Vegan Speculaas Cookies (Dutch Spiced Cookies)

When I was planning my recipes to share with you over the holiday period, I wanted to share recipes that many of you love. Ones that arent typically vegan like eggnog and meatloaf. When I started thinking of what kind of cookie I love, I couldnt go past the Speculaas cookies (aka Dutch spiced cookies or Speculoos). Crunchy, fragrant biscuits that are perfect to dunk in your tea, coffee or even hot chocolate.

Ive had these in Slovenia when I was growing up and I loved them. Ive also been enjoying the storebought variety here in Australia that happen to be vegan as well, particularly in the past year.

I notice that within minutes I can inhale a large amount of these cookies. Its like I blackout and next thing Ive eaten ten of them!

I dont know if its a good thing that now Ive got a recipe for them, or it will simply just feed this addiction of mine, but I was curious to re-create them nevertheless.

If you havent had vegan Speculaas cookies before, trust me, youll be wondering how theyve only entered your life now!

When I was doing research for this recipe, I came across some interesting facts about these gorgeous Dutch cookies. Not only are they filled with delicious spices, but theyre also typically in the shape of a windmill.

The traditional moulds are made of wood and they are baked in these moulds. This is why they are also called Dutch windmill cookies.

Creative ways to imprint these vegan Speculaas cookies

Since I want to make this recipe as accessible as possible, I wanted to give you plenty of ideas of how you can create a beautiful mould without needing an unnecessarily expensive Christmas rolling pin, some fancy moulds or cutters that will come out only for one month of the year (if that).

So, here are some creative ways to achieve beautiful imprints with things youll probably have around your home:

• Using the bottom of a glass that has a pattern
• A thick simple patterned doily
• The tip of a whisk
• An apple cutter
• Apple corer for the centre and a small tart/cupcake tin to cut the outside
• The inside of a lemon juicer
• Sides of a glass (use it like a rolling pin)
• Old fashioned crystal salt and pepper shakers (see image)
• A fork
• The base of old cutlery that is engraved
• A rosemary branch
• A potato masher

The main time of year when these cookies are popular is now, at Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas Day) which is on the 5th of December (Eve) and on the morning of the 6th of December.

This holiday is celebrated more than Christmas in countries like the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and northern France (French Flanders, Lorraine and Artois). These spiced cookies are also very popular in Germany.

Even though the sale of Speculaas cookies is predominantly around the holiday season, they are available all year round.

A beautiful gift

Since you may have gathered by now (if youre familiar with our blog), were not so big on gift-giving. If we do exchange gifts, its typically in the form of experiences. Otherwise, if you really want to gift a physical item to a loved one, it can be food!

These cookies make the perfect little gift. Pop them in a jar and tie a little bit of natural twine, and voila! Maybe you can be a bit fancy and also add a little flower or a branch of some greenery when tying the twine. Now, this is the type of gift that I love!

These vegan Speculaas cookies will make your whole house smell like Christmas as they are flavoured with a range of warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, aniseed, clove and ginger.

If you like a strongly spiced cookie, you can leave the dough to sit in the fridge for a couple of days before rolling out and baking. This will infuse those flavours even more and make for stronger flavoured vegan Speculaas cookies.

A couple of tips

Below are five things to keep in mind when making these vegan Speculaas cookies:

• If you want a crunchy cookie on the outside and soft and crumbly on the inside, bake it for less time.
• If you want the stamp (whatever you use to imprint the dough) to be dominant, you want to stick to the lower heat and longer time that is suggested in this recipe.
• These cookies will keep in an airtight container or jar for up to one week. Or if youre super organised, you can bake them well in advance and freeze them. When youre ready to use them, thaw them completely and then store them in a jar or container.
• If you plan to put icing on the cookies, do so after they have completely defrosted.
• Dont be intimidated by the spices that are used. They are pretty accessible in supermarkets and bulk food stores.

Traditional Speculaas cookies use rosemary extract, you are welcome to use it if you have some on hand.

I hope you enjoy these crispy, fragrant beautiful vegan Dutch spiced cookies as they are perfect to create that winter cosiness that we all want.

If you try this recipe, let me know! Would love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us onInstagramor share your photo of the recipe onPinterest.

Yield: Makes 35-40 cookies*

Vegan Speculaas Cookies (Dutch Spiced Cookies)

Prep Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 27 minutes

These spiced fragrant cookies are perfect for the holidays with a cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate.

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Ingredients

• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp flax meal + 2.5 tbsp water)
• cup vegan butter, room temperature (not melted)
• -1 cup coconut sugar*
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Dry ingredients:

• 1.5 cups all-purpose plain flour + extra for rolling
• tsp baking powder
• tsp salt
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• tsp each of ground nutmeg, cloves
