Speculaas Cookies Recipe

Name: Speculaas Cookies Recipe
Prep time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h 20 min
Yield: 23 serving(s)
Ingredients: 3 c. all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled; 1/2 c. almond flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for molds; 2 tbsp. ground cinnamon; 2 tsp. ground ginger; 1 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg; 1 tsp. ground cardamom; 1 tsp. ground cloves; 1 tsp. baking powder; 1 tsp. kosher salt; 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper; 1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 1 1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar; 1 large egg; 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

These traditional almond-flavored cookies are a classic treat!

By Torie CoxPublished: Nov 27, 2023

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rectangular cookies with images pressed onto them

Becky Luigart-Stayner

Yields:

23 serving(s)

Prep Time:

1 hr

Total Time:

2 hrs 20 mins

Popular in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany around the Feast of St. Nicholas, these highly spiced cookies are made by pressing dough into carved wooden molds known as speculaas planks. With their intricate designs of windmills and houses, antique molds are also popular as wall art.

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Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1/2 cup almond flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for molds
2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 tsp. ground cardamom
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Step 1Preheat oven to 350°F. Line rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk together all-purpose flour, almond flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low, and gradually beat in flour mixture just until combined.
2. Step 2Heavily coat a 3 1/4- or 4 1/4-inch speculaas mold with almond flour; lightly tap out excess. Pinch off a ball of dough weighing 1 1/2 ounces and press into mold (dough does not need to go all the way to the edges of the mold). Carefully remove from mold by tapping lightly on the counter. Place on prepared baking sheet, spacing cookies 1 1/2 inches apart. Freeze 15 minutes.
3. Step 3Bake, in batches, until lightly puffed, golden, and dry to the touch, 15 to 17 minutes. Cool on baking sheets 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely (cookies will crisp up as they cool).