Almond Speculoos Cookies

Every day we hear more and more about Spéculoos cookies , typical and very traditional at Christmas time in Belgium (where they are called speculaas), and also very popular in Germany (Spekulatius). I will tell you a few things about them and bring you a recipe for Spéculoos almond cookies that are very spicy and Christmassy.

Speculoos cookies have three characteristics that make them special and multi-characteristic:

1. The spices they contain: these cookies are super aromatic because they always incorporate a wide variety of spices.
2. They are made from butter and brown sugar : the brown sugar gives them a special, traditional and unique wood colour - speculoos biscuits should always have a toasted sandy colour, to acquire their traditional image.
3. They are made in very typical wooden moulds with reliefs that evoke Christmas, the Nativity scene and usually take motifs that evoke the Christmas story of Nicholas of Bari.

Although traditional moulds are made of wood and have many reliefs, many people were looking for a cheaper alternative, since they are generally very expensive moulds and very designed for Christmas, even though nowadays you can enjoy Speculoos cookies all year round. In any case, we have found an alternative to traditional moulds! It is the Lurch cookie mould , a mould made of Platinum silicone that ensures maximum durability and resistance, and a great definition of shapes... With such sweet and familiar engravings that make them irresistible! By its nature, it is no longer an expensive mould, and makes it accessible to everyone to enjoy those beautiful cookies all year round.

So we leave you with a recipe for Speculoos cookies with almond shells, which we hope will be the perfect introduction to your cookies.

Lurch Speculoos Cookie Cutter

Ingredients

• 115 g soft butter
• 240 g flour
• 110 g of sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground ginger
• 1 pinch of cloves
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1/2 cc almond extract
• 1 tsp milk
• 1 pinch of baking powder
• Sliced ​​almonds or almond powder*

*The almonds will give the back of the cookie an almond-like touch. You can do this with sliced ​​almonds or sprinkle almond flour.

Preparation

1. Start by kneading the butter and sugar with your hand mixer .
2. Add the remaining ingredients and knead vigorously.
3. Once all the ingredients are well mixed and you have a consistent dough, wrap the dough in cling film and let it cool in the refrigerator for 3 hours.
4. After this time, cut the dough to size and press it into the Lurch speculoos mould . Prick the dough with a fork so that there are no air pockets. Remove the excess dough with a knife (after making a cookie, you'll see how easy it is).
5. Spread some sliced ​​almonds or almond flour over the dough and press lightly (we want some fine almonds on the visible part of the unbaked dough, so when we remove the cookies from the mold the layer of almonds will remain on the back).
6. Place the cookies on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes at 175°C. When they start to turn golden (not too much! you will notice that they will take on a toasty colour at the edges), remove the mould from the oven and allow to cool.
7. Wait until the mold is almost warm and remove the cookies from the mold.

You'll see what beautiful cookies! If you want to decorate the relief of the cookies, you can do it with melted chocolate or with icing. In the latter case, you can see the post How to make icing for cookies .

I hope this Christmas is filled with moments as sweet as these gorgeous Christmas cookies!

Lurch Speculoos Cookie Cutter