Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Speculaas are traditional cookies from the Netherlands, Belgium and Holland. I did a lot of reading before baking speculaas back in 2015 when I first made this recipe. Speculaas (Dutch), Speculoos (French) or Spekulatius (German) are more commonly known as Dutch Windmill Cookies or Biscoff Cookies. Speculaas are traditionally baked around the time of the feast of Sinterklaas (December 5) in Holland, and in the western and southern parts of Germany around Christmas. Speculaas derives its name from the wooden molds used to make the cookies called speculaasplank or speculaas. Traditional recipes involve many steps, but I found a great recipe from King Arthur Baking Company that maintains the integrity of the traditional cookie, and bought a modern Springerle rolling pin (a rolling pin with designs carved into it). The word Springerle is from an old German dialect meaning "little knight" and traced as far back as the 14th century. You can also use any Christmas cookie cutter shape you have. This cookie is the perfect combination of spices for the holidays. These aromatic spices are pure bliss and the combined spices are cookie perfection. The cookies are crisp when you bite into them and tender inside. The cookies are the perfect accompaniment with coffee, tea, hot chocolate and eggnog. The trick to making these cookies is keeping the dough cold before you make the impressions. If you use individual molds or a Springerle rolling pin, be sure to flour well. If the dough reaches room temperature, it will stick. 

Yield: 3 dozen cookies depending on size.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 

1/2 cup Almond Flour

1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt

3/4 cup Vanilla Sugar (or Granulated Sugar)

1/2 cup, 1 stick Unsalted Butter, softened

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Large Egg

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Speculaas Spice Mixture:

3 1/2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon Ground Clove

1/8 teaspoon Ground Anise Seed

1/8 teaspoon Ground Cardamom

1/8 teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/8 teaspoon Ground White Pepper

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the Speculaas Spice Mixture; set aside.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, almond flour, salt and baking soda; set aside.

Using a stand or hand held mixer with paddle attachment cream butter and vanilla sugar until incorporated; 1 to 2 minutes.

Add vanilla extract and spice mixture, and mix just until incorporated.

Add egg and mix until incorporated.

Turn off mixer. Add the flour mixture, and cover mixer with kitchen towel, and turn mixer on low speed and incorporate. 

The dough is ready when it begins to clump around paddle attachment.

Close-up view

Love the designs

Form into a disk shape and cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1-3 hours or overnight.

Heat oven to 375𐩑F.

Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut dough in half keeping the remaining half covered in the fridge until ready to use.

Place dough in between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to desired thickness and length with a rolling pin. Remove top sheet of parchment paper.

Sprinkle a little flour over the dough and flour molds or Springerle rolling pin. Press hard into the dough to make impression, then remove and cut around the design with a sharp knife, pizza or pastry cutter.

Speculaas Spiced Springerle

If dough goes to room temperature and it is sticking to the mold or Springerle rolling pin, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer for 10 minutes and then repeat step above.

Place cookies on baking sheets and freeze for 20-30 minutes. This will ensure the cookies hold their shape and design while they bake.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 12 minutes, or until slightly brown around the edges. 

After removing from oven, leave cookies on baking sheets for 10 minutes, and transfer to wire rack to cool completely; about 1 hour.

For the Speculaas Spiced Springerle recipe, visit King Arthur Baking Company:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/speculaas-spiced-springerle-recipe

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Anise Cookies

 Anise Cookies

Anise Cookies remind me of Christmas and the holidays, and are a traditional Italian cookie to bake this time of year. The smell of anise while the cookies baked was sublime. This recipe is balanced with the perfect amount of anise, and the anise glaze brings it over the top. I found Victoria Anisette Sugar and it was the perfect compliment to use with the anise extract and ground anise seed. The cookie texture is soft and chewy. You can use any color sprinkles or nonpareils but add to glaze immediately. I hope you try this recipe.

Yield: 2 1/2 Dozen Cookies (Depending on size of cookie)

Anise Cookies

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups All Purpose Flour

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

3/4 cup Anisette Sugar (or Granulated Sugar)

1 teaspoon Ground Anise Seed

1/2 teaspoon Coarse Salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

3 Large Eggs

Anise Cookies

Anise Cookies

Anise Cookies

Directions

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, ground anise seed, and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a hand held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment on low; 1-2 minutes. Do not overmix.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and mix for 10 seconds.

Add eggs one a time and combine.

Add anise extract and mix until incorporated. 

Scrape sides of bowl and mix for 5 seconds.

