Easy Spekulatius (German Spiced Cookies)
Traditional German Spekulatius cookies with warm spices of cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. This family recipe from my uncles' bakery creates perfectly crispy, buttery cookies that taste like Christmas in Germany.
Servings 30 cookies
Calories 81kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter cold
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup ground almonds
- 1 medium egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the spekulatius spice mix
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pinch ground cardamon
- 1 pinch ground ginger
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Day 1
- Cube the butter and set aside.
- Prepare the spice mix by combining the cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and coriander in a small bowl and mix well.
- Combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, spice mix, salt, and ground almonds in a large bowl or on a clean work surface.
- Make a well in the center and add the egg and cold cubed butter.
- Using cold hands, work the ingredients together until a smooth dough forms. At first, the dough will feel crumbly and dry—don't worry, it will come together! If needed, add water 1 teaspoon at a time. Avoid over-kneading to keep the cookies tender and crumbly rather than chewy.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Day 2
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and separate it into two portions. Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
- Roll each dough portion out to a thickness of about 3mm (⅛ inch) and cut out shapes with a cookie cutter. An embossed rolling pin or use special speculaas molds. If you use the specialty wooden molds, first dust the mold with flour and then press in the small portions of dough. The excess dough can be sliced off with a knife.
- It is best to cool the cookies before baking for 30 minutes to ensure the engravings do not melt. You can do it outside or in the fridge.
- Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes until firm.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.5mg
