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Authentic Speculaas Recipe Netherlands, Europe
JUMP TO RECIPEWe strongly advise you to read the cooking tips before jumping to the recipe though
Introduction & history
Fragrant, spicy, and delicate, speculaas cookies are a specialty most commonly associated with winter, most notably St. Nicholas Day and Christmas. These shortcrust biscuits come from the Netherlands but are also popular in Belgium, Germany, and France. Some see them as a relative of gingerbread, although the speculaas cookies are lighter and use a broader array of spices. The preparation of speculaas is quite simple; however, it does call for time and patience. In the first step, the dry ingredients — flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and spices (which include cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, white pepper, ginger, cardamom, and anise), are mixed with butter, egg, and water or milk to get a firm dough. The dough is then left to rest in a refrigerator overnight, after which it is rolled to be approximately 3 mm (1/8-inch) thick. Individual cookies are then formed with the help of a wooden tool which is halfway between a mold and an intricately carved stamp. Traditional speculaas molds ... Read more
Cooking tips
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flour
Traditionally, speculaas cookies were made with a mixture of wheat and rye flour, which is nowadays substituted with regular all-purpose flour. -
sugar
Most speculaas recipes suggest making these cookies with brown and muscovado sugar, which both have a stronger, deeper flavor which pairs well with spices. -
spice mixture
Premixed spices for speculaas cookies are sold in most supermarkets in the Netherlands. However, you can easily make your own mix with powdered spices. For example, older recipes suggest mixing 8 parts cinnamon with 2 parts nutmeg, 2 parts cloves, 1 part white pepper, 1 part ginger, and 1 part cardamom, while newer recipes opt for 2 parts cinnamon and 1 part of each of the following: ginger powder,... Read more -
molds
If you wish to make real Dutch speculaas cookies, use special carved wooden molds and dust them generously with flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Every once in a while, clean the patterns with the tip of a skewer. Alternatively, you can brush the molds with a little oil.
Recipe variations
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Homemade Speculaas
Ready in 3h 35minThe following recipe shows a traditional preparation method of speculaas. Although the specialized speculaas spice mixture is widely available in supermarkets across the Netherlands, this recipe also gives instructions on how to make your own, which can be prepared in advance and should be kept in a cool, dark place.
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Broken Speculaas
Ready in 2h 25minBesides being neatly shaped and decorated, speculaas cookies also have an alternative version, which suggests baking the dough in one piece and breaking it into irregular portions by hand. The following recipe also says to press blanched almonds into the cookies before baking.
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Speculaas with Almond Filling (Gevulde Speculaas)
Ready in 13h 30minThe speculaas dough can easily be used for the preparation of a delicious, almond-filled cake called gevulde speculaas, as described in this recipe, adapted from coquinaria.nl, a cooking website run by the food historian Christianne Muusers. For the filling, you can use store-bought almond paste or prepare your own with almond flour, sugar, and eggs. Remember that the dough and the almond paste need to be prepared one day in advance. The final result should be soft and very richly stuffed cakes.
Homemade Speculaas
PREP 20min
COOK 15min
cooling 1h
RESTING 2h
READY IN 3h 35min
The following recipe shows a traditional preparation method of speculaas. Although the specialized speculaas spice mixture is widely available in supermarkets across the Netherlands, this recipe also gives instructions on how to make your own, which can be prepared in advance and should be kept in a cool, dark place.
Ingredients
Homemade Speculaas
500g (1.1 lbs) flour
300g (10.5 oz) brown sugar
2 tbsp spice mixture
1 tsp baking powder or sodium bicarbonate
5g (1 tsp) salt
1 egg
180g (6.35 oz) butter, at room temperature
50 ml (3 tbsp + 1 tsp) milk or water
FOR SPICE MIXTURE
2 tbsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp nutmeg powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp clove powder
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp anise powder or 2 aniseeds
Preparation
1
Homemade Speculaas
Step 1/8
Mix flour, sugar, spice mixture, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Step 2/8
Make a well in the middle and add egg and butter cut into smaller pieces. Add milk or water and mix until just combined – either manually or with a stand mixer with a dough hook. Do not over-knead the dough.
Step 3/8
Wrap the dough in plastic foil and place it into a refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Step 4/8
One hour before baking, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 170°C/340°F.
Step 5/8
Dust the work surface with flour. Roll out the dough, so it is approximately 4 mm (1/8-inch) thick. Cut the dough into rectangles, or use special speculaas cookie stamps.
Step 6/8
Transfer the cookies carefully onto a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Step 7/8
Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. If they brown too quickly, lower the oven temperature.
Step 8/8
Cool and serve.
Other Variations
-
Broken Speculaas
Ready in 2h 25minBesides being neatly shaped and decorated, speculaas cookies also have an alternative version, which suggests baking the dough in one piece and breaking it into irregular portions by hand. The following recipe also says to press blanched almonds into the cookies before baking.
-
Speculaas with Almond Filling (Gevulde Speculaas)
Ready in 13h 30minThe speculaas dough can easily be used for the preparation of a delicious, almond-filled cake called gevulde speculaas, as described in this recipe, adapted from coquinaria.nl, a cooking website run by the food historian Christianne Muusers. For the filling, you can use store-bought almond paste or prepare your own with almond flour, sugar, and eggs. Remember that the dough and the almond paste need to be prepared one day in advance. The final result should be soft and very richly stuffed cakes.
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