How cookies crumble at Deli Master

MANILA, Philippines -The Cookie Monster would go bonkers if he stepped into Deli Master on Annapolis St. in Greenhills because of that rack of cookie butter spreads.

“Speculoos” is a French word which means a type of spiced short-crust biscuit, traditionally baked for consumption on or just before St. Nicholas Feast in Northern France. Well, in recent decades it has become available all-year round.  Speculoos biscuits are thin, very crunchy, slightly browned.

Spices used in speculoos are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper.  Most speculoos variants are made from white flour, brown sugar, butter and spices.  Some varieties use almond flavor, with silvered almonds embedded in the bottom.

In 2007, several Belgian companies began marketing a paste variant of speculoos, now available worldwide under various brand and names such as Specullat, Cookie Butter, Speculoos, Biscotti Spread or Speculoospasta.  As a form of spreadable speculoos cookies, the flavor is caramelized and gingerbread-like with a color similar to peanut butter and a consistency ranging from creamy to granular or chunky.

The spread consists of 60 percent crushed speculoos cookies along with vegetable oils.

Deli Master offers several brands of this speculoos cookie butter spread — from Europe as well as from the US under Trader Joe’s name. It also carries a wide selection of the actual cookies used in making this cookie butter spread.

Deli Master is at Unit 103, Intrawest Center Bldg., 33 Annapolis Street, Greenhills (right beside Atlanta Tower). For information, visit www.facebook.com/delimasterstore or call 919-0285 or 703-6332.