The protagonists of this delicious composition are the spiced cookies of the Northern European Christmas tradition: "spekulaas" for the Dutch or "spekulatius" for the Germans, "speculoos" or also "biscoff" for the French, referring to the delightful habit of pairing them with coffee.
The spice blend that characterizes these delicacies is based on cinnamon, cloves, mace, and ginger, while pepper, cardamom, coriander, anise seeds, and nutmeg are among the possible regional variations.
Tradition holds that in Belgium and the Netherlands, on the eve of Saint Nicholas, between December 5th and 6th, children leave their shoes near the fireplace before going to bed. Saint Nicholas – also known as Santa Claus – will fill the shoes of the most deserving with spekulaas... and hopefully, they will have taken care to always wear clean socks!
