Speculoos cookies

Some people crave layered cakes full of buttercream, pastry cream,  whipped cream... As for myself, I don't care much about them. I like to see a nicely decorated cake. I might even eat a slice. But I never get that sudden crave, like, " I must have a slice of cake or I'll die".
But wake me up in the morning, and tell me there are no cookies in the house and I just might go crazy.
From time to time I make other things, but the first morning coffee must have a good cookie to go with it.
These cookies were a total hit with me. Crunchy and crispy to the point that I love. Warm spices that make you smile every time you open your cookie box and so inevitably make you think of Christmas.
I've never had any original speculoos cookies (I should remember to ask my husband to bring me some on his  next trip to Belgium), and I don't know if they are supposed to look and taste like these, but I loved them. And I can't wait to make them again.
They're very buttery. They are full of sugar, too, but that's what's particular about this recipe. The sugar caramelizes in baking and that's what gives them that wonderful taste and crispiness.
The dark spots you may have noticed, are from muscovado sugar - I love it for its wonderful taste and couldn't resist adding some to these cookies as well.
Well, won't you join me for a cup of coffee or tea on a cold autumn morning?

Speculoos (or speculaas) cookies
(original recipe here)

* 300 g flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* a pinch of salt
* 200 g butter
* 250 g unrefined cane sugar (Cassonade)
* 1 egg
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* a little ground ginger
* a little ground cardamom seeds
* a pinch of ground white pepper
* a pinch of ground nutmeg

Sift the flour, the baking powder and the salt together and set aside.
Melt the butter in the microvawe oven or over low heat and then set aside to cool.
Put the butter in a mixing bowl, add the egg, the sugar (I put 100 g di of muscovado sugar and the rest raw cane sugar) and all the spices. Whisk everything together.
Mix in the flour using a wooden spoon.
The dough will be rather soft but don't add more flour.
Wrap it well in a piece of cling film, and let it rest in the fridge for 12 hours.
Roll it out very thin (the dough will become quite hard, it may take you some effort at first), about 3 mm, and using a pastry cutter or a knife cut into rectangles.
Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving space between them as they spread a little.
Bake them in a preheated oven at  180°C for 10-15 minutes .
Let them cool on the baking sheet before moving them to a cooling rack.
Once they're completely cold, store them in an airtight container.

Speculoos (o speculaas) biscotti
(ricetta originale)


* 300 g di farina 00
* 1 cucchiaino raso di lievito per dolci
* un pizzico di sale
* 200 g di burro
* 250 g di zucchero di canna non rafinato (tipo Cassonade)
* 1 uovo
* 1 cucchiaino di cannella in polvere
* 1/2 cucchiaino di chiodi di garofano in polvere
* un po' di zenzero in polvere
* un po' di cardamomo in polvere
* un pizzico di pepe bianco
* un pizzico di noce moscata grattugiata


Setacciate la farina con il lievito e il sale.
Sciogliete il burro e lasciatelo raffreddare.
Mescolate l'uovo, lo zucchero (io ho messo 100 g di zucchero muscovado e il resto zucchero di canna normale) e tutte le spezie con il burro usando una frusta a mano.
Aggiungete la farina e mescolate bene con un cucchiaio di legno.
Anche se l'impasto vi sembra troppo morbido, non aggiungete altra farina.
Trasferitelo su un pezzo di pellicola alimentare, avvolgetelo bene e lasciatelo in frigo per 12 ore.
Stendete la pasta molto sottile, 3 mm e tagliatela in rettangoli (ho usato il tagliapasta ondulato).
Tresferite i biscotti su una placca da forno rivestita con la carta da forno lasciando un po' di spazio tra di loro perche si allargano leggermente durante la cottura. 
Cuoceteli nel forno già caldo per 10-15 minuti a 180°C.
Lasciateli un paio di minuti ancora sulla placca prima di toglierli e lasciarli raffreddare su una griglia.
Conservateli ben chiusi in una scatola di latta.

Speculoos (ili speculaas) keksi


* 300 g brašna
* 1 žličica praška za pecivo
* prstohvat soli
* 200 g maslaca
* 250 g nerafiniranog smeđeg šećera ili žutog šećera (Cassonade)
* 1 jaje
* 1 žličica mljevenog cimeta
* 1/2 žličice mljevenih klinčića
* prstohvat đumbira u prahu
* prstohvat mljevenog kardamoma
* prstohvat bijelog papra
* mrvicu muškatnog oraščića


Prosijte brašno s praškom za pecivo i soli.
Otopite maslac i ostavite da se prohladi.
Dodajte jaje, šećer i sve začine u maslac i izmiješajte pjenjačom.
Ja sam stavila 100 g muscovado šećera i ostatak običnog smeđeg šećera. Kardamom imam u zrnu (mahune), pa sam usitnila u mužaru sjemenke iz jedne mahune.
Dodajte brašno smjesi s maslacem i izmiješajte žlicom.
Smjesa je jako mekana, ali ne dodajite više brašna.
Istresite je na komad plastične folije, dobro omotajte i ostavite u hladnjaku 12 sati.
Razvaljajte tijesto između dva komada papira za pečenje na debljinu od 3-4 mm.
Izrežite po želji na kvadrate ili pravokutnike (ja sam rezala nazubljenim kotačićem) pa pažljivo premjestite izrezane kekse (uz pomoć palete najbolje) na pleh obložen papirom za pečenje. Ostavite malo razmaka između keksa.
Po želji možete prije pečenja (ili na polovici pečenja) posuti kekse šećerom u prahu (uz pomoć manjeg gustog cjedila), bit će malo hrskaviji na površini.
Pecite ih 10-15 minuta na 180°C.
Izvadite iz pećnice, ostavite par minuta na plehu jer tek pečeni još su dosta mekani, a zatim ih premjestite na rešetku da se ohlade.
Čuvajte ih u dobro zatvorenom metalnoj kutiji.
*Ako pri izrezivanju imate viška tijesta, svaki put ga prvo sakupite i dobro ohladite pa tek onda ponovo razvaljajte. Tijesto je jako bogato maslacem i na toplom odmah odmekne i teže je raditi s njim.