In the Netherlands, speculaas are as synonymously Dutch as tulips, windmills, wooden clogs and Gouda cheese. Speculaas are warmly spiced, crispy biscuit cookies shaped into gorgeous designs with cookie molds. Windmills, snowflakes and nature scenes are popular shapes!
Also known as “speculoos” or “Dutch windmill cookies,” speculaas are eaten year-round alongside a cup of coffee or tea. They’re especially popular during Christmastime. Our speculaas recipe is made as traditionally as possible to hold you over till there’s a plane ticket to the Netherlands with your name on it.
Ingredients for Speculaas
- Molasses: We love the molasses in this recipe for the color and bold flavor it adds to the speculaas.
- Orange zest: Orange zest and warm spices pair together beautifully. Make sure you are grating this citrus the right way so you’re not getting the bitter white pith in the dough!
- Ground almonds: Also known as “almond meal,” ground almonds are traditional in speculaas cookies. However, do not reach for almond flour—they’re not the same!
- Spices: We use six warm, bold spices in this speculaas recipe. They each play a critical role in making these cookies deeply flavorful, so try not to skip out on any of them.
Directions
Step 1: Beat the wet ingredients
In a large bowl, use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Beat in the eggs, molasses and orange zest. Make sure everything is incorporated by scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Editor’s Tip: It may seem excessive to cream the butter and sugar for up to seven minutes, but it really does make a difference! For a more in-depth tutorial on what this should look like, check out our guide on how to cream butter and sugar.
Step 2: Create the cookie dough
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground almonds, cinnamon, baking powder, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, ginger and cardamom. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat well. Cover the dough with storage wrap, and refrigerate until the dough is easy to handle, at least four hours.
Step 3: Shape the dough
Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a parchment-lined surface, roll a small amount of dough to 1/8-inch thickness. With a floured cookie stamp, press the design into the dough. Cut with floured 3-inch cookie cutters, leaving 1 inch between each cookie. Remove the excess dough, and reroll scraps if desired.
Step 4: Bake
Transfer the parchment with the cutout dough to a cookie sheet. If the dough has warmed, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until it firms up, 10 to 15 minutes. Bake the cookies until the edges are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the pans to wire racks to cool to room temperature.
Recipe Variations
- Swap for pumpkin pie spice: Buying all the spices individually might be too costly for some. If that’s the case, swap them for pumpkin pie spice! It won’t taste exactly the same, but pumpkin spice mix has a lot of the same warm and cozy flavors.
- Add a glaze: If you decide to just use cookie cutters (and not traditional speculaas cookie molds with detailed designs), you can drizzle a confectioners’ sugar glaze on top to decorate the cookies.
How to Store Speculaas
To store, allow the speculaas to cool completely to room temperature. Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. They can also be frozen for up to one month.
Can you make speculaas ahead of time?
Of course! The dough can be made and chilled two days in advance of baking. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out and using. Cookies can also be baked a few days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Once your speculaas cookies are gone, try making more Old World cookie recipes.
Speculaas Tips
What kind of molasses should you use to make Dutch speculaas?
There are many types of molasses, and we advise using light or regular molasses for these speculaas cookies. Molasses imparts a deep, near-smoky flavor, but you don’t want it so rich that it masks the spices in these cookies.
Can you make Dutch speculaas into other shapes?
Certainly! The dough for these speculaas lends itself well to cookie molds or stamps with decorative patterns. You can even use a detailed embossing rolling pin to create lovely surface designs. Make sure that your dough is nicely chilled, and not too soft, before stamping out the patterns. A light dusting of flour doesn’t hurt, either, to keep the dough from sticking to the stamp or rolling pin. You can cut the rolled dough out into any desired shape with cookie cutters. Here are a few of our favorite cookie decorating tools to get you started!
