The classic seasonings and brown sugar flavors of Biscoff speculoos cookies are baked inside biscotti and begging to be dipped into your favorite seasonal latte.
I’m sitting on the counter swinging my bare feet, the floor two feet away. It’s summer, and I’m in shorts, my legs sticking to the counter when I shift my weight so that I have to peel them off like a bandaid, only less painful. On the counter next to me is a goldenrod mixer. Just past the mixer are the plastic gallon ice cream buckets my mom uses to store flour and sugar. I can see the counter, the mixer, my mom with her waist-length raven hair tied back and falling down her back. My towheaded sister is on her hip, clutching the measuring spoons.
Memories fade. Have you ever tried looking back at something and realized that the colors are dulled, the details not so clear? It’s as if you’re watching the television without your glasses. You can get the gist of what’s going on, but the screen appears fuzzy. You can hear the words, but you can’t quite make out who is saying them.
My most brilliant childhood memories all involve the kitchen. They are the etched into walls of my mind as if carved in stone. The smells and sounds, the way the room felt, sometimes even the clothes I’m wearing are all there. (Nerd Reading: Memories that involve multiple senses can be easier to recall. These visual and sensory elements trigger the rest of the memory to come flooding back to the surface. I’ll spare you the details about the prefrontal cortex and where memories are stored and how the brain works when you recall them.)
The simple sight of a mixer on the counter and my instinct is to plop one of my children down next to it and make chocolate chip cookies, recreating the memory from childhood where each recipe was a story that changed and shifted every time we made them. Baking was an act where we created stories from our imaginations, cookies with our hands, and memories never to be forgotten.
I’ve had a KitchenAid ever since I moved out of my parents’ house. First it was my grandma’s old mixer from the ’70s, which was upgraded to a 5.5-quart when I was married. The 5.5-quart served me well. Still, with the insane number of Christmas cookies I insist on making every year and the horrible habit I have of tripling every baking adventure so that there are plenty of leftovers to share, I found that I often filled my bowl to capacity. I felt restricted by the size of my mixer.
When KitchenAid came out with a 7-quart bowl I instantly dreamed of it on my counter. With all the features and wonder of my previous KitchenAids, this one has the ability for me to indulge my desire to feed the entire neighborhood every time I bake. I couldn’t help but say yes when KA asked if I could create a recipe with one on my counter.
The first cookies coming out of this mixer were not of the chocolate chip variety, however. Instead, I reworked biscotti to include the four-spice seasonings of a traditional speculoos cookie. My biscotti is wearing an early Halloween costume and doubling as those sweet Biscoff cookies I can’t get enough of. The spice is suited to autumn, and dipping these cookies into a pumpkin spice latte is definitely on the to-do list for the season.
3 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, softened
2 eggs
Preheat your oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, cloves, cardamom, white pepper, and salt. In an electric mixer, cream together the dark brown sugar and the butter until fluffy. Add in the eggs and beat until combined. Slowly mix in all of the dry ingredients until they are incorporated into the dough.
Split the dough in half and shape into two logs, 3″ wide and 1″ high. Place the logs on a parchment lined baking sheet at least 3″ apart. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges just start to brown and the center of the cookie logs are set.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and drop the temperature down to 250º F. Let the cookie cook slightly so that it is easier to handle. Using a serrated knife, slice 1/2″-3/4″ strips lengthwise. Rest the slices on their sides on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through, until biscotti are golden along the edges.
Makes 18-20 biscotti cookies.
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Delicious and that mixer bowl has to be a dream!
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I adore the giant bowl. It’s massive, which is just what I was looking for. Bring on the bread dough and multiple cheesecakes at once.
I love this more than words can say, Shaina!
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These look amazing!! I always look forward to your posts!
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Absolutely perfection. Danny’s been making us Pumpkin Spice Lattes as of late. I’m definitely going to have to try your recipe.
Congrats on the Mama Bear Mixer! She’s a beauty.
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I love that Danny makes you lattes. Ole, while endlessly multifaceted in his abilities, does not have that particular talent.
I need my KA to have a 7 qt bowl!!! Awesome
And this biscotti…sigh.
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Yum! I want to start my day off with these babies!
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Shaina, you really a fantastic writer. As I read your words, I was transported back to my nan’s kitchen, and the many hours we spent there making all manner of things. Thank you for the time travel, friend. It goes without saying that the biscotti recipe is fabulous. I’m not normally a fan of biscotti, but you had me at speculoos. I can’t wait to make these!
