MAKE YOUR OWN BISCOFF COOKIES

Discover the wholesome joys of baking cookies at home, where the benefits abound in every delicious bite. Crafting your own cookies allows you to have complete control over ingredients, ensuring a treat that aligns with dietary preferences and nutritional goals.

The creative freedom in choosing flavors and textures fosters a sense of culinary exploration and personalization, making each batch a unique expression of creativity. Sharing homemade cookies with loved ones creates moments of connection and joy, fostering cherished memories and strengthening bonds. And let's not overlook the sheer satisfaction of savoring a warm, freshly baked cookie, with its irresistible blend of crisp edges and soft, gooey center.

From nourishing the body with wholesome ingredients to nurturing the spirit through creativity and connection, baking cookies at home offers a delightful escape and a sweet reminder of life's simple pleasures.

What is Bicoff Cookies?

Biscoff is the name of is a line of biscuits from the Lotus brand. The type of this biscuit is known as Speculoos, originally made in Belgium, made from wheat flour, brown sugar, fat and spices.

The biscoff dough contains spices, but it doesn't look like gingerbread. It is more sweet than spicy and has a firmer texture. This dough is very different from other cookie doughs. Firstly because the dough does not contain eggs, resulting in a very dry and super crunchy cookie. The second difference between biscoff and most biscuits is that, in addition to butter, goes a little bit of oil and water, to bind it together! Another detail is that part of the flour used in this recipe is first toasted in the pan until it reaches a golden color. Toasting the flour adds complex layers with almond nuances to the dough.

Another distinct characteristic of Biscoff is that it's made with beet brown sugar and Ceylon cinnamon. The beet brown sugar imparts a more caramelized flavor to the biscuit, while the true cinnamon brings citrusy notes of orange, unlike cassia cinnamon, which tends to be spicier. Cinnamon can be found in natural food stores or even online, but we recommend making your own caramelized sugar for a better result!

In the dough of the industrialized Biscoff, soy flour is also used to emulsify and make the biscuit lighter. To achieve a similar aroma and result, we will use toasted wheat flour. However, if you wish to add soy flour, simply replace 1 tablespoon of white wheat flour with it.

NOW, LET'S BAKE!

You can make it vegan, just change the butter for coconut oil. Put it in the fridge and let there for 1hr before use.

This recipe was inspired in Lili Glacê's Recipe.

Necessary Utensils:

Baking sheet for the cookies

Parchment paper or a Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat (silpat)

Rolling pin

Stand Mixer (or use a fouet, but mix everything very well!)

Dough shape cutter (if you wanna make a different shape than retangular)

Ingredients:

30g toasted wheat flour

125g wheat flour

70g roasted caramelized sugar

80g brown sugar

80 grams of butter

1 teaspoon of oil

1 tablespoon of water

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

Makes approximately 25 cookies.

Steps to bake:

First Part (toast the flower):

The first thing you will have to do is toast the flour, so, in a skillet over medium heat, about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it becomes golden and emits a strong "nutty" smell. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. See below the defference between the toasted and the raw:

Second Part (make a fluffy cream):

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC (356ºF) for at least 15min;

2. In a stand mixer, with a flex edge beater, add the butter and oil, and mix well until its homogeneous,

3. Add in the mix the brown sugar, the roasted sugar, the spices, the salt and the baking soda.

4. Mix until fluffy and light, for about 10 minutes. This step is crucial for achieving a well-aerated cookie texture. See, below, how this sugar-butter mix shoud be:

• Third Part (make the dough):

1. In a very slowly way, gradually add water to this mixture, and continue mixing in the stand mixer until incorporated and become a little bit more creamer.

2. Finally, remove the dough from the mixer and add the flour little by little on top of the dough, mixing with a spatula, delicately, from bottom to top so that the dough maintains its aeration..

3. Mix well with a spatula until the dough reaches the desired consistency.

4. Once the dough reaches the right consistency, and the ingredients are almost incorporated, place the dough on the counter and form a ball with your hands.

5. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

• Fourth Part (Open and Cut the Dough):

1. After resting, roll out the dough with parchment paper on top, to a thickness of 6mm.

2. Cut out cookies in rectangular shapes or any preferred shape!

3. Cut, with scissors, the paper between the retanguler cookies and put each cookie in the baking pan with 2cm space.

4. If you're making the Biscoff to use as a base for a tart or cheesecake, shape the size of the cookie according to the size of the pan you'll be using and bake it in that pan. This way, the crust will already be in the correct shape and size.

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180ºC (356ºF) for approximately 12 minutes.

6. Let them cool and enjoy with some tea

Shelf life: Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month at room temperature.