Speculoos Cookie Crust Recipes

FESTIVE SPECULOOS COOKIES (A CLASSIC RECIPE)

Steps:

• Using a stand mixer or hand held mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until the mixture becomes lighter in colour.
• Add egg to the butter/sugar and mix in well.
• Measure all dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk slowly to combine.
• With the mixer on low speed, gradually add dry ingredients. Let them come slightly together then turn out on a clean surface and finish mixing by hand.
• Cut two large lengths of parchment paper and place dough in between them.
• Steady the end of the paper in between your body and the counter while you roll the dough in an upward motion.
• Roll dough out in an even fashion until it reaches 1/4 inch thickness. Chill for 20-30 minutes.
• Pre-heat oven to 350 F. Remove dough from refrigerator and cut into desired shapes. Place shapes 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Press sliced almonds on top, if using.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on a baking rack. Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days or freeze.

TRADITIONAL SPECULOOS COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the brown sugar, butter, egg yolks, cream, vanilla and lemon zest in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or use an electric mixer) until it's pale and fluffy, 5-6 minutes. Add the almond/hazelnut flour and mix until combined. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baker's ammonia, salt and spices. While beating, gradually add this flour mixture to the wet mixture. (If not using a stand mixer use a wooden spoon while you can and then knead with your hands.) If the dough is too dry/crumbly add a little extra egg yolk as needed.Form the dough into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest in a cool place (NOT the fridge or it will become brittle) for at least 5 hours or overnight.
• Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about 4mm or just under 1/4 inch. You can simply cut them into small rectangles (like Biscoff cookies) or you can use molds, cookie stamps, a molded rolling pin or any cookie cutters of your choice to shape the speculoos (see blog post pictures for instructions on how to use molds and molded rolling pins). If using molds be sure to lightly flour them first to prevent sticking. Cut out the cookies and place them on a non-stick baking sheet. Chill the cookies for at least one hour before baking.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the speculoos on the middle rack for 10-12 minutes or until nicely browned and caramelized. Let the speculoos cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.Store them in an airtight container. It is best to wait at least a week before eaten them to allow the flavors to develop. Will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for several weeks. Enjoy by the speculoos by themselves or dipped in your favorite hot beverage.

HOW TO MAKE AUTHENTIC SPECULOOS COOKIES

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together.
• Add one egg at a time, mixing about 30 to 60 seconds after each one.
• In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and spices. Then add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix lightly until incorporated. Repeat in 2 steps for the next 2/3 of the flour mixture.
• Make a ball with the dough. Knead gently on a floured cutting board only to make sure all ingredients are mixed well together. If the dough sticks to your hands or the cutting board, add a little more flour until it's no longer sticky. Wrap the ball of dough in plastic wrap and put in refrigerator. Leave at least 30 minutes. I usually leave it overnight. It can stay in the refrigerator 24 hours without any problems.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before rolling. Preheat oven to 350°F / 175°C (see notes below). Cut dough in three parts. Flatten the first part. Roll it out on a floured cutting board until the dough is about 1/12 inch / 2 millimeters thick. A little thicker is ok too. Be careful not to roll the dough too thin or else the cookies will break or burn. Gather the remaining dough and roll it out again to create new shapes.
• Use your cookie cutters to create shapes. Place the cut-out shapes of dough onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Put the filled baking sheet into the oven (on the middle rack). Let bake until the cookies are lightly brown on top (about 15 minutes). Remove cookies from oven and let them cool on a rack.
• While you bake each pan of cookies, continue rolling out the rest of the dough. You will thus roll-out and bake simultaneously. Therefore the time indicated for rolling out and baking will overlap to a large extent.
• After all the cookies are baked and cooled off, enjoy! If you create shapes the size of my cookies in the photo, you will make about 45 cookies per egg. Share with friends!

SPECULOOS (BELGIAN SPICE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Sift together flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
• In the work bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla.
• Add dry ingredients to mixer, a few spoonfuls at a time, mixing on low speed until combined.
• Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 60 minutes.
• Place dough on Silpat or parchment. Roll dough out to about 1/4" thickness - about the size of the Silpat. Use bench flour as necessary to prevent sticking. Transfer Silpat to a cookie sheet.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Cut into 3x2" rectangles with a pizza wheel.
• Transfer Silpat to a cooling rack until room temperature. Store in a tightly sealed container.

