Speculoos

Yesterday, Matt sent me a picture message of a jar of peanut-butter-looking stuff that said "Speculoos Cookie Butter."  While I was trying to sound out "speculoos" Taylor freaked out and said something to the effect of, "Ohh my gosh, Speculoos!  It tastes like Teddy Grahams!  It's so good!"  Apparently, it is a famous foreign spread.  Why nobody informed me of it sooner, I have no idea.

Matt went in to Trader Joe's while he was working, and the sample lady (who I guess is always very nice to the EMTs and generous with her samples) gave him a sample of the Speculoos with apple and an english muffin.  Matt liked it so much that he bought some for us.

Speculoos kind of reminds me of Nutella in a way... an alternative to peanut butter that can be used on fruit, bread, ice cream, in baked goods, etc.  It kind of tastes like gingerbread cookies, but it's not Christmas-y enough for me to ban year-round and the ginger flavor isn't too strong.  And it's not too sweet, either (I think Nutella is sweeter).  It's so creamy and spicy and delicious... I could eat it by the spoonful. 

While doing "research" for this post (clearly being productive with my day off) I came across a few people hating on the product for being "unhealthy" and whatnot.  Nowhere on the label does it claim to be healthy, so people need to relax.  Plus, it's not actually that bad for you.  Haters gonna hate, I guess.

This girl did a great, short review of this wonderful stuff.

You can read about the origins of Speculoos here and about the drama surrounding the patent here.

Thanks, Trader Joe's, for giving me another reason to love you and for providing me with another yummy snack!