A spicy snap of holiday tradition! These Dutch and Belgian cookies are typically baked for St. Nicholas Day (December 6th)—so yes, put out your shoe and hope it’s filled with cookies instead of socks. The name “speculaas” may come from the Latin for “mirror”—perhaps because these cookies reflect the spice-forward spirit of the season. Cut them into your favorite shapes and have some festive fun.
Ingredients
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- ½ tsp ginger
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4 Tbsp whole milk
Directions
- In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, spices, and salt. Mix in flours, baking powder, and milk. Shape the dough into two disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325°. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Roll one disk at a time to 1/8″–1/4″ thickness. Cut into your favorite shapes and place on baking sheets.
- Bake for 15–20 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. The cookies will harden as they cool.