NO-BAKE SPECULOOS TRUFFLE COOKIES

Steps:

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground but not powdery. Transfer 1/3 cup of the crumbs to a large bowl. Add the cookie butter to the remaining crumbs in the food processor and pulse, scraping down the side of the processor if needed, until combined and the mixture starts forming a ball. Add to the bowl with the graham cracker crumbs and mix until combined.
• Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Combine the white chocolate chips and coconut oil in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring, until smooth. One at a time, gently drop each cookie into the melted chocolate, turning to coat completely. Remove with a fork, allowing the excess chocolate to drip off, then return to the baking sheet. (If the chocolate gets too thick, return to the microwave.) Decorate with nonpareils. Let set, 30 minutes.

SPECULOOS COOKIES & HOMEMADE COOKIE BUTTER RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• To make the splice blend, combine spices in a small bowl and mix until evenly distributed.
• To make the cookies, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and spice blend in a large mixing bowl,. Mix until blended.
• In a new large bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix in the egg.
• Add the flour mixture and combine until well mixed and dough forms.
• Remove dough from bowl and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 2-6 hours.
• On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a ⅛- to ¼-inch (3mm - 6mm) thickness.
• Cut the dough into desired cookie shape.
• Optional: use speculoos style cookie molds to shape cookies.
• Place cookies on parchment covered baking tray and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12-14 minutes.
• To make the cookie butter, combine cookies, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and butter in a food processor.
• Blend until peanut butter texture forms.
• Enjoy!

SPECULOOS COOKIE BUTTER PIE

Steps:

• Lightly spray a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick spray.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the cookies into fine crumbs, about 1 minute. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups.) Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture is uniformly combined and sticks together when pressed, 15 to 20 seconds. Press the crust evenly into the base and up the sides of the pie plate. Freeze the crust while you heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake the chilled crust until it appears set and the edges start to darken slightly, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and cookie butter on medium speed, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• In a liquid measuring cup with a spout, mix the 1 1/4 cups cream with the vanilla and salt to combine. Increase the mixer speed to medium and gradually add the cream mixture to the cream cheese mixture in a slow, steady stream. Continue to mix just until the mixture has thickened and holds medium peaks, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Do not overwhip, which could cause the mixture to separate.
• Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust and smooth into an even layer. Freeze the pie for 20 minutes to set the filling, then transfer to the refrigerator to chill until the filling is firm, about 45 minutes.
• Prepare the whipped cream, if using: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip the remaining 3/4 cup cream to medium peaks. Spread in an even layer on top of the chilled pie and garnish with a sprinkling of cookie crumbs, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

COOKIE BUTTER CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Wrap the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan with aluminum foil to create a water-proof barrier.
• Pour water into a large baking pan, filling it 1/2 inch deep, and place it in the oven to create a water bath.
• Set aside 6 cookies for the topping. Break up the remaining cookies and place in a blender. Pulse several times until the cookies have turned into uniform crumbs.
• Combine softened butter and cookie crumbs in a bowl using a fork or pastry knife. Add mixture to the prepared springform pan and evenly press them into the bottom to form a crumb crust. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
• Combine cream cheese, sugar, cookie butter, vanilla extract, and ground ginger in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix to combine on medium-high speed; mixture will be quite thick. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the bowl with a spatula as needed. Stir in toffee chips.
• Remove springform pan from the refrigerator. Pour filling on top of the crust, using a spatula to even out the top. Carefully place springform pan into the water bath, adding more hot water if necessary.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake until the top of the cheesecake is golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Add more hot water as necessary, since there will be some evaporation.
• Remove cheesecake and place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
• Whisk sour cream and 1/2 cup cookie butter together to make the topping. Spread topping on top of the cheesecake and garnish with 1/2 cup toffee chips. Crumble reserved cookies over on top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

SPECULOOS COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Put the cookies in a food processor and blitz until the cookies are a uniformly sandy texture. Drizzle in the melted butter and pulse until the mixture comes together like wet sand.
• Turn the mixture out into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Use your fingers to pack the mixture tightly into the pan, going all the way up the sides, then use your palm to flatten the bottom. Make sure the edges and the bottom are compact and of even thickness. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet to catch any butter drips that occur during baking and to provide stability as you transfer the tart shell in and out of the oven.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust is no longer shiny with butter. It will continue to crisp up as it cools.
• Keep the tart shell in the pan, cool completely, and store in the fridge or freezer until ready to fill.