BAKED Sunday Morning: Speculaas

No matter whether you call these cookies Speculaas or Speculoos, they are a Dutch brown sugar shortbread cookie that are traditionally served on St. Nicholas day. Matt and Renato's version in BAKED Explorations, Speculaas, is highly fragrant with the addition of grated orange zest. 

In the Baked's notes to the recipe it says that this is a close version to the European Biscoff cookie, but I think these spicy shortbread cookies are far better than the store bought ones. They are a perfect dunkin' cookie for tea or coffee.

I have to say that I was a little surprised that the recipe didn't use a standing mixer as many of the recipes used in this book have been modernized, but this one suggests cutting the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or fork which I gladly did because this is still my preferred method of making scones. The only thing I did differently from the recipe was instead of forming the dough into a ball before chilling, I formed it into two discs to make it easier to roll out.

I really enjoyed this cookie, but I think I would have preferred it more during the holidays. By the time I made these I had had enough of Christmas cookies, so I will try to make these again for Christmas. You can find the recipe over at BAKED Sunday Mornings. We are teaming up this week with another group who is baking their way through Baked Explorations, so you can view all the lovely links over at Club Baked.

I made a similar version with light brown sugar from Dorie Greenspan's cookbook, Around My French Table, over a year ago which you can see here.