Homemade Speculaas (Speculoos) Cookies

Ready to make irresistible Speculaas cookies (Speculoos) or the original Biscoff Cookie? 

You totally should put these buttery and spiced treats on your baking list this Holiday season or whenever you want to give the gift of unique homemade cookies.

This easy Speculaas recipe gets you about 50 crunchy and warm spiced biscuits. 

Traditionally, special carved wooden molds shape these Speculaas cookies, often mirroring Windmills (hence the name Dutch Windmill Cookies) or Speculaas figurines. 

But they can take any form, and I am keeping it simple here, focusing more on obtaining that deep lovely spiced flavor.

• So, you don't need any wooden molds for this recipe. 
• They have a simple unified shape instead.
• I'll give you the option to make creative shapes—perfect for baking with kids.
• Plus, there is so much more you can do with a Speculaas spice mix.

Let's bake!

What are Speculaas Cookies

They're sweet and buttery biscuits infused with a lovely (Speculaas) spice mix—specerijen in Dutch.

As someone who grew up in Belgium, we enjoyed Speculaas more traditionally during the Holidays. Specifically to celebrate St Nicholas (Sinterklaas) on December 6th, and through Christmas, bakeries shops would showcase their best-baked version of Speculaas in their vitrine.

Originally from Holland, these spiced biscuits come in all kinds of beautiful shapes, ranging from thin and crispy to thick and soft, with slivered almonds or without. Even the spice mix can differ, using anywhere from three—at least cinnamon, ginger, and cloves—to sometimes nine different spices.

I was also lucky enough to live close to the Belgian-Dutch border and a short drive away from those Dutch Christmas markets—a real treat—which often had a more extensive selection and some still traditionally baked in wooden molds.

I'm sharing one of my aunt's recipes for Speculaas cookies. It uses six spices, giving them a deliciously rich and deep flavor.

You don't need the use of any special molds, cookie stamps, or cookie cutters unless you want to take your baking creativity to the next level, and I'll give you the option.

But the warm festive flavors of these biscuits do not need any specialty shapes to grace your cookie box or gift something unique to friends and family—they'll be spreading the joy this Holiday season regardless.

The Speculaas spice mix in this recipe

I'm using a lovely and almost equal blend of

• ground cinnamon
• ground nutmeg
• ground clove
• ground ginger
• ground cardamon
• ground white pepper

Some may include mace spice or coriander seeds, but it's not something I traditionally put into my homemade blend.

On the other hand, anise seeds are another spice I like to mix in from time to time. And I highly recommend it if you already have it in your kitchen cabinet. They add a subtle sweet aroma but won't overpower the rest of the flavors.

Only have whole spices at home? Then, grind them yourself using either a coffee grinder or a food processor and then sift using a fine sieve. It will even result in a more intense flavor.

Mix those spices with dark brown sugar and butter, and you get a beautiful brown cookie with rich caramelized and sweet spiced flavors—a gourmet-like treat perfect for dipping in your favorite warm drink!

Other Ingredients—A few notes

Flour

The recipe calls for whole Spelt flour. I prefer it over regular flour because it has slightly more protein, a naturally sweet flavor, and although not gluten-free, it has a lower gluten content. It also contains a broad array of nutrients.

It's so easy now to buy this whole grain either in the organic section of your local store or online. I always store it in the refrigerator to prolong freshness.

When mixed with the spices, Spelt flour creates a more complex flavor and adds a lovely texture.

Sugar

An essential ingredient is dark brown sugar with molasses flavor—I use dark organic sugar from Wholesome.

Traditionally, I made the cookies with brown Vergeoise, a baking sugar from beet sugar with a particular caramel-like taste. But it is hard sometimes to get it here in the US.

Over the years, I have relied on moist organic dark brown sugar rich in natural molasses to get that "authentic" speculoos taste, and it works just as well.

Note: Ensure that the flour, spices, and brown sugar are well combined before adding any liquids.

Butter

Go for a real organic unsalted butter either at room temperature or melted. Melting the butter lightly over low heat on the stove makes it easier to knead or mix it into the dough.

Don't skimp on this ingredient. A good-quality butter doesn't have to be expensive but will make all the difference as those buttery flavors will come through once these Speculaas cookies are baked.

How to make homemade Speculaas cookies

It's an easy recipe, but you only have to factor in extra time for the dough to harden and rest to obtain that deep and lovely spiced flavor. So a bit of patience will pay off when it comes to baking Speculaas.

Other than that, I'll give you two options:

• Making cookies in an easy, unified shape—the least amount of work;
• Or using cookie cutters or cookie stamps to make them extra festive.

Mixing the dough

You can use a stand mixer to do the work for you, but I prefer to knead all the ingredients into a rough ball by hand—it's quick, easy, and I love how you can feel the dough forming.

At first, you'll get a crumbly mixture. But as you keep mixing or kneading, it all quickly sticks together.

Don't overdo the kneading part. Work your dough just enough until it forms a rough ball. Otherwise, it will get too soft and crumbly.

Resting the dough

The Speculaas cookie dough should be wrapped in parchment paper and then refrigerated for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight. There are two reasons for that:

1. The ball of dough is initially too soft to handle;
2. Plus, resting the dough for a specific amount of time creates a richer spiced Speculaas flavor.

Note: the original family recipe calls for the dough to be covered and stored overnight in a cool and dry place. But then again, our winters were cold in Belgium. So, if you don't have a cool place to rest the dough, store it in the fridge. Just know that the dough will be hard when you take it out. So, if you plan to roll it out to create unique shapes using cookie cutters, let the dough sit on the counter first for about 15 to 30 minutes. It will then be easy to roll out without it cracking.

Make easy Speculaas biscuits

For speed, don't make special shapes but rather stick to a unified one. It shaves off about twenty to thirty minutes of the overall baking time or even more because:

• There is no need to wait for the dough to soften once taken out of the fridge
• There is no rolling and cutting it into individual shapes.

Here is what to do to get the same uniform appearance as in the pictures below:

• Before the dough goes into the fridge to rest overnight, roll it into a 15-inch long cylinder-like shape (see picture below.)
• Store in the fridge covered to rest overnight. Here I recommend the overnight process versus only two hours to allow the dough to harden sufficiently.
• After the resting period, when ready to bake the cookies, remove the dough, place it on a cutting board and cut it into one-fourth inch thick slices with a bread knife.
• Let the baking begin. You might have to bake in batches, even if you use a large baking sheet.

These buttery and spiced speculoos cookies pair lovely with a cup of coffee or tea, and they are still beautiful enough to gift.

Make special shapes

If you want to cut some beautiful or "in the spirit of Holiday" cookie shapes, then here is what you need to do:

• After the resting period, remove the dough from the fridge about 15 to 30 minutes before rolling.
• I like to cut the dough into three equal pieces for easy handling.
• Flatten the first piece with the palm of your hand until somewhat softened, and you feel you can start rolling it out.
• Then roll it out on a lightly floured work surface (I use a cutting board) into an about one-fourth inch thick sheet.
• Then use your cookie cutters, engraved rolling pins, or cookie stamps to cut and make the shapes you want.
• Gather the remaining scraps of dough, knead it again into a ball, roll it out again to create new shapes.
• Now let the baking begin.
• While the first batch is in the oven, you do it all over again with the second and eventually third batch of dough: rolling, shaping, baking.

Note: traditionally, Speculoos cookies were shaped using wooden cookie molds that left an imprint on the surface of the biscuits. Famous shapes include Dutch windmills or the figure of Saint Nicholas, animals, or just everyday life scenes.

How do you store Speculaas

If stored sufficiently in an airtight container and covered in a dry, dark place, they should last you several weeks.

Usually, I keep them in a large covered tin box lined with parchment paper and leave it on the kitchen counter so anyone who passes through my kitchen can quickly grab one during Christmas and New Year. 

More good reasons to make these spiced biscuits

• Crisp, spicy, buttery, and not too sweet, Speculaas cookies are an ideal coffee-dipping treat—just a tiny crunchy indulgence full of warm flavors.
• They're a beautiful and thoughtful holiday gift and ship well when stored in tin boxes.
• These homemade Biscoff cookies make your whole house smell like Christmas, and everyone will love them.

More easy spiced Holiday treats

If you're looking for a spiced yet simpler and healthier cookie recipe that is also flourless and thus gluten-free?

Try these Easy Thumbprint Cookies that you can make with a pre-made Speculaas spice mix or warm spices like cinnamon, pumpkin, or apple pie spice. They come together in no time and are also dairy-and refined sugar-free.

You might also like my buttery buckwheat Chocolate chips cookies. They are soft with a light crumble and deliciously spiced—always a big hit amongst kids and adults alike.

Another lovely treat is the pumpkin pie spiced energy balls. They are irresistible, and their caramel-like flavors also go well with either Speculaas or chai spices.

Enjoy and don't forget to subscribe to my monthly newsletter!

This post was originally published in December 2016 and has been updated with new pictures and new information.