Speculoos for a Spice Lover

There's something to be said about spices in desserts. The smell of cinnamon in the house, the warmth of ginger on the tongue – ahh, heaven to me. Holidays and spices: they go hand in hand for me, even though my family doesn't actually celebrate Christmas in the least. So no matter the season, a couple of spice cookies and a mug of hot cocoa never fail to lift my mood. 

Once I made my first gingerbread cookie, there was no going back. Since then, every time I bite into a spicy treat, happiness just bubbles up inside of me and makes me want to look up a recipe. So when I tried speculoos (aka speculaas) at Crème Fraîche, I knew I had to try my hand at making some! So I hopped over to the store and bought many little baggies of spices, stocked up on brown sugar, and went at it like a desperate addict. 

I found a recipe that looked fantastic, from a cute baking blog called Eat the Love. I've adapted the recipe to my tastes and capabilities. A lot of baking recipes call for mixers and the such, and really, there's no need for that. I mix everything by hand, with a healthy dash of love. 

And I got to try my awesome new cookie cutters! I've had them for a long time, but never had to opportunity to break them out and make pretty cookies. I love them so much :)

Speculoos (makes 3 dozen small cookies)

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

- 3/4 cup brown sugar

- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

- 1/2 teaspoon salt

- 2 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

- 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

- 1/4 teaspoon cardamom

- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

- 1 large egg

- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 

Preparation:

1. Cream butter and brown sugar. Combine spices, salt, and baking soda into the mix until fully incorporated. 

2. Beat in egg and vanilla.

3. Add flour and mix until fully incorporated. Cover dough and let chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. 10 minutes before the time is up, preheat oven to 375˚F. 

4. Roll out the dough until 1/4 inch thick, and cut with cookie cutters or a knife. Place cookies on a greased cookie sheet, or a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. 

5. Bake for 11 minutes. 

These cookies will be soft and chewy for about a day. For a crunchier cookie, leave them out uncovered for a couple of days, if they will last that long!