If you’ve ever tried the joy that is cookie butter, then you know the flavour of a Speculoos cookie. Speculoos (or sometimes spelled speculaas) is a Belgian cookie. Imagine a gingersnap on steroids. Bolder and much more aggressive than typical gingersnaps, Speculoos cookies are brimming with dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, white pepper, ginger, and cardamom.
Of course, you can buy ready made Speculoos cookies, so why would you want to make your own? Um, giant townhouse speculoos cookie snow globe! Need I say more? Can you imagine a more adorable holiday centerpiece?
When I started researching for this post, I emailed my Belgian friend Brigitte to ask her for her mom’s authentic Speculoos cookie recipe. I figured every Belgian grandmother has her favourite recipe and I’d use that as my starting point. Apparently, her mom has a speculoos cheesecake recipe, a speculoos ice cream recipe, but no speculoos cookie recipe. She never saw the need to make her own. So, I turned to the King Arthur baking website and found a promising recipe. Brigitte helped me make them. While they were good, Brigitte said that they really didn’t taste like the speculoos cookies she ate growing up.
I tinkered with the recipe and came up with my own version. While they’re not exactly like the storebought, they are very delicious!
As soon as the dough is made I divide it into 2 pieces and roll each half between 2 sheets of parchment paper, to a 1/4 inch thickness. Then I freeze the dough for about 30 minutes before cutting it into shapes. So much easier to roll soft dough.
The townhouse cookie cutters are from coppergifts.com
I also made a batch of my favourite Thick and Chewy Gingerbread dough to create some trees for my landscape. 
Click here for the recipe for Speculoos Cookies.
Love these!
Your giant townhouse speculoos cookie snow globe is gorgeous! I really love it! This would make a beautiful centerpiece all winter long! ( Add a mezuzah to the doors and some random star sprinkles, and this would be just as wonderful as a Chanukah centerpiece too!) I know my daughter is going to want to make this.
Brilliant idea Wendy. Although I think my piping skills are not great enough to pipe a mezuzah and Hebrew letters!! Send me a picture if your daughter makes it. The jar is from Target! Very reasonably priced. Would look great in the bathroom later with tons of bars of white Dove soap!
Specoluus cookies are readily available in Germany. I used to have a special wooden form made for specoluus. Unfortunately I lost them. Your cookies look gorgeous.
Thanks Gerlinde. Do you still have the recipe for the cookies? I am curious to know if it used an egg in the dough? Also, what spices were used and was baking powder or baking soda used?
No I don’t but I will check a German website for you.
Spekulatius – so geht das Grundrezept
Spekulatius besteht aus einem klassischen Mürbeteig, der mit einer besonderen Gewürzmischung und Mandeln verfeinert wird.
Zutaten für klassischen Spekulatius:
150 g Butter
125 g brauner Zucker
1 Ei (Größe M)
1 TL gemahlener Zimt
1 Prise gemahlene Gewürznelken
1 Prise gemahlener Kardamom
1 TL abgeriebene Schale von 1 unbehandelten Zitrone
60 g gemahlene Mandeln
300 g Mehl
1 TL Backpulver
Zubereitung:
Butter, Zucker und Ei mit den Schneebesen des Handrührgerätes mindestens 10 Minuten schaumig schlagen. Gewürze, Zitronenschale und gemahlene Mandeln unterrühren.
Mehl und Backpulver mischen und unterrühren.
Teig mit den Händen zu einer Kugel formen, in Folie wickeln und ca. 1 Stunde kalt stellen.
Teig auf bemehlter Arbeitsfläche ca. 4 mm dünn ausrollen. Teig mit unterschiedlichen Motiven ausstechen. Reste immer wieder verkneten.
Spekulatius auf Backbleche legen und ca. 2 Stunden kühl stellen
Bleche nacheinander im vorgeheizten Backofen (E-Herd: 200 °C/ Umluft: 175 °C/ Gas: Stufe 3) 10-12 Minuten backen. Herausnehmen und auf einem Kuchengitter auskühlen lassen
This is a generic German recipe and it uses an egg, brown
sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves.
Thanks so much Gerlinde. Greatly appreciated!
This is so pretty Cindy, what an interesting decorative piece that tastes delicious as well! Perfect combination for the holidays.
Thanks Linda. Will you be making this with the kids?