11 December 2011
Recipe For Speculaas Biscuits - A Dutch Christmas Treat
One of my favourite Christmas cookies are spekulatius biscuits, or speculaas as they are called in the Netherlands. I remember we always used to get a special parcel from Lebkuchen Schmidt in Nürmberg from my Granny. In amongst all the beautiful tins and lebkuchen would be a few packs of their spekulatius cookies. I loved their different shapes.
Then yesterday, our children had friends around before the School Christmas Disco, so to give them something creative to do between the pronouncements of "we're bored - when is the party", I made some spiced cookie dough using our Steenbergs koekkruidden spice mix and left the kids to cut out shapes. Here are the recipes we tried; they are remarkably simple to make and the spice mix brings on those classic clove heavy aromas of the festive season.
Speculaas recipe - version 1
Ingredients
200g / 7oz self-raising flour
100g / 3½ oz light brown caster sugar
100g / 3½ oz softened butter
2-3 tbsp full milk
3tsp koekkruiden spices*
½ tsp baking powder
Zest of half an orange
For the top:
1 egg white, beaten
2tbsp flaked almonds
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F. Grease a baking tray.
Mix together all the ingredients in a mixer or blender until throughly mixed together. Shape the dough into a ball and cover the dough ball with clingfilm and set aside for 1 hour in a cool place.
Flour a work surface and press the dough into an even, flat layer. Using a cutter, cut shapes from the dough and place on the greased baking tray.
Brush with the egg white, then sprinkle with light brown caster sugar and flaked almonds on top of each speculaas biscuit.
Bake for 14-18 minutes and the biscuits are turning a slightly darker shade of brown. Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Speculaas Recipe - Version 2
This recipe for St Nicholas Spiced Shortbread is based on a recipe from Elisabeth Luard's excellent book - "European Festival Food". In it, Elisabeth Luard writes "Speculaas moulds themselves are made of wood - traditionally beech, pear, or walnut - shallow and relief-carved on the same principle as those used for Scottish shortbread. They are usually 6 - 12 ins/15 - 30cm long and feature the Bishop himself, his donkey, or his servant Black Peter. Smaller ones might be evergreen leaves and Christmas wreaths or little figures of children." We had none of these so just used normal cookie cutters, but I might invest in something for next year as these are really easy to make.
Ingredients
250g / 8½ oz self raising flour
125g / 4½ oz light brown caster sugar
50g / 1¾ oz ground almonds
100g / 3½ oz softened butter
1 egg, lightly whisked
1tbsp full milk
For the top:
1 egg white, beaten
Flaked almonds (I bashed them a bit in a mortar and pestle to make them a better shape)
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F. Grease a baking tray.
Mix together all the ingredients in a mixer or blender until throughly mixed together. I used the "K" blade on the Kenwood Mixer. Shape the dough into a ball and cover the dough ball with clingfilm and set aside for 1 hour in a cool place.
Flour a work surface and press the dough into an even, flat layer. Using a cutter, cut shapes from the dough and place on the greased baking tray.
Brush with the egg white, then sprinkle with light brown caster sugar and flaked almonds on top of each speculaas biscuit.
Bake for 14 - 18 minutes and the cookies are turning a slightly darker shade of brown. Remove from the baking sheet and allow to cool on a cooling rack.
* To make your own koekkruidden spice mix: ½tsp ground cloves, ½tsp allspice powder, 1tsp cardamom powder, 1tsp cinnamon
