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The Bakery 100 · make it at home

Speculoos (Belgian spice biscuits)

Overnight, 30 min hands-on · about 40 biscuits

Thin, crisp, deep-brown caramel spice biscuits, the ones Brussels has stamped in wooden moulds for centuries.

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The real one

You need

• 250 g all-purpose flour (2 cups)
• 200 g dark brown sugar or Belgian cassonade (1 cup)
• 150 g soft unsalted butter (10 tbsp)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp each ground nutmeg, cloves and ginger
• 1/4 tsp each ground cardamom and white pepper
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp milk

How to make it

1. Dough (10 min, then overnight): Beat the butter and sugar until combined. Mix in the egg and milk, then the flour, soda, salt and all the spices to a firm dough. Wrap and refrigerate overnight; the spices bloom.
2. Roll (10 min): Roll to 3 mm thick between parchment. Press with a speculoos mould or stamp, or cut rectangles and mark with a fork.
3. Chill (15 min): Chill the cut biscuits on the tray 15 minutes so the pattern stays sharp.
4. Bake (12 to 14 min): Bake at 170C (340F) for 12 to 14 minutes, until deep brown at the edges. They crisp as they cool.

Tips

• Dark brown sugar or cassonade gives the caramel taste.
• Crush leftovers into a pie crust or over ice cream.

Chef Amazing's own home version of speculoos, in our words; not any bakery's recipe.