YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    Biscoff Cookies and Spreadable Speculaa

    By | Shine Food – Mon, Jul 25, 2011 7:32 PM EDT

    Photo: CN Digital StudioPhoto: CN Digital StudioBy Lauren Salkeld, Epicurious.com

    When I was a kid I was obsessed with the Biscoff cookies that several airlines gave out on flights. I hoarded the ones I got and I continue to look for them when flying.

    See also: Our Ultimate Grilling and Barbecue Guide

    Now that I'm older and wiser and have eaten more cookies, I realize Biscoffs are really just speculaa cookies, the lightly spiced, buttery biscuits long popular in Europe. According to the Biscoff Web site, since being discovered by an airline food supplier on a trip to Belgium in 1984, Biscoffs have gained international popularity and are enjoyed on most domestic and international airlines.

    While I've never done it, you can order the cookies on Amazon or the Biscoff Web site. It's a rather civilized approach, but I prefer to keep these as my in-flight treat--there's something extra special about a sweet that's not that easy to get your hands on. That was the plan anyway and then I spotted a jar of Biscoff Spread at my local market.

    See also: Healthy Veggie Burger Recipes and Tips

    This sweet, creamy spread contains 57 percent Biscoff cookies so it tastes pretty much exactly like them. Despite not having any nuts or chocolate, I was immediately reminded of both peanut butter and Nutella so obviously I started spreading it on toast and chocolate, two very good partners it turns out. Next I want to try baking with it and perhaps checking out some of the recipes on this Biscoff blog.

    There are other speculaa spreads on the market here and in Europe. In fact, as documented earlier this year in The New York Times, there's been a bit of a fuss over who has the rights to make the stuff.

    Do you love Biscoff or speculaa cookies as much as I do? What about the spreadable form?

    More from Epicurious:

    SUPPER CLUB PICK

    • Childhood Favorites from the Shine Supper Club
      View Photos
      Childhood Favorites from the Shine Supper Club
      Childhood Favorites from the Shine Supper Club

      My after-school snack was a sacred ritual. I sat on the carpet in my parents' bedroom at a low table, the television turned to "I Dream of Jeannie," and ate a peanut butter and honey sandwich cut into neat squares. I wasn't fussy about crusts. I just loved the sticky pairing of creamy peanut butter with syrupy golden sweetness drizzled from a honey bear in diagonals across the soft white bread. Nothing else--save for maybe apples and peanut butter in a pinch--could have made for as sweet an