Belgian Spice Speculaas Cookies Recipes

BELGIAN SPICE COOKIES (SPECULOOS)

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• Add turbinado sugar to food processor fitted with steel blade. Process for 30 seconds to break down sugar crystals. (See Tip 4)
• Add the chilled butter to the food processor. Process until butter is incorporated with the sugar, about 30 seconds. Add the egg. Process until incorporated, about 10 seconds.
• Add the dry ingredients to the sugar/butter mixture in the food processor. Process until flour is well incorporated, about 30 seconds.
• Transfer cookie dough to gallon Ziploc bag. Leaving the top open, roll the dough into an even layer that fills the bag. As you roll, turn the bag occasionally and lift the plastic from the dough so that it doesn't cause creases. Seal the bag, and place in freezer for at least 30 minutes. See (Tips 5 and 6)
• Preheat oven to 300°F
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Put the ziploc bag on a cutting board and slit it open. Turn the firm dough onto a parchment lined board or counter; discard the bag. Trim the four sides of the dough with a fluted pastry wheel cutter. Using a ruler as a guide and a fluted pastry cutter wheel, cut the dough into 32 1-1/4 inch rectangles. (See Tip 7)
• Bake at 300°F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes.
• Yield: 32 Belgian Spice Cookies. (See Tip 8)

SPECULOOS (BELGIAN SPICE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix together the cinnamon, coriander, and allspice in a small bowl. Remove one teaspoon of the spice mixture and place it in another bowl, along with the white sugar.
• In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cloves, and the rest of the spice mixture and whisk.
• Using a stand mixer with the paddle, beat the butter, brown sugar, and salt on high for about 5 minutes, until fluffy and light. Add the corn syrup and water and mix for 30 seconds more.
• Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.
• Divide the dough in half and lightly knead each half a couple of times. Press each into 8 inch squares. Wrap one in plastic wrap while you work with the other half.
• Roll one half of the dough out to 1/8 inch thick between two layers of parchment paper.
• Using a 2 inch round, square, or rectangle cookie cutter, cut the dough and gently lift the cut cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.
• If you like, you can use a smaller cookie cutter to make an imprint on the cookies. Poke a few holes in the center with a toothpick.
• Re-roll the scraps and cut more cookies. Sprinkle with the reserved sugar and spice mixture. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking.
• Bake the cookies in the center of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
• Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough.

SPECULOOS (BELGIAN SPICE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sift together flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In the work bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients to mixer, a few spoonfuls at a time, mixing on low speed until combined.
• Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 60 minutes.
• Place dough on Silpat or parchment. Roll dough out to about 1/4" thickness - about the size of the Silpat. Use bench flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Transfer Silpat to a cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Cut into 3x2" rectangles with a pizza wheel.
• Transfer Silpat to a cooling rack until room temperature. Store in a tightly sealed container.

BELGIAN SPICE (SPECULAAS) COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream together first four ingredients.
• Sift together dry ingredients, pour into creamed ingredients.
• Stir until blended.
• Stir in the pecans.
• Form the dough into long rolls on wax paper and chill overnight in the refrigerator.
• Slice very thin (the family can't agree how thin "very" is) and place on cookie sheet.
• Bake at 400 degrees about 10 minutes.

SPECULAAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, mace, white pepper, and cloves in a large bowl.
• Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in half the flour mixture. Beat in water, then remaining flour mixture. Shape into 3 disks. Pat each to a 1-inch thickness, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Dust surface and springerle mold lightly with confectioners' sugar. Roll out dough to a 1/4- to 3/8-inch thickness (deeper molds will need thicker dough). Cut a piece of dough about the size of the mold. Press mold firmly into dough, flip over, and gently roll over dough with a rolling pin. Flip over, and press onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Using a knife, trim excess dough. Gently coax dough out of mold with fingertips and onto a baking sheet. Repeat, spacing cookies 1 inch apart, and placing same-size cookies on same sheet. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place 1 sheet of cookies in oven, and immediately reduce temperature to 250. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until cookies are set and just beginning to turn light gold around edges, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

SPECULAAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dust 2 baking sheets with flour.
• Combine brown sugar and butter together in a bowl; beat with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough comes together.
• Shape dough into cookies by hand or using cookie cutters. Arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until firm but not hard, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.