Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Yields: Makes 4 to 6 dozen (depending upon size)
Description
A famous cookie made from spices. It can be seen year-round but mainly around Christmas. Note: Some Dutch/European specialty stores may have pre-mixed speculaas spice packages.
Ingredients
- 500 g flour
- 250 g butter or margarine
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 125 g dark brown or demerara sugar
- 50 ml milk
- slivered almonds
- 20 g cinnamon
- 10 g ground nutmeg
- 5 g ground cloves
- a pinch of cardamom powder
- a pinch of ginger powder
Directions
- Sift the flour over a large cutting board or counter top.
- Sprinkle the baking powder over it, the salt and sugar.
- Thinly slice the (hard) butter or margarine and add it to the flour-and-sugar mix.
- Add the milk and hand knead all until there is a firm but malleable dough.
- Pack the dough into a piece of foil and keep in the fridge overnight (to allow the spices to penetrate the cookie dough).
- If you have a ‘speculaasplank’ dust it with flour.
- Press the dough into the hollows, cut off the excess and sprinkle with slivered almonds.
- Shake the dolls out onto a dusted counter top.
- Put flat, almond-covered side down on a greased cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 15 – 20 minutes, depending on the size of the dolls.
- If you don’t have a ‘speculaasplank’, roll dough out thinly on a lightly floured board and cut into shapes (windmills and Sinterklaas/Santa shapes are traditional).
- Decorate with whole almonds if using them.
- Place about 2cms apart on lightly greased cookie sheets.
- Bake in 180c oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
- Cool 1 minute, transfer to wire racks to cool completely.