{"id":3305,"date":"2013-12-28T16:02:28","date_gmt":"2013-12-28T16:02:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dianeduane.com\/outofambit\/?p=3305"},"modified":"2020-07-26T14:09:29","modified_gmt":"2020-07-26T14:09:29","slug":"holiday-baking-department-speculatius-speculoos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dianeduane.com\/outofambit\/2013\/12\/28\/holiday-baking-department-speculatius-speculoos\/","title":{"rendered":"In the holiday baking department: Speculatius \/ Speculaas"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Spec_Landscape_2_750px\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re in the Netherlands (I don\u2019t say Holland, because you might be in the Netherlands without necessarily being in Holland) and you\u2019ve ordered coffee after a meal or a snack, odds are strong that this is the cookie \/ biscuit that will come along with it. They seem to be everywhere over there.<\/p>\n

For most of us who make it at home, this would be a cookie-cutter cookie, but on the Continent they\u2019re likely to turn up in quite ordinary shapes \u2014 rectangles or squares \u2014 that are ornamented with designs that have been pressed into them with special Speculaas molds. (Very ornate and seriously huge Speculaas biscuits used to be given to children in the Netherlands on St. Nicholas\u2019s Day [December 6th], but I don\u2019t know if this is done any more.)<\/p>\n

The flavor is something special. It sounds a little odd to describe a bikkie\u2019s flavor as \u201cfresh\u201d, but this is, and the cardamom used in its spicing is what\u2019s responsible. A lovely fragrance comes off a tin of these when you open it up, and the cinnamon and cloves that are also part of the recipe add a very holidayish scent. So this is nice to bake around this time of year for when you want something just a little different from the cookies you\u2019ve probably been eating since the week before Christmas or thereabouts.<\/p>\n

The only frustration about making these at home is when you go looking for a recipe on the Net. The best ones are all German, it seems, but they all seem to call for \u201cspekulatiuswurz\u201d, or \u201cSpeculatius seasoning,\u201d which is a big help especially as it gives you no idea what\u2019s in it. Fortunately there is a good scratch recipe in that bible for those interested in central European holiday baking, <em>Festive Baking in Austria, Germany and Switzerland,<\/a> and this recipe comes from there.<\/p>\n

Ingredients and method under the cut.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Ingredients:<\/p>\n