Don’t scoff at the Biscoff Spread

Yup, it is true.  I have jumped on the Biscoff spread bandwagon.  At the end of 2011, this spread seemed to take over the internet baking blog-asphere.  I mean it was everywhere.  I noticed all the recipes, but had no desire to try and find the stuff.  I thought to get my hands on the spread I would have to special order it from Europe.  Lo and behold, I noticed the spread on the corner of the cookie aisle at my grocery store this week.  I immediately picked it up and took it home.  Well I paid for it first.

This stuff is good yal.  SUPER GOOD, like I have bought 2 jars in 2 days good.  No, I did not eat a whole jar, let me explain.  On Tuesday, I brought the jar of Biscoff spread home.  I opened the jar and took out about 1/2 a teaspoon to taste.  It was sensational.  Then I thought, let me not be a piggy eating it plain.  I moved to go grab a cracker to spread the spread across.  As I turned, the glass jar rolled off the counter and smashed into my ceramic tile kitchen floor.  The jar was smashed to pieces, though most of the spread was contained within the broken pieces. 

I actually considered trying to take the spread out of the broken jar and saving it.  Probably not the best idea considering little broken shards of glass could get caught in the spread and I wouldn’t see it.  This stuff was so good that the glass shards would have been worth it.  Then less piggy, cooler heads prevailed and I picked up all the pieces, trashed them all, and cleaned up the floor. 

All I could think about the rest of that night, and the next two days was Biscoff spread... Biscoff Spread... BISCOFF SPREAD!  I really wanted the chance to use it in a recipe.  So Thursday, two days after buying the first jar, I bought a second jar.  So, yes, this stuff is so good it was worth paying $3.99 (plus tax) for twice!

I wanted to do something different with my Biscoff spread.  Online I saw recipes for Biscoff Blondies, Brownies, Fudge, and several different versions of Cookies.  What could I do different to take advantage of this luscious product?  I have a recipe I have used several times for soft peanut brittle.  What makes it soft is the peanut butter stirred in right before pressing it out.  Since Biscoff spread is like peanut butter, I thought I could substitute it and make Biscoff Peanut Brittle.  Of course, the fat content and properties of peanut butter is different than Biscoff spread, so I hoped it would work out. 

It worked out wonderfully.  The brittle tasted like a super crunchy cookie with peanuts.  My favorite flavor aspect was the hint of cinnamon.  The brittle was not as soft and flaky as when I used peanut butter, but it was still super yummy and not tooth-crackingly hard as standard brittle.  Now, I have a little less than half a jar left.  Time for Biscoff spread recipe, part II… or grabbing the jar, a spoon, and some rice cakes and see if I cannot drop the jar again!

Biscoff Peanut Brittle

I used this recipe here.  Omit the vanilla extract (you do not need it with the spread) and exchange the peanut butter for an equal amount of Biscoff spread.

 



Just Because Cookies

In theory going to the doctor’s office should yield a diagnosis and a prescription or at least recommendations to make the pain better.  However, when you go to the doctor’s office leaving with absolutely no answers and in more pain than when you came with, it has not exactly been a successful appointment.

Well, I have been dealing with this arm thing for over a week now.  I broke down and finally went to the doctor because the problem has become an annoyance and an interrupter of my sleep.  After being poked, prodded, and stretched, I left the doctor’s office with a test prescription, no diagnosis, and in significantly more pain then when I went to the doctor.

After coming home from the doctor and taking a nap, I was still not feeling so great. Instead of hiding under my bed and waiting for the search and rescue mission to come and scope me out, I did something that made me happy. I got into my kitchen. I have been planning for a few days to make rice krispies treat candy bars, and though today would be that day, but those do not require me to cut on the oven. So, scratch that. What could I make that I could do with no planning, no preparation, and not very much effort?  Triple Chocolate Chip Cookies.

So, I whipped up these cookies and baked them off in less than an hour.  As they baked, I was wrapped in the delightful smell of butter and vanilla; it was comforting. As I saw the brown, soft, gooey results of my baking, I felt like I did something right.  Then, the thought of sharing the cookies with people who would appreciate them briefly brought a smile to my face.

Though I am still in pain, these just because cookies were definitely the best part of my day.  These were easy to accomplish.  Use your favorite chocolate chip cookie base recipe and then add two to three cups of different kinds of chocolate.  I used dark chocolate morsels, semi-sweet chocolate chunks, and white chocolate chips.  I hope these brightened someone else’s day as much as they did mine!

By the way, I saw my first snow of the winter 2011-2012 season fall over the weekend.  It was beautiful and did not amount to anything at all.