Winter Festive Speculoos House Cookie Tin (Costco) Review
Author’s note: This is a completely unpaid and unbiased review. I have no affiliation with Costco nor The Silver Crane Company.
Forget the cookies — buy it for the functional decor!
I mean. I wouldn’t buy this for the cookies. But, I would 1000% buy this again for the house-shaped cookie tin. It is completely snazzy. In fact, I wish these nifty tins were available in different house shapes. Or maybe a different house version each year. I would definitely be a repeat customer. Collectible. I’d love an entire village of these houses. Make it so!
What do the cookies taste like?
The cookies themselves are “meh.” They are vaguely house-shaped, but a bit crude and not exciting in appearance. My package looked a tad cheap — the cookies were jumbled together, and the clear cellophane wrap had no label or information. Pretty generic looking.
I counted three basic house designs. Fortunately, my cookies were mostly unbroken, which I appreciated. The individual cookies are small — a little larger than an animal cracker, maybe?
I did enjoy how crisp the cookies are — and they’re thick enough that sinking my teeth into them was enjoyable. They have pleasant-but-mild gingery spice flavor. If you buy this as a gift, I don’t think anyone will be mad about the cookies, but they probably won’t rave about them, either. Just sayin.’
But they will likely rave about the house-shaped tin! In fact, this tin is so cool, I’m tempted to bake my own treats and pack it up again for a holiday gift. Except I really want to keep it for myself.
Speculoos, Speculaas, Speculoo-la-laa-laaaas!
If you are wondering what “speculoos” even is, it is essentially a crispy cookie with a caramel-sugar flavor. Some speculoos (like this one) also feature spices, and they are often pressed in decorative cookie molds to create festive shapes and designs. Speculoos originated in Belgium and the Netherlands. Technically, “speculaas” is the Netherlandish version (with more spices), but today the terms are often used interchangeably.
Repurposing the cookie tin
I confess, I’m a sucker for anything multi-purpose. I’m not big on tchotchkes, unless they also serve some kind of purpose (or have strong sentimental value). I love that this house tin is both holiday decor AND storage for goodies (AND a compact little gift option).
Here is what mine looked like in my living room. It looks nice enough that one might think it was entirely decorative and not a functional vessel with a neatly-fitting lid.
It turns out this tin is also the perfect size for storing your tea bags. Or, I guess you could put your ground coffee in there — the lid pops on pretty snugly. Not too snugly. Just right.
These come in three colors: White, Red, and Blue. There’s just one house shape/design available. At least, there was at my Costco store.
I bought the blue one because it seems like the most versatile color — not exclusively a Christmas color, and therefore having a longer home decor window. It’s pleasantly “wintery” without referencing any specific holiday. I feel safe sneaking this out before Thanksgiving, and leaving up through New Year’s.
One of my favorite aspects of the tin is the 3D quality of the design embellishments. There are raised shapes and textures for most of the architectural elements, such as the windows, doors, and even the shingles on the roof. Yes, the designs wrap around all four sides — every surface except the bottom! The color is richly applied and luminous from the metallic layer underneath. The inside of the tin is also “good-looking,” with a simple gold-tone finish.
When I initially saw a Costco ad for these gift tins on the internet, they looked enormous. I thought they were — I don’t know — popcorn-tin-sized? But, they aren’t. They’re not small, but they’re definitely not as big as I thought they were. The actual measurements are about 10.75 x 3.625 x 3.625 inches. If you’re thinking “sewing kit,” yes, that’s tall enough to store a full-length pair of sewing scissors. You’re welcome.
(Looking for another cookie tin with “sewing kit” potential? Check out my review [with more measurements!] for Costco’s Kirkland European Cookies. You know you want to.)
Ingredients in Winter Festive Speculoos House Cookies
Here are the ingredients from the label:
- Wheat Flour
- Sugar
- Palm Fat
- Wheat Starch
- Sugar Syrup
- Rapeseed Oil
- Leavening (Sodium Carbonate, Potassium Tartrate)
- Egg Powder
- Spices
- Salt
- Caramelized Sugar
- Whey Powder
This is an admirably clean and simple ingredient list. Rapeseed oil is (somewhat) similar to canola oil, BTW. I do wish the actual types of spices were spelled out, instead of just “spices.”
The cookies are imported from the Netherlands and distributed by The Silver Crane Company in the UK. As a random side note, I visited their website — not expecting much — and was surprised to see how many decorative tin designs they create and sell. Surprisingly attractive tins. Snazzier than I thought they would be. I really want one of the tree-shaped ones now. But I live in the United States. Alas.
Ok, that’s all I wanted to add. Carry on.
Nutrition Facts in Costco Winter Festive House Cookies
A serving is 4 cookies. You get 130 calories, 5 grams of fat, and 2 grams of protein. There’s a moderate 9 grams of sugar, of which most (8 grams) is “added sugar.” Not enough fiber to write about.
Price and Servings
There are 12 servings in this 12.1 ounce (345 gram) package. The cookie tin (with cookies) was $10 at my local Costco. For the packet of mediocre cookies inside, this is definitely not a bargain. But, for the tin itself, a great price. Absolutely.
Shelf-Life
My cookies had an expiration date approximately 8 months after purchase. So, no, you can’t buy this after Christmas and hoard it until next year. Ha.
Why, yes, I do live in Florida. How could you tell?
Dramatic Conclusion
I’d totally buy another one of these Winter Festive House Cookie tins, especially if I could get a different shape next time. They make great Christmas decor, and they’re functional year-round storage. The price is right. For gifting purposes, I’d prefer better cookies. But, I don’t expect to get that for ten bucks! That would be a Christmas miracle.
The End.
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