Cinnamon Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Speculoos Frosting

To correspond with the many bloggers from countries that celebrate St. Nicholas day, I decided to make a second Speculoos spread recipe. While the cookies I posted about yesterday were delicious, they didn’t really highlight the taste of the cookie butter as much as I would prefer. I thought the texture of the spread would really lend itself to a making a peanut butter-esque frosting.


I still haven’t decided what type of cupcake would go best with this frosting. I saw a lot of different variations on the internet with most people seeming to settle on chocolate. However, I went with a simple cinnamon & vanilla bean cupcake that I thought would enhance the subtle spiciness of the frosting. I used the vanilla cake recipe from VCTOTW (I know, again) and added a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.

Speculoos Spread Frosting
Enough for piping lightly on 12 cupcakes


3 tbsps shortening
heaping 1/2 cup Speculoos spread
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cream shortening and cookie butter in a standing mixer or with electric beater. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. Add remaining ingredients. Beat for a little longer, until fluffy.


This frosting was very, very light. And tasted just as delicious as I had imagined. One of my taste-testers said it was like eating a Christmas cookie in cake form. I can't wait to play more with the second jar of cookie butter I bought. Just this morning I saw a recipe for chocolate caramel speculoos bars on Seitan Is My Motor!
What are your favorite holiday recipes? I'm trying to think of something that will wow all my omni co-workers at our holiday party this Friday.