Dip each cookie in glaze and immediately add nonpareils

Dipped the first two anise cookies

Turn off mixer and add the flour mixture, and cover mixer with kitchen towel, and on low speed incorporate. 

The dough is ready when it begins to clump around paddle attachment.

Form into a disk shape and cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1-3 hours or overnight. I chilled the dough for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Use tablespoon or scoop and place dough balls onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until the edges have slightly browned. 

First 2 cookies dipped.

All the cookies are glazed and topped with nonpareils

Oven temps vary so check the cookies at the 10 minute mark.

Wait 5 minutes before transferring cookies to wire racks to complete cooling; about 1 hour.

Make the anise glaze once the cookies are cool to the touch.

Anise Glaze Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon Anise Extract

3 tablespoons Milk

Nonpareils or Sprinkles to top

The glaze has dried

Directions

In a bowl, whisk together the sifted powdered sugar, anise extract and milk until creamy.

Dip the top of each cookie into the glaze and place on wire rack and immediately add nonpareils or sprinkles.

Let dry.

Anise Cookies recipe adapted from Mother Thyme: http://www.motherthyme.com/2012/12/anise-cookies.html

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Halloween Cookies

 Halloween Cookies

I hope you all have a great and safe Halloween! With COVID-19 all over the world, I know many plans have changed. How you trick or treat with your kids will be different this year if you are even doing it. Many families are just staying home. It is important to still have a fun time while taking precautions. Just be mindful of what you are doing.

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Cookies

This month Allen and I watched Monsterland, and that was a bit of a disappointment, while The Haunting of Bly Manor was great. As for movies, we thought Hubie Halloween with Adam Sandler was so funny, and we really liked Books of Blood though it was a bit gory for me. Last night, we saw Mortuary Collection and that was really good.  

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Cookies

This year, I did not put up my Halloween decor like I usually do, and decided to keep my fall decorations up throughout Thanksgiving. I took a day off from work to rest and bake, and made these cookies and the previous post last weekend. I cherish time off to bake! It was not easy for me to find time to decorate my fall and Halloween cookies this month, since my Mom was in the hospital recently for four days. I worry about her so much due to her dementia and age (90), and it puts a damper on things for me. Thankfully, she is well and doing physical therapy every week. The entire situation with my Mom has taken a toll on me, but baking keeps me grounded and takes my mind off these things at least for a little while. 

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Cookies

The cookie recipe is from my post, Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies. I made the following cookies for Halloween: skull, Jack Skellington, haunted house, candy bucket, candy corn, witch hat, cat, bat,  mummy, Frankenstein, bride of Frankenstein, ghosts, eyeball monster, tombstone, coffin, jack-o-lantern, pumpkin with hat, raven, bubbling cauldron, and witch broom. 

Halloween Cookies

Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein (Allen and me-hee hee)

Royal Icing with Meringue Powder

Yield: 8 cups

Ingredients

2 pounds Powdered Sugar 

1/3 cup Meringue Powder

1/2 cup Room Temperature Water (plus extra if you need to thin the icing)

1 teaspoon Clear Vanilla Extract

1 tablespoon Light Corn Syrup

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Cookies

Directions

(If lumpy) In a large bowl, sift the powdered sugar; set aside.

Add meringue powder and room temperature water in mixer with paddle attachment and mix on high for 1-2 minutes.

Add the vanilla extract and mix for 5-10 seconds.

Halloween Cookies

Halloween Cookies

Turn off mixer. Add half (1 pound) of the powdered sugar, cover the mixer with a kitchen towel, and turn the mixer to low speed and beat until smooth. 

Add light corn syrup and incorporate for 20-25 seconds.

Add remaining (1 pound) of powdered sugar and mix on high for 2-3 minutes.

The consistency using this recipe is thick and great for borders, stenciling, writing on cookies, and detail work.

2 skulls, mummy, Jack Skellington

If you need a both a border and flood-like consistency keep reading below.

If you only need flood consistency icing, add 1/2 teaspoon of water and mix for 5-10 seconds, and repeat until you reach the right consistency. Be careful that your icing does not become too runny or you may have to start over.

Keep the containers or Tupperware/Pyrex covered until you are ready to color. Royal Icing hardens fast.

Frankie and Bride of Frankenstein

Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, eyeball monster but he is friendly and yummy

I use Wilton, AmeriColor and Chefmaster Soft Gel Paste Food Color in various colors.

Use 1-2 drops at a time until you reach the desired color.

