Cookie #6 Speculaas (The Netherlands)

These biscuits have been a favourite of my father’s for years. I actually ended up trying two recipes. One I have had for years from a friend’s mum but it uses too much butter for a Queensland summer and although I put the pastry in the fridge to firm up, it didn’t hold the impressions of the cookie stamps. They still taste amazing which is why I’m posting the recipe but would be better suited to a biscuit that didn’t have a patterns stamped on top.

"Normal" cookie cutters? Pfft, nah, not in this kitchen!

These cookie cutters were bought a couple of years ago to make cookies for my dad.

Mexican wrestling mask cookie stamps courtesy of my co-worker's wife.

The second round of biscuits I made that had less butter in them and held the stamp better came from joyofbaking.com, a favourite baking site of mine and the link to the recipe is here.

Speculaas recipe

Ingredients
225g plain flour
1/2 t baking soda
170g butter
140g brown sugar
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t of each ground nutmeg, cloves and allspice
1 1/2 t milk
pinch of salt
finely grated lemon rind from 1 lemon

Method:
Sift dry ingredients, rub in butter and add brown sugar.
Add milk to make a good kneading consistency (I didn’t need this in Queensland summer heat)
(Optional middle step necessary for me in the heat: wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 mins)
Roll out and cut into shapes. Bake at 180˚C for  20 mins.
Best eaten: With a cup of tea but they are lovely by themselves too.