A Biscoff break

I think that most people who have spent time in western Europe (and definitely France) have discovered the amazingly delicious little spice cookies that accompany coffee or tea and just seem to pop up everywhere. Many know them by their brand name, Biscoff, but these crisp cookies called speculaas originated in Belgium as treats to be served around Christmas time. They traditionally have images of the story of St. Nicholas stamped on them, and although I've never seen them, there are apparently pans made especially for them!

Speculaas spice is a mouth-watering, heart-warming combination of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and coriander. This magical blend is sharp but not too overwhelmingly spicy, and when you smell these cookies baking it will make you feel all kinds of holiday nostalgia. Almost makes me wish it were cold and raining! Almost.

For me, there's an experience of a coffee or tea break that begs a side dish. A square of dark chocolate, a cakey donut or a crisp cookie are essential when I'm starting or taking a break from my day. I was feeling a little homesick for a Parisian sidewalk cafe, and decided to see if this recipe was easy enough to whip up on a regular basis. Good news! - it's so easy :)

It's not identical to the texture of Biscoff, but this recipe captures the flavors perfectly and something about homemade makes it even better. You can make the cookies in varying thicknesses, but I like a balance between crisp and chewy and rolled out the dough to a little over 1/8" thick.

A note about the recipe - it specifies weight instead of volume of the flour and sugar, so the volume approximations are not precise. I used a food scale for a more accurate result.

Speculaas
Spice blend from Seitan is My Motor
Cookie recipe from Tasty Kitchen
Makes about 20 cookies (about 2.5" diameter)


Speculaas spice blend
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Cookies
8 oz all-purpose flour (or ~2 1/4 C)
5 oz dark brown sugar (or ~3/4 C)
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp speculaas spice blend
5 oz cold butter, cut into small pieces
4 Tbsp milk

Directions: Combine dry ingredients and then add butter and milk. Blend with an electric beater or cut in with pastry cutter (much more labor intensive, be warned!) until dough is formed. Refrigerate in a disk for at least a few hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out on plastic wrap or a lightly floured surface to about 1/8" thick and then cut with cookie cutters. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned on the edges. Let cool for a minute and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Going into the oven!