Speculaasjes

Each season has its charms: in the winter we embrace heavy dishes of stamppot and erwtensoep, and we break the heavyness in the spring when we enjoy the first bounty of the land with white asparagus and early strawberries. The summer regales us with an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, and the fall is host to mussels and a variety of apple dishes.

But nothing smells as good as this time of year, when we start preparing for the upcoming holidays of Sinterklaas and Christmas.  Enticing autumnal aromas waft from the kitchen as we bake taai taai, kruidnoten en gevulde speculaas. The fragrance bouquet of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger is one that belongs to this season, and neighbors will be wondering what you're up to, hoping for a taste of whatever it is you're baking!

Today's recipe, the humble speculaas cookie, is a great and welcome gift to those same neighbors, and will hold you over with a cup of coffee while you're waiting for the next tray to come out of the oven. It's also a good way to test your mix of speculaaskruiden, speculaas spices, and see if some spices need adjusting if you are going to do additional baking this season. Speculaaskruiden are used for speculaas, gevulde speculaas and even apple pie!

The dough will hold several days in the fridge, so there is no need to bake everything at once. Makes approximately 75 cookies. You can use cookie cutters or the more traditional speculaas molds, wooden boards that are cut out with traditional figures. If you do, dust your board well and make sure the dough is stil fairly cold so it doesn't stick to the board. Here's a video on how to accomplish this: http://www.cookerathome.nl/shoart.php?artikelid=126.

Speculaasjes
2 sticks butter
2 cups dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup speculaas spices**
1/4 cup buttermilk


Cream the butter with the sugar and the salt. Sift the flour with the baking powder and the spices and knead it into the butter. Use the milk to make it to a rollable, but slightly stiff dough, it is not allowed to stick to your hands! Wrap the dough in plastic film and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, warm the oven to 325F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat. Divide the dough in four pieces. Re-wrap three and return them to the fridge.

Dust the counter with a little bit of flour and roll out the dough. Cut out shapes* (I used a windmill cookie cutter but you are welcome to use any kind you fancy) and place them on the parchment. When you're done, return the baking sheet briefly to the fridge for about ten minutes, then place in the oven and bake. The cookies are done after about twenty minutes.

Cool on a rack.




* If you don't have any cookie cutters you like, just cut cookies the size of a business card, about 2 x 3.5 inches. You can sprinkle some slivered almonds on top if you wish.

** ** For the spices: start with 2 heaping tablespoon of ground cinnamon. Mix in a 1/2 scant teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon scant ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, 1/4 teaspoon mace and 1/4 teaspoon white ground pepper and, if you have it, 1/4 teaspoon of dried orange peel. If you like the flavor of anise, add a 1/4 teaspoon of ground anise to give it a special twist. Smell and decide if you like it. Too much clove? Add in a bit more cinnamon. Prefer more ginger? Feel free to add some more. You are welcome to make it your very own, but make sure you write down the quantities and ingredients so you can replicate your personal recipe. Store in an airtight jar.

5 comments:

  1. I really love your website, but I do not see a recipe for Spritz. I did not get all of 'Oma's" recipes before she passed away. Do you have one? I am not sure about the ones on-line, as I know only a "True-blood Nederlander" would have the right recipe. You make your bitterballen different than I do and and I am going to try it your way - mine are always so 'sloppy' unless I keep the pot of roux in the fridge, while I work small portions. I can't wait to try the speculaas en Tompoes recipes. Yum....I will pretend I am back at the motherland! Thanks for your wonderful recipe listing! ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Dad was a Baker in Holland and made spritz cookies alot. Here is his recipe.
      1 cup sugar
      2 cups butter
      3 cups plain white flour
      2 egg
      A little lemon juice ?
      Mix together .If it doesn't look thick enough then put the dough in the fridg.
      Use a cookie spuit sack that has cookie designs and use the one you remember them to look like.
      Bake at 350
      My dad didn't write down how long:)
      I was lucky to have him as my papa.
      Enjoy

      Delete
    2. My Dad was a Baker in Holland and made spritz cookies alot. Here is his recipe.
      Hubertina
      1 cup sugar
      2 cups butter
      3 cups plain white flour
      2 egg
      A little lemon juice ?
      Mix together .If it doesn't look thick enough then put the dough in the fridg.
      Use a cookie spuit sack that has cookie designs and use the one you remember them to look like.
      Bake at 350
      My dad didn't write down how long:)
      I was lucky to have him as my papa.
      Enjoy

      Delete
  2. When I was little, my Grandmother kept a stash of windmill cookies with almond slices on them for my grandfather. They were very spicy for my still young and developing palate, lol, so I'd steal the almonds off them. I soon grew to love the cookies as a whole. Then I grew up, moved out & now can no longer find them. But while looking for a recipe for vlaai I stumbled on this and I'm betting this is the same cookie from my childhood. Now I just have to find a windmill cookie stamp.
    Thank you for bringing back precious & wonderful memories! đź’—

    ReplyDelete
  3. This has a great spice combination but the recipe really needs to have 2 eggs added to it for the recipe to turn out correctly. Delicious!Thank you for this and for your other recipes.

    ReplyDelete

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