Speculoos
Crispy, butter-rich Belgian spiced cookies with warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove notes. These traditional treats are deceptively simple but deeply aromatic and irresistibly snappy.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Servings
- 24
- Calories
- 145
- Protein
- 2g
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1 whole large egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- 1
Cut 0.5 cup (1 stick) of unsalted butter into small cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes until it's soft enough to indent easily with your finger but still cool to the touch — this ensures it will cream properly without becoming greasy.
- 2
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the softened butter with 0.75 cup of packed light brown sugar for 3-4 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula halfway through. The mixture should look pale, fluffy, and roughly the texture of whipped cream — this incorporates air that keeps the cookies crispy.
- 3
Separate 1 large egg and add only the yolk (reserve the white for another use) plus 0.5 teaspoon of vanilla extract to the butter mixture. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute until fully incorporated and the mixture looks creamy and smooth.
- 4
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 0.5 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, 0.25 teaspoon of ground clove, 0.25 teaspoon of fine sea salt, and 0.5 teaspoon of baking powder. Whisk for about 30 seconds to distribute the spices evenly — you should smell the warm, toasty spice blend.
- 5
Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until a cohesive dough forms, about 1-2 minutes. Stop as soon as you don't see streaks of flour — overmixing toughens the cookies.
- 6
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This firms up the butter so the cookies won't spread too much in the oven and will bake up thicker and crispier.
- 7
Position one oven rack in the upper-middle portion of your oven and another in the lower-middle, then preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) for 15 minutes. Your oven should be fully preheated so the cookies set quickly on the bottom without over-browning on top.
- 8
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and lightly flour your work surface and a rolling pin. Working with the chilled dough, roll it out to a thickness of 1/8 inch — it should be thin enough to see your hand through it but sturdy enough not to tear. This is the signature texture of speculoos: brittle-crispy.
- 9
Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or any decorative shape), cut out cookies and transfer them with a small offset spatula to two parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them 1 inch apart — they'll expand slightly as they bake. Gather any scraps, re-roll once, and cut out a few more cookies.
- 10
Place one baking sheet on the upper-middle rack and one on the lower-middle rack. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the sheets top-to-bottom halfway through (this ensures even browning). The cookies are done when the edges are deep golden brown and the centers look set but still slightly soft — they will crisp up completely as they cool.
- 11
Remove both sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes — they are very fragile while hot. Transfer them with a thin metal spatula to a wire cooling rack. They will firm up completely within 5 minutes and become audibly crispy as they cool.
- 12
Once completely cool, store the speculoos in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Serve with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate — dip them in hot beverages just before eating if you like a slight softness, or eat them dry and crackling.
Tools you’ll need
- large mixing bowl
- electric mixer with paddle attachment
- rubber spatula
- medium mixing bowl
- whisk
- plastic wrap
- rolling pin
- 2-inch round cookie cutter
- small offset spatula
- two baking sheets
- parchment paper
- wire cooling rack
- oven thermometer
- thin metal spatula
- airtight container
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