Spekulatius. Speculoos
“I know the look of an apple that is roasting and sizzling on the hearth on a winter’s evening, and I know the comfort that comes of eating it hot, along with some sugar and a drench of cream... I know how the nuts taken in conjunction with winter apples, cider, and doughnuts, make old people’s tales and old jokes sound fresh and crisp and enchanting. ”
The inspiration of this recipe comes from a book from 1994. My festive season Bible that I liked to read, although we did not cook a lot from it as money was tight and no mistakes were allowed. But I do remember that I baked these Spekulatius after I had the chance to try some from Germany - the ones that are packed in green bags and full of palm oil, etc, but taste so good. Since we do not bake them very often, every time feels extra special, and that’s how it should be - extra special and tasty, like the festive season is.
250 g wheat flour
1 baking powder baking soda
pinch of sea salt
1,5 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg, freshly grated
bit of ground allspice (3 grains)
bit of ground cloves (like 4-5)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 organic orange zest, freshly grated
200 g light brown sugar
50 g demerara sugar
125 g cold butter
1 large egg
Sift flour into a bowl with the spices, sugar, and salt. Mix together. Add grated butter (on a course grater) and blend into the flour with your fingers until it resembles course breadcrumbs. Add the egg and knead gently, just until the dough comes together – the less you knead, the lighter the cookies. Wrap the dough in cling film and let cool for about 1 hour (I place it in the pantry).
Heat the oven to 200°. Roll out the pastry 5 mm thick, press out shapes (I make circles), place on a pan and bake about 12 minutes until golden brown. Remove, cool on the pan 3-5 minutes and then place on a cooling rack.