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stack of speculoos cookies on a a wire rack and tied with a piece of red string

Speculaas Cookies

Speculaas cookies are an easy, butter, and perfectly spiced shortbread-like cookie. They're delicious for the holidays or any time of year!

Course Dessert
Cuisine Dutch
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling time 4 hours
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 30
Author Kelsie

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom from 4 to 5 cardamom pods
  • small pinch freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugars and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.
  2. Whisk the flour, salt, and spices together in a second bowl. With mixer on low, gradually beat the dry ingredients into the butter-sugar mixture.
  3. Divide the dough into two equal portions and shape each into a flat disk. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to overnight).*
  4. After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  5. Take 1 disk out of the fridge at let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes to warm up a bit.
  6. Roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness and use a 2 1/2-inch cookie cutter to cut out shapes. (The dough will be crumbly but that’s fine, just shove the crumbs together.)
  7. Bake on ungreased, unlined baking sheets for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies look set in the middle. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then carefully remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Store uneaten cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer, tightly wrapped, for up to 3 months.

Recipe Notes

  • *At this point you can also freeze the dough (tightly wrapped) for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to use it, defrost it in the fridge overnight. In the morning it should be ready to roll out and bake.
  • Be sure your butter is at room temperature before you mix your cookies. Cutting it into small chunks will help it come to room temp faster; you’ll know it’s ready to use when you can press it with your fingertip and it gives a little but still holds its shape.
  • If you don’t like cardamom or don’t have any, you can substitute additional cinnamon or cloves. You can also play around with the other spices, such as allspice, if you want.