My Iconic Speculaas Cookies recipe is deliciously crispy, warmly spiced and bound to be (or become!) a holiday tradition in your house!
Special equipment: speculaas molds or an embossed rolling pin and a 2.5-inch (6.5 cm) round cookie cutter.
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, aniseed, nutmeg, black pepper, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
With an electric mixer, blend the butter and sugar for a few minutes, until fluffy.
Beat in the milk, then gradually add the flour mixture.
Once the dough is combined, gather it into a ball, flatten it into a disk, cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (at least one hour).
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
If using the speculaas molds, dust the molds with rice flour, press a piece of dough into the mold, tap the mold to release the dough, and cut away any extra dough. Repeat with the remaining dough.
If using an embossed rolling pin, roll out the dough to a 1/8-inch (3 mm) thickness on a surface dusted with rice flour, then use a 2 ½ inch cutter to cut out your cookies.
Place rolled and cut cookies on the prepared baking sheets and bake for about 15-18 minutes until slightly golden. Let cool completely on racks.
Store speculaas cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.