Speculaas Cookies — Dutch Spiced Cookies

Information

Crisp Dutch speculaas cookies made with brown sugar, butter, and a fragrant blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom. Cut into festive shapes or press into a speculaas mold for a homemade Sinterklaas treat.

Ingredients

• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 125 g dark brown sugar
• 125 g unsalted butter, softened
• 2 tbsp whole milk, plus a little more if needed
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 30 g sliced almonds (optional)

Preparation

1. Beat the softened butter and brown sugar until evenly combined.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix in the milk until a firm dough forms. Add extra milk only a teaspoon at a time if needed; avoid overworking the dough.
4. Flatten into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Chilling time is additional to the preparation time listed.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Roll the dough about 4 mm thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes or press into a lightly floured speculaas mold and unmold carefully. Reroll scraps briefly as needed.
7. Transfer to the trays with space between the cookies. Press sliced almonds gently into the tops if using. If the dough has softened, refrigerate the shaped cookies for 10-15 minutes before baking.
8. Bake one tray at a time for 12-15 minutes, until the edges darken slightly. Keep the second tray chilled while the first bakes. Cookie size and mold depth can affect baking time.
9. Let cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. The cookies become crisp as they cool.
10. Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container. Makes approximately 30 medium cookies, or 10 servings of about 3 cookies.