Once you have the colors completed in each container, take the amount you need of the border icing consistency and place into icing bottles, tipless bags, or pastry bags fitted with tips.

Ghosts - Boo!

Bat, cat, raven

Then with the remainder of the icing, add room temperature water using 1/8 teaspoon to make flood consistency icing. Stir together with a small spatula and repeat until you have the consistency you need. A little water goes a long way. This works for me and I get the flood consistency I need. This part takes some practice. Then transfer the flood icing into icing bottles, tipless bags, or bags fitted with tips.

I find doing it this way is easiest as you end up with the same color for both the border/detail work and flood consistency.

Decorate your cookies.

Tombstone, coffin

Witch hat, haunted house, candy corn, and bubbling cauldron

Do a border and then fill it immediately. If you are adding layers let the first layer dry completely overnight to prevent the color bleed. 

I use a cookie stick to reach edges, and the tip to pop any air bubbles. 

I let the cookies dry overnight.

Please keep in mind if you are baking and it is humid, you may need more time for the cookies to dry. It was raining for day here so the cookies needed two days for the icing to dry.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies taste just like the coffee in cookie form. For this set, I made heirloom pumpkins in different sizes, top view heirloom pumpkin, gourd, squash, haystack, pumpkin on wheelbarrow, and 2 trucks with pumpkins. These cookies are chewy and have a wonderful pumpkin spice latte taste. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

The vanilla sugar, vanilla bean paste, and cream are the latte part of this recipe and the vanilla balance the pumpkin spice splendidly. I love heirloom pumpkins with their bumpy look and lovely colors. I tried to replicate that with the cookies. I also love gourds and squash and they come in so many shapes, textures, and colors. I hope you make this recipe. For the Royal Icing with Meringue go to Halloween Cookies. Enjoy the fall season and stay safe!

Heirloom pumpkins, gourd, squash

Heirloom pumpkins, truck with pumpkin, gourd, squash

Haystack, heirloom pumpkins, both trucks with pumpkins, gourd, squash

Yield: 3 1/2-4 Dozen Cookies (Depending on cutter size and thickness of cookie)

Ingredients

5 cups All Purpose Flour

2 cups Vanilla Sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 teaspoon Coarse Salt

1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree

2 cups (4 sticks) Unsalted Butter, softened

2 Large Eggs

1 tablespoon Vanilla Bean Paste

1 tablespoon Cream

Use crushed shredded wheat cereal to make the haystack

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Directions

In a large bowl whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt; set aside.

Cream butter and sugar in a hand held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment on low; 1-2 minutes. Do not overmix.

Scrape sides of bowl with spatula and mix for 10 seconds.

I really love the color combination

A sunflower on a cookie makes me happy!

Top view heirloom pumpkin, heirloom pumpkins squash, gourd

Add pumpkin puree, eggs, vanilla bean paste, cream and mix until incorporated; about 1 minute. 

Scrape sides of bowl and mix for 5 seconds.

Turn off mixer and add the flour mixture and cover mixer with kitchen towel, and turn mixer on low speed and incorporate. 

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cookies

Trucks with pumpkins, pumpkin on wheelbarrow, haystack

Pumpkin on wheelbarrow, truck with pumpkin

The dough is ready when it begins to clump around paddle attachment.

Form into a disk shape and cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 1-3 hours or overnight. I chilled the dough for 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350°F.

Truck with pumpkin

Haystack

Truck with pumpkin

Use two sheets of parchment paper with dough in between and roll with rolling pin until desired thickness is reached.

Cut out shapes.

Place onto cookies sheets lined with parchment paper, and put in freezer for 20 minutes. The cookies hold their shape when you do this.

For the gourd first make funky bumps and let dry overnight and then cover

Sprinkles, and sugar decorations

Royal Icing with Meringue, Ateco Food Coloring Markers

Bake 8-13 minutes or until the edges have slightly browned. My cookies baked in 13 minutes. 

Oven temps vary so check the cookies at the 8 minute mark.

Make sure cookie sheets cool in between baking. I place them in the freezer for a few minutes, and repeat until all the dough is used.

Do not use hot cookie sheets or the cookies will spread and lose their shape.

Love these Heirloom Pumpkins

Heirloom Pumpkins from my local Stop & Shop

Wait 5 minutes before transferring cookies with cookie spatula to wire racks to complete cooling; about 1 hour.

Decorate once the cookies are cool to the touch.

Enjoy!

-Sophia/Two Frys