When it comes to speculoos cookies, Lotus Biscoff are probably the most well known. We just released our very own speculoos cookies and we thought it would be helpful to explain the differences between them.
Biscoff’s story goes back to 1932, when a Belgian baker named Jan Boone Sr. created a thin, caramelized cookie which he named after the Lotus flower, a symbol of purity. Boone started wrapping his cookies individually in the 1950s, creating an instant hit in restaurants and cafes, when it was discovered that Boone’s cookie and coffee naturally complemented each other’s flavor (the Biscoff name itself is a combination of ‘biscuit’ and ‘coffee’).
Today, the Lotus Biscoff cookie is wildly popular around the world. As a result, Lotus began incorporating the unique taste of the cookies into a cookie butter and a delicious ice cream.
Tim Miller’s mother Maxine (the inspiration behind Maxine’s Heavenly) was born in 1922, which means her legacy is now 100 years old. Maxine’s cookies were treasured by her entire family, and brought everyone together throughout the years to celebrate special occasions and share the joys and challenges of life.
Tim wanted to keep the tradition of Maxine’s delicious cookies but with one caveat: he wanted to create a guilt-free alternative cookie that was nutrient-rich, packed full of healthy ingredients, and better for everyone.
After going through Maxine’s original recipe and replacing the processed flours and sugars, gluten, animal products, and empty calories with healthier alternatives, Tim had stumbled upon a cookie with his Mom’s original homemade taste, but with new and improved, wholesome ingredients "made for today.”
Maxine’s Heavenly’s ingredients are natural and plant-based, and packed with nutrient-dense alternatives to the refined flours and sweeteners you’ll find in other brands. For example, Maxine’s Heavenly cookies use oat flour instead of refined flour, and coconut sugar and dates instead of refined sugar.
Lotus Biscoff Cookie Ingredients: Wheat flour, Sugar, Vegetable oils (contains one or more of soybean oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, palm oil), Brown sugar syrup, Sodium bicarbonate (leavening), Soy flour, Salt, Cinnamon.
Maxine’s Heavenly Cinnamon Speculoos Crunch Cookie Ingredients: Oat Flour, Organic Coconut Sugar, Coconut Oil, Organic Coconut Nectar, Flaxseed, Vanilla Extract, Baking Soda, Cinnamon, Sea Salt, Ginger, Allspice, Nutmeg, Cloves, Cardamom.
You can learn more about how Maxine’s Heavenly sweetens their cookies naturally here.
Lotus Biscoff cookies are vegan friendly, made with non-GMO ingredients, and contain no artificial colors, no flavors, and no preservatives. However, they do contain gluten - so they unfortunately don’t fit into a gluten free diet or lifestyle.
Maxine’s Heavenly Cookies are all vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, kosher, and non-GMO.
Lotus Biscoff cookies have a texture and mouthfeel that's more like a biscuit than Maxine's Heavenly cookies. Our cookies are thinner and crispier and pack more of a spicy punch. That's one of the reasons we named it Cinnamon Speculoos Crunch instead of just speculoos. We wanted people to understand that were getting a spicy and crisp cookie!
Both do well in a hot beverage. The Biscoff cookies were designed to go with coffee (Remember, biscuits + coffee = Biscoff!). They soak up a lot of the drink and melt slightly with the heat. So satisfying.
Maxine's Heavenly cookies are made with coconut sugar, an unrefined sugar that tastes a lot like brown sugar. When dipped in a hot tea, the heat warms up the sugar and it gets even more carmelized and a bit chewy. Perfection.
Both Lotus Biscoff Cookies and Maxine’s Heavenly’s Speculoos Cookies are delicious tributes to the original Dutch speculoos cookie. For a major brand, Biscoff does a good job of not using tons of artificial ingredients, and their cookies are delicious as long as you’re okay consuming gluten and refined sugar.
For those seeking a cookie that’s just as delicious, but gluten free and sweetened naturally, Maxine’s Heavenly’s Speculoos Cookies may be exactly what you’re looking for! You can try some here.
