Speculoos

Belgian Speculoos

Thin, crisp Belgian spiced biscuits traditionally pressed into carved wooden moulds and baked for St Nicholas. The dough is rich with brown sugar, butter, and warming spices that caramelise at the edges.

Prep

30 min

Cook

12 min

Total

42 min

Serves

About 30 biscuits

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •250 g (8.8 oz / ~2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
• •150 g (5.3 oz / ¾ cup packed) dark brown sugar (cassonade), Flemish cassonade preferred; muscovado is the closest substitute
• •125 g (4.4 oz / ½ cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• •1 large egg
• •1 tsp baking powder
• •1 tbsp ground cinnamon, true Ceylon or Vietnamese cinnamon if possible
• •1 tsp ground clove
• •ground nutmeg, ½, optional but traditional
• •ground ginger, ½
• •1 pinch fine sea salt
• •1–2 tbsp milk, only if needed to bring the dough together

Steps

1. 1 In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Set aside.
2. 2 In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the dark brown sugar until light and creamy, about 2–3 minutes with a wooden spoon or hand mixer. The sugar should look sandy and well incorporated.
3. 3 Beat in the egg until the mixture is smooth and slightly fluffy.
4. 4 Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix gently until a soft dough just comes together. If the dough feels dry and crumbly, add milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until it holds when pressed. Do not overwork.
5. 5 Shape the dough into a disc, wrap in cling film, and chill for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Chilling is essential for flavour development and to allow the dough to firm up for rolling and moulding.
6. 6 Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F (fan) or 180°C / 350°F (conventional). Line two baking sheets with baking parchment.
7. 7 On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 3–4 mm (⅛ inch) thick. If using a carved wooden mould (speculoos plank), dust it lightly with flour, press the rolled dough firmly into the mould, then level off the back with a knife or bench scraper. Tap the dough out onto the prepared baking sheet. If using cookie cutters, simply cut shapes and place on the sheet, re-rolling scraps once.
8. 8 Bake on the middle shelf for 10–12 minutes, until the biscuits are deep golden brown at the edges and firm and crisp on top. They will still feel slightly soft in the centre but will crisp up as they cool - do not underbake or they will stay soft.
9. 9 Leave on the tray for 3–4 minutes to firm up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight tin for up to 4 weeks; flavour deepens after a day or two.