cookies is cinnamon.
Now if you're really keen on more spices, try adding 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves and/or 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg. Oh, and since there are no eggs & no butter these are vegan gluten free cookies. BOOM!
If we're going to make the spread (no bake), then we need to make the cookies first (bake). But good news! They come together very quickly and bake quickly, too.
But be mindful as you bake them, that they tend to go from perfectly baked to burnt in a jiffy, since they're high in sugar. Since there are no eggs, they're snappy little numbers.
Wait 'till you see the beautiful vegan gluten free spread we're going to make with these babies. But, really, they're worth the oven time all on their own. Here's how we get it done:
Gluten Free Speculoos Cookies
Ingredients
2 cups (280 g) all-purpose gluten-free flour blend
1 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your blend already contains it)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (109 g) packed light brown sugar
8 tablespoons (96 g) vegetable shortening
1 tablespoon (21 g) honey
1/4 cup water, at room temperature
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, place the flour blend, xanthan gum, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and granulated sugar, and whisk to combine well. Add the brown sugar, and whisk once more to combine, working to break up any lumps in the brown sugar. Add the shortening, honey and water, and mix to combine then knead with your hands to bring the dough together.
Divide the dough into two equal portions and roll each between two sheets of unbleached parchment paper into a rectangle between 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch thick. Place the rolled out dough on a flat surface and place in the freezer until firm but not frozen (about 10 minutes). Cut out 2 1/2 inch ovals out of the dough and place about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake the dough until golden brown and mostly firm to the touch (7 to 10 minutes, depending upon size and thickness). Because of the high sugar content, the cookies will burn quickly once fully baked, so watch carefully beginning at 7 minutes. To get a feel for how quickly they will bake, make your first batch in the oven a small one and adjust the baking time appropriately.
Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. They will crisp as they cool.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Kclark says
Made them tonight. Easy. Yummy. Happy GF teen. Life is shoestring good.
gfshoestring says
Excellent, Kristi! Give that GF teen a hug for me.
xoxo Nik
Donia Robinson says
Can’t wait to make these, and EVERYONE in the comments seems to be excited about the spread!! You are so good to us! ;)
gfshoestring says
Indeed, the spread is catching on, Donia. ;)
xoxo Nicole
KClark says
Nik, really? You are such a rock star in our house. You already know that. My daughter adores you and well, um, me too. You have made going GF bearable, scratch that, yummy. Anyway, those biscoffs are her favorite. We ate them in Europe until we were sick to our stomachs but not sick of them. Spread you say? For the love….
Maya says
I am sooo excited to try these. I agree…now how can we get these to be like the Trader Joe’s cookie butter, gluten free? :)
gfshoestring says
Essentially, yes, Maya. I have never tried the Trader Joe’s version, though, but I have read that people don’t think it tastes like the ‘real’ thing. I will be shooting for the name brand Speculoos/Biscoff spread. :)
xoxo Nicole
Aliza says
How would you use these to convert into the spread? Just curious! Thanks for the awesome recipe! I miss these cookies dearly sine going GF!
gfshoestring says
Oh, I’ll post a separate recipe, using these to make the spread, Aliza. Don’t worry!
xoxo Nicole
Aliza says
Thanks, Nicole! I love your blog! It has made my transition to GF life so much easier!!
Kaity says
With the honey, they would not technically be vegan (too-many vegan friends to not point that out…haha) BUT I am so excited for an egg-free, diary-free GF recipe leading to Speculoos spread! I swear, the spread became the most amazing product in the world during the week I stopped eating gluten: it cropped up everywhere, looking so tantalizing. Glad I have a chance to finally indulge!
gfshoestring says
Funny, Kaity, I had never heard of the spread before going gluten free! And then I agree, it became ubiquitous. :)
xoxo Nicole
Jennifer Sasse says
Does this taste like those biscoff cookies you get on certain airlines? These intrigue me – where does the name come from? have to make them.
Also the weight measurement for 2 cups of GF flour blend is 280 g, right? I’ve been penciling it in everywhere! :)
gfshoestring says
They do, indeed, Jennifer! And yes, 2 cups of flour in my recipes always = 280 grams (140 g/cup). I forgot to add the weight measurement (which is always my guide anyhow), so I went back in and fixed that. Nice catch!
xoxo Nicole