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I seriously think I need one of those big mixers! This biscotti looks fantastic. I love all things Biscoff and I’m sure this wouldn’t disappoint! Thanks for sharing, pinned!
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OMG! I’d imagine this would be perfect with my afternoon tea
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Beautiful post Shaina. I too have some vivid kitchen/meal memories, but alas, I do not have a kitchenaid mixer. Hopefully someday I can get my hands on one. The biscotti looks delicious – must try!
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Wow – talk about the flavours of fall all baked into a bite! And dipping this into a spicy apple cider or steamy cappuccino would be a holiday!
V
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I love speculoos! When I was living in France, my roommate and I would unwind after a long day with speculoos and tisane. There is nothing better!
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This was a great idea!! I seriousy love this stuff. I sometimes carry a jar of Biscoff in my purse…for when the urge hits:).
Oh yes- a dream for sure!!! I often find that my bowl is overflowing if I make mashed potatoes or a double batch of frosting. Plus anything with confectioners sugar would be so much cleaner with a deeper bowl. I must have one- love the color too!
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It’s still almost 100 degrees here in the foothills of California, so I’m going to have to save this for cooler temps. They look amazing…
Funny, I was craving biscotti and here is your recipe, That sure is a good looking mixer.
Where is pumpkin spice latte when I need one ; )
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I love my KA mixer! That 7 quart bowl must be perfect for your big family.
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Wow, a 7 quart bowl sounds huge! But perfect for a big family and for holiday baking. My kids love biscotti!
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I’m so in love with that mixer, holy moly. I’m pretty much a Halloween hater but I would totally be trick or treating at your house for that Biscotti!
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oh you lucky girl! and this biscotti needs to be in my belly!
FYI – the older I get the less I can remember from my childhood – makes me sad.
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I’ve been seeing more and more recipes for Biscoff/Speculoos. It’s not something I’m familiar with, though I know our local Dutch import store sells it. I’m going to have to acquaint myself with this flavour, obviously. Thanks for sharing.
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Just lovely wih the morning cup of coffee!
I’m suddenly craving a mid-morning coffee & biscotti break!
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I’ve got a big ol’ cup of coffee, but no biscotti.
Suddenly my coffee looks rather dull.
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I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this recipe. And that mixer is a thing of beauty.
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These look so good. I have a 6 quart mixer (only a few years old), so I can’t justify getting the larger one.
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What a great combination of flavors! I love biscotti dunked in tea or coffee, especially this time of year!
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This is a beautiful post. Speculoos certainly brings back some childhood memories!
What a great idea.
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I love a good crisp biscotti, and the fact that these are biscoff-ish puts them over the top. Gorgeous photos Shaina!
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I need these in my life Shaina. Seriously.
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I absolutely cannot wait to try this recipe, Shaina!
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Love these!!
I used to be a chef in a restaurant. I can see that these dish will surely win the hearts of my family members so I can’t wait to remake this at home. Thanks for sharing generosity of sharing this.
-James
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I don’t know why I always forget about biscotti, but they are some of my favorite cookies, especially during the winter time – random, but I’ve always considered them a holiday treat.
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this sounds wonderful. i love biscotti especially with tea. mmm…
I thought this recipe for biscotti couldn’t be left for another time, so I got to working on them as soon as I could on this lovely Sunday morning. They are in the oven as we speak – can’t wait to eat them up.
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Oooooo…lucky ducky you! My KA has seen its better days, with the top 2 speeds quitting on me whenever I max it out with homemade marshmallows. Love your reminiscing, and your biscotti, too.
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Biscoff Biscotti – you’re pretty much a genius! These would pair perfectly with my morning vanilla latte and I’m kind of jealous of that giant KA bowl!
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This biscotti is suddenly on my baking to-do list this fall. You must be having a great time with that giant KitchenAid bowl. Maybe you can send me some of your extra cookies?
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I would love to try this recipe, perfect for fall!
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Oh! I stumbled over this article by happy accident. I’d tried something similar with cake-mix biscotti, adding cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and nutmeg, with a bit of molasses. I was after a pain d’epices kind of taste. I’ll have to try the cardamom, too. The mixer does sound wonderful, they’re such iconic, sculptural objects.