Speculaas

Speculaas or speculoos are a spiced shortbread, traditionally baked for consumption on or just before St Nicholas Day in the Netherlands and around Christmas in Germany and Austria. Speculaas are thin, very crispy, caramelized, slightly browned and, most significantly, have some picture or figure (usually from traditional stories about Saint Nicholas) stamped on the front before baking.

The Dutch and Belgian versions are toasted with brown sugar (sometimes beetroot) and baking powder. German Spekulatius uses baker's ammonia as a leavening agent. The Indian, Indonesian and Mediterranean spices used in speculaas are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom, and white pepper. Traditionally, speculaas are made from Frisian flour and spices. The name speculoos is given to Belgian flour biscuits with almost no seasoning. Today most versions of speculaas are made with white flour (wheat), brown sugar, butter, and spices. Some varieties use a little almond flour and have almonds embedded in the bottom.

The dough is prepared by beating butter, sugar and spices and combining them. The flour and leavening agent are mixed separately and then added. The baker is careful not to overwork the dough, so it will rise slightly. The dough is stored in a cool place overnight to allow the seasoning time to penetrate the dough and add flavor. There are several interpretations of the origin of the name speculaas. It may be derived from the Latin word duckbill for mirror and refers to the fact that the image was cut as a mirrored relief into a wooden stamp, which was then used to decorate the speculaas.

Detailed information:

Website: www.speculaas.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SpeculaasSpice