Description
A special holiday cookie, sure to be a hit at any event.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mace (or substitute with 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 to 4 tablespoons milk
- For the Speculaas Spice Blend (or substitute): 1 tablespoon Speculaas spice mix (to replace cardamom, cloves, mace, and cinnamon)
Instructions
- Prepare Cookies: In a stand mixer, beat together the room temperature butter and packed dark brown sugar until the mixture becomes creamy and well combined.
- Prepare Cookies: Add the ground cardamom, ground cloves, ground mace (or nutmeg), ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and table salt to the butter-sugar mixture. Continue to mix until all the spices are evenly incorporated.
- Prepare Cookies: In a separate small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and baking powder.
- Prepare Cookies: Gradually add spoonfuls of the dry ingredient mixture to the mixing bowl while the mixer is running on medium-high speed.
- Prepare Cookies: Continue until all the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the dough.
- Prepare Cookies: If the dough is too dry, add 1 teaspoon of milk at a time, mixing after each addition, until the dough comes together to form a ball.
- Prepare Cookies: Remove the cookie dough from the mixing bowl and place it on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten the dough into a disk shape and refrigerate it for at least one hour before rolling it out and baking.
- Prepare Cookies: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (163 degrees Celsius) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prepare Cookies: On a lightly floured countertop, roll out the chilled cookie dough to a thickness of 1/4 to 1/8 inch.
- Prepare Cookies: Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes from the dough and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Prepare Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
- Prepare Cookies: Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and let them cool on a wire rack. The cookies will become crunchy as they cool.
- Enjoy!: Store the Speculaas cookies in an airtight container to maintain their freshness. Enjoy your homemade Spiced Belgian Speculaas Cookies!
