Spekulatius Cookies

Roopa

Spekulatius (or ‘Speculoos’ or ‘Speculaas’) are a spiced shortcrust biscuit from …Europe? It would seem that there is a lot of debate over where these cookies originate from. They are thin, crunchy cookies, and are typically made in a hand carved wooden mold. I was more than a little bit excited to make these! Now I need to go find a mold in Germany!

INGREDIENTS

1 g ammonium carbonate
20 mL whipping cream
90 g butter
110 brown sugar
1 pinch salt
1 egg yolk
4 g Lebkuchen spice (cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg)
200 g cake flour

DIRECTIONS

Mix together the ammonium and cream
Mix together (don’t cream) the butter, sugar, and salt
Mix the egg yolk into the butter mixture
Add the ammonium mixture to the butter mixture
Mix in the dry ingredients
Chill for at least a few hours
Knead to make the dough pliable
Roll small balls, flour them, and press into the mold; scrape away excess dough and remove moulded dough
Brush some milk on the cookies to deal with the remaining flour dusting
Bake until dry and crispy

Notes:

Ammonium is a chemical levainer that is activated by heat, not acid, so this dough can sit in the fridge no problem without depleting the levaining agent
Ammonium will not lead to rising up as with baking powder or baking soda, rather it leads to spreading and, therefore, is best used in cookies, not cakes
If you do not have access to ammonium, you may substitute baking powder instead