Speculoos Cookies

A few years ago, our kids took us to eat Belgium waffles at Bruges Waffles & Frites in downtown Salt Lake City. One option to top the waffles was speculoos cookie butter. Every since that tasty introduction, speculoos cookie butter has been a part of our lives. When we first started to eat it, I had to order it online. Now, we can buy it at our local Nob Hill or Trader Joe’s. It is basically peanut butter made by grinding vegetable oil with crunchy speculoos cookies instead of peanuts. Here is a recipe to try to reproduce those spicy, crunchy cookies.

Recipe By: King Arthur Flour
Yield: 24-48

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/2 cup toasted almond flour, or almond flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon aniseed powder
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the flours, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and egg. Mix until well blended.

3. Stir in the flour mixture.

4. Form the dough into two disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 2 hours or more.

5. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

6. Working with one disk at a time, roll the dough 1/8″ to 1/4″ thick.

7. Use any shape cookie cutter to cut out shapes.

8. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets and freeze for at least 30 minutes. This helps the cookies retain their shape while baking.* See Notes.

9. Fifteen minutes before baking the cookies, heat the oven to 300°F.

10.  Bake the cookies for 25 to 30 minutes, until they’re light gold around the edges. Remove them from the oven, and cool them right on the pan.

Notes:

My baking sheets will not fit in my freezer. I have to place the cut-out dough on a plate covered with wax paper and place the plate in the freezer.