I am embarrassed to admit I have hoarded two packets of Speculoos biscuits for nearly two years. Before I realised Lotus biscuits were virtually the same as Speculoos I bought some on holiday in Brittany congratulating myself on stocking up on something I couldn’t buy at home.
My purchase followed discovering a French cookery book full of Speculoos recipes. My reading French is reasonable and to my husband’s horror I regularly binge on little hardback French cookery books we find in bookshops and supermarkets on holiday. My little collection even has its own square in my new IKEA bookcase!
Despite best intentions, the French supermarket own brand Speculoos biscuits and the Speculoos book were left unused until this week when on a cheesecake mission, I decided to grind them up instead of digestives to make cheesecake base.
You’ll get the cheesecakes tomorrow but whilst I was making them it occurred to me that with a quick cook down of some condensed milk I could double up my blog event entries and also make some mini banoffee pies.
I used my “My Kitchen Mini Morsel Cook and Bake Set” from Lakeland* – a 24 hole tin that comes with a little wooden dibber – the theory is that you don’t roll out pastry but push indentations into little balls using the dibber. I haven’t tried mini quiches yet and for mini biscuit bases clean fingers were quite sufficient.
This tin has slightly narrower deeper holes than in a standard 12 hole mini muffin tin. You could use either though so don’t panic if you don’t own one. Likewise, using a disposable piping bag to arrange the condensed milk on the biscuit bases is not crucial but will make your life easier since condensed milk is so sticky.
I am sending these mini banoffee pies to this month’s AlphaBakes celebrating the letter “B” which is currently hosted by The More Than Occasional Baker otherwise known on Twitter as @bakingaddict.
*Not a sample, bought ages ago.
Recipe: Speculoos Mini Banoffee Pies
Ingredients (makes 24 mini pies):
for the bases
100g speculoos or Lotus biscuits
50g demerara sugar
50g unsalted butterfor the topping
1 small tin of condensed milk
1 banana
1-2 tsp ground cinnamonYou will need
A food processor (or a thick plastic bag and a rolling pin!!)
Disposable piping bag (optional)
2 x 12 hole mini muffin tins or a Lakeland Mini Morsel tin.Directions:
1. Grind the biscuits in the food processor until you have fine crumbs. Mix the crumbs with demerara sugar in a medium sized bowl.
2. Gently melt the butter in a small saucepan. Allow to cool slightly then pour into the sugar/biscuit crumbs and combine.
3. Spoon the crumb mixture into the holes of the tin(s) evenly then using fingers push the crumbs down into the tin to make a solid base around 10mm thick. Chill in the fridge for at least one hour.
4. Meanwhile gently heat the condensed milk in a small saucepan stirring all the time until it starts to thicken. This will take around 20 minutes.
5. When the biscuit bases have gone solid in the fridge, use the tip of a knife to coax them out of the tin and arrange on a plate.
6. Let the condensed milk cool slightly then decant into a disposable piping bag with the end snipped off. Whilst still soft, pipe spirals of condensed milk onto the biscuit bases.
7. Finally slice rings of banana to push on top and give a light sprinkling of ground cinnamon.
Oh these look delicious – and so cute! I love speculoos as well, and will admit right now that you’re not the only one who hoards the stuff! I’ve got a few jars of the spread still in my cupboard – one crunchy, and 1 or 2 smooth. It’s delicious stuff, and I’m sure within the next year it’ll probably be available in the UK. It’s starting to become more popular in the US and goes by the name Biscoff spread there. Have you tried the chocolate covered Lotus biscuits? They’re soo good!
I haven’t tried chocolate covered Lotus biscuits but they sound very tempting! You seriously don’t want to know everything I hoard (mostly stuff picked up on holiday), it’s quite quite shocking….
A great idea! Those mini pies look divine.
Cheers,
Rosa
These look great! I have never actually tried a speculoos biscuit, so might have to go on a mission to find some or bake some soon. I think Edd Kimber has a recipe in his book.
I have also never made cheesecake before, you are all of kinds of inspiring me this morning Sarah!
x
You know I am crazy about cheesecake and yet I’d never made my own until these mini ones. I’d always been put off by having to bake it in a Bain Marie (not that this is difficult) and worried about them cracking. Then I realised I could do a quick whizzy no bake version!
Absolutely love these! My friend made something similar to these but used digestives instead of Speculoos biscuits and dulce de leche instead of condensed milk. I had a Speculoos craze a couple of years ago and still have a large volume of the biscuits in the cupboard – I hope they’re still edible so I can make some of these for myself!
I can vouch that mine were still crunchy after nearly 2 years 🙂
Sarah, snap!
My husband loaths me going into the book department in Super U or E Le Clerc I am always picking up the latest petit Marabout or mini Larousse. I went to look for the Speculoos book just now, but have left it on my cookery book bookcase in Brittany!
These banofee pies look lovely and I also have jars of the spread,but think the lotus biscuits are a great substitute here. I do hope Made with Pink is right and that it’s soon available here. Wouldn’t that be heavenly, speculoos spread and chocolate philly! LOL. Jude x
I have a jar of Speculoos spread but tbh my heart belongs to Nutella in that department!
Lotus biscuits ARE speculoos, they have just been renamed Caramelised biscuits to suit the English market. In Belgium Lotus is actually THE n 1 speculoos brand, although I prefer the homebaked kind (when you get the chance, try the Lotus speculoos spread on some bread. Omnom) Give us some love. Also, I am so trying this cheesecake.
They are so cute! I bought back a jar of the spread and a huge pack of biscuits when we were in France a couple of weeks ago – I know you can buy them in the UK but you cant buy the massive packs they sell in any supermarket in Calais! Must give these a bash 🙂
What a beautiful, simply but elegant dessert. I have to admit that I hauled Key Lime soda home on the plane from Key West Florida only to find it at my grocery store when I got home.
Oops! I hope you didn’t have to lug it about in hand luggage!
delicious! I love speculoos, we buy huge packets when we visit family in Belgium. Will try this lovely dish out.
These look incredibly delicious! I love the idea of three mini pies – I guess it must appeal to my greedy nature. I’ve never tried Speculoos so I’ll have to keep an eye out for them 🙂
I’ve never heard of Speculoos, but these little banana gems make me want to search out Lotus biscuits. Great for the Glam Teens. GG
Thanks for entering these to AlphaBakes. They are so cute and banoffee pie is one of my favourites! I feel the need to track down some Speculoos now!
Lovely! I have a tin like this from a Pampered Chef party a long time ago, keep meaning to dig it out – now I have the perfect reason to!
I know, I can’t believe I’ve had mine so long but barely used it!
Oh I have the little French Speculoos book as well – I’ve been ok using it with a little help from a French Twitter friend.
I ADORE Speculoos spread – my suitcase was full after my trip to Paris
Btw the cheesecakes look fab – I used some speculoos biscuits and the paste to make a version of Nigella’s Nutella cheesecake – just swirled some paste in at the end – was amazing!
Mmm sounds wonderful – I am having a cheesecake moment right now so I must try that with my speculoos paste.
Speculoos seems to be the new ‘in’ thing, I really must try it soon. I’ve not seen it anywhere in London though? Any idea where I can get some?
I think you can buy Lotus biscuits pretty much anywhere but you are unlikely to see them called Speculoos in the UK.
I love speculoos, and these look delicious 🙂 I’ve already made cheesecake and yoghurt speculoos, I will now test your recipe 🙂 Thanks !