A Brief History Of Speculaas: Discover The Journey Of These Spiced Biscuits

We are very close to the grand festival of Christmas, and the whole world is excited to celebrate it. With prayers, carols, the exchange of gifts, and a magnificent feast, this occasion marks the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ. The traditional dishes for Christmas dinner are ham, roasted turkey, cakes, pies, and tarts. Cookies and biscuits are an integral part of this holiday festival.

Speculaas are one such biscuit that are popularly prepared on Christmas. Made with flour, sugar, butter, and spices like pepper, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, these spiced short-crust treats are often moulded to carry certain traditional images. In the German and French languages, this biscuit is called speckulatius and speculoos, respectively. But do you know about the origin of this biscuit?

History Of Speculaas

The term speculaas is said to be derived from the Latin word speculum, which means mirror. The connection is believed to be a reference to the traditional images that are molded into cookies. Initially, they were associated with special occasions like birthdays, weddings, or religious festivals like Saint Nicholas Day and Christmas.

However, there is another interpretation which says this biscuit got its name, speculaas from another Latin word, Speculator, which could be related to St Nicholas, who is famously described as the person who can see everything. In countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, they are known as Belgian spice cookies, Biscoff cookies, or Dutch windmill cookies.

Dutch people believe that speculaas was created in the Netherlands in the 17th century. It was the time when the Dutch East India Company brought spices to Europe, and were more widely available. The primary spices used at that time were cinnamon, cloves, mace, and ginger.

Another story states that the credit for the origin of this biscuit is given to a Belgian pâtissier called Antonie from Flanders. In the year 1870, Mr. Deplée got the speculaas recipe registered in Hasselt, and since then, its production has been considered essentially Belgian. The traditional ingredients of this cookie are brown sugar, eggs, butter, and flour, and it is flavored with spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.

Before baking speculaas, the prepared batter is pressed into wooden moulds that have Saint Nicolas, with his bishop’s robes and mitre on them. Nowadays, you can find them in various fun shapes like windmills, nativity characters, and animals. They are thin, spicy, slightly browned, and very crunchy in texture. Recently, speculaas have also been used in chocolate bars, truffles, ice creams, and many other desserts.

If you are also planning to prepare speculaas on Christmas, here is the perfect recipe for you:

Speculaas Recipe

Total time:30 minutes+ refrigerating overnight

Yield:3 ½ dozen biscuits

Ingredients

• ½ cups blanched almonds, toasted
• 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cardamom
• ¼ tsp ground coriander
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp salt
• ½ cup softened unsalted butter
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 egg

Method

1. To make these Dutch speculaas cookies, finely grind the almonds in a food processor with 2 tbsp of the flour.
2. Whisk together ground almonds with the remaining flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a mixing bowl and keep it aside.
3. In a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy.
4. Then add egg and beat again until combined.
5. Turn the mixer on low speed, add in the flour mixture, and mix until just combined and moistened.
6. Flatten the dough into a disk and wrap it well with plastic wrap.
7. Then refrigerate the dough for at least four hours, if possible, overnight.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
9. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
10. Roll the dough about ⅛ inch thick on a lightly floured surface.
11. Cut out cookies and keep on sheets about 1 inch apart.
12. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until firm and lightly golden around the edges.
13. Remember to rotate sheets halfway through.
14. Let it cool on the sheets for 5 minutes.
15. Then transfer cookies directly onto wire racks with the help of a spatula to cool completely.

Tips To Make Perfect Speculaas At Home

Mix Butter and Sugar Thoroughly

To achieve the right texture and crunch in your cookie, creaming the butter and sugar properly is important. Beat both of them well until they are light and fluffy. This step is also helpful for the even distribution of flavors.

Chill The Dough

After incorporating the dry and wet ingredients together, leave the dough to sit in the refrigerator for at least half an hour (overnight if possible). This step helps in maintaining the shape of the cookies while baking.

Perfect The Thickness

Make sure to roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. This helps in baking the cookies evenly, and it prevents them from becoming too crunchy or too soft.

Tips for using your speculaas molds

Add excess dough to the mold: For perfect filling, it is recommended to overfill the mold slightly. Now, using a sharp knife, scrape away the excess dough.

Tap the mold for release: If the cookies are stuck, tap the mold firmly on the edge of the counter. Alternatively, lightly pull the edges of the dough away from the mold before tapping.

Grease new molds: In case of using new molds, it is essential to oil them slightly before the first use. This makes sure the dough does not stick to the mold.

Clean molds between uses: This is another important step to avoid sticking of the dough. Clean the molds and re-flour them between every single cookie to prevent sticking.