Speculaas Recipe - Allrecipes.com
Speculaas Recipe

Speculaas

Read Reviews (8)

"I believe another name for Windmill Cookies is Speculaas. The spices "speculaaskruiden" make this cookie so distinctive and were imported centuries ago from the far east. " —  

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Original recipe makes 2 dozen Change Servings
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Directions

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour with spices, baking powder and salt.
  2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at high speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and mix well.
  3. Stir in by hand half the flour mixture, then add the remaining flour and almonds. Mix with a wooden spoon or knead with hands.
  4. Divide dough into four parts, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for several hours. (If you are using a mold, chill it as well.)
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and grease two cookie sheets.
  6. Remove one quarter of the dough from the refrigerator and flatten it with your hands. Oil your mold and lightly flour it. Using your fingers, press dough firmly into the mold. Trim any excess dough from the mold with a knife.
  7. Transfer the cookies onto greased cookie sheets with a spatula, spacing about one inch apart.
  8. Refrigerate dough trimming to be rerolled later. Lightly flour but do not re-oil cookie mold.
  9. Repeat process with remaining dough. When cookie sheets are full, bake cookies for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Store in a covered tin.
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Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review
Dec 19, 2003

I made these cookies for my family, and they devoured them. I do not have a windmill mold, so I divided the dough in half, made rectangles out it and chilled it in saran wrap. Actually, in the freezer! Then I sliced it into 1/8'slices and baked them for 12 minutes. So crispy and crunchy, these went like wild fire. I found them to be extremely easy. I plan to make these a part of my Christmas cookies!! Thanks for such a great recipe!

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Most Helpful Critical Review
Aug 12, 2007

This cookie was ok. It was a little bland. My husband's family is Dutch and he said that this cookie was not much like the original windmill ones. The spices are off and the texture is too cakey. It does taste nice for a lite snack but not much like real speculass.

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Dec 02, 2009

These did not taste like speculaas at all to me, and I was born and raised into a dutch family, so I definitely have a lot of personal experience!! They tasted like a bland sugar cookie to me, with a hint of spice. They definitely need more zip and perhaps some molasses as well to intensify the flavour. Just throwing ideas out there. Not sure if I will bother trying to make these again, even with alterations, sorry. My kids ate one and didn't ask for more, which is a pretty strong statement.

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Jan 02, 2009

This recipe is great. I made them for the New Year's Eve and my friends were delighted. They're much better then the ones I used to buy in the shop. The only thing I changed is that I used 1 cup of grind almonds instead of 1/2 cup of sliced almonds. I'm very grateful for this recipe.

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Apr 08, 2003

The "speculaasjes" are originally from the Netherlands. I was looking all over to find them in the stores. Now I can make them myself, thanks to your recipe. Thanks.

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Jun 07, 2005

One of my co-workers requested these for her last day of work with us, but I had never heard of them. I wasn't sure of what to expect but the cookies turned out delicious. They are just sweet enough and would be perfect with tea. I left the dough in the fridge for about 3 1/2 hours and it was so cold I couldn't work with it. I would chill it for about 2 hours next time. I found the recipe to be very easy and very good. I would highly recommend it. Thanks Laura!

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Jan 04, 2008

The cookies where great but the dough needed some almond extract to flovor it

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Jan 21, 2013

If you think this cookie is bland...try adding a bit more spice of something you like. I think the cloves are too much and switched out some of it for nutmeg instead. Adding a Tb. of molasses was another flavor booster. Would have been 5 stars without all the cloves. A drizzle of glaze is wonderful and don't forget a cup of hot coffee to go along with them (if you like.)

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Nutrition

  • Calories
  • 368 kcal
  • 18%
  • Carbohydrates
  • 47.6 g
  • 15%
  • Cholesterol
  • 58 mg
  • 19%
  • Fat
  • 18.1 g
  • 28%
  • Fiber
  • 1.5 g
  • 6%
  • Protein
  • 4.8 g
  • 10%
  • Sodium
  • 152 mg
  • 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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