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Speculaas
Spiced Sinterklaas biscuits with almond flakes
In the weeks before 5 December, Sinterklaas evening (pakjesavond), Dutch kitchens and bakeries fill with the smell of speculaas: thin, crisp, dark-brown biscuits heavy with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and a little white pepper. Traditionally they are pressed into carved wooden moulds shaped like windmills or Saint Nicholas himself; at home most people roll and cut them, scatter almonds on top and bake them crisp. Make your own spice mix (speculaaskruiden) once and you'll never buy it again. Chef's tip: let the dough rest overnight in the fridge; the spices bloom into the butter and the flavour is twice as deep the next day.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
For the spice mix
For the dough
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 4 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cloves, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp ground cardamom, ¼ tsp ground white pepper and ¼ tsp ground aniseed. You will use it all; it smells strong, which is right.
Step 2: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, ¼ tsp salt and the spice mix. In another bowl beat 6 oz butter with 7 oz dark brown soft sugar until smooth, then add the flour mixture and 3 tbsp milk and knead briefly into a firm, smooth dough.
Step 3: Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill overnight, or at least 2 hours.
Step 4: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper. Roll the dough between two sheets of paper to 4 mm thick and cut into rectangles or shapes. Re-roll the trimmings once.
Step 5: Press a few 1 ¾ oz flaked almonds onto each biscuit. If you have a wooden speculaas mould, dust it with flour, press the dough in, trim and tap out.
Step 6: Bake for 12–15 minutes, until they smell toasty and the edges darken slightly; they will still be a little soft. The common mistake is waiting for them to harden in the oven, by which point the edges have burnt and taste bitter.
14 minStep 7: Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then on a rack, where they crisp up. Store in an airtight tin for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 125 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 17 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does speculaas take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of ground cinnamon?
- A cinnamon stick, ground: about ½ tsp per stick.
- What can I use instead of ground cloves?
- Ground cloves, ¼ tsp for every 3 whole cloves.
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