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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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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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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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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.
Broken Speculaas
PREP 20min
COOK 35min
cooling 1h
RESTING 30min
READY IN 2h 25min
Besides 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.
Ingredients
Broken Speculaas
300g (10.5 oz) flour + extra for dusting
175g (6.2 oz) butter
150g (4.4 oz) brown sugar
4 tbsp speculaas spice mixture
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp ice cold water
25g (1 oz) blanched almonds
Preparation
1
Broken Speculaas
Step 1/10
Sieve the flour into a large bowl and cut the butter into small cubes.
Step 2/10
Place the flour, butter, sugar, spice mixture, and salt into the bowl of a kitchen mixer and mix until combined.
Step 3/10
Add water and mix into a smooth dough.
Step 4/10
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 5/10
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175°C/350°C.
Step 6/10
Dust the work surface with flour, and roll the dough, so it is 1 cm (2/5-inch) thick.
Step 7/10
Carefully transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Step 8/10
Press the almonds into the dough.
Step 9/10
Bake the speculaas for 30 to 35 minutes.
Step 10/10
Cool over a wire rack, break into pieces, and serve, or store the cookies in an airtight container.
Other Variations
-
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.
-
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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