Speculaas Recipe
Ingredients
| All purpose flour | 2 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| Ground cinnamon | 2 Teaspoon | |
| 1/2 teaspoon each baking powder and ground nutmeg | ||
| Ground cloves | 1 Teaspoon | |
| Salt | 1/8 Teaspoon | |
| Blanched almonds | 1/4 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| Firmly packed brown sugar | 1 Cup (16 tbs) | |
| Butter margarine | 3/4 Cup (16 tbs), cut into pieces | |
| Milk | 2 Tablespoon | |
Directions
In a large bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
Blend in almonds and sugar until well combined.
With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal; stir in milk.
Work dough with your hands until you can form it into a smooth ball.
For molded cookies: Press dough firmly and evenly into a floured wooden speculaas mold; invert onto an ungreased baking sheet and release cookie by tapping back of mold (ease cookies out with the point of a knife, if necessary).
Space cookies about 1 inch apart.
For rolled cookies: On a lightly floured board, roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.
Cut out with 2 to 3-inch cookie cutters.
Transfer to ungreased baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart.
Bake in a 300° oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Let cool briefly on baking sheets; transfer to racks and let cool completely.
Store airtight.
Blend in almonds and sugar until well combined.
With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles cornmeal; stir in milk.
Work dough with your hands until you can form it into a smooth ball.
For molded cookies: Press dough firmly and evenly into a floured wooden speculaas mold; invert onto an ungreased baking sheet and release cookie by tapping back of mold (ease cookies out with the point of a knife, if necessary).
Space cookies about 1 inch apart.
For rolled cookies: On a lightly floured board, roll out dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch.
Cut out with 2 to 3-inch cookie cutters.
Transfer to ungreased baking sheets, spacing cookies about 1 inch apart.
Bake in a 300° oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.
Let cool briefly on baking sheets; transfer to racks and let cool completely.
Store airtight.
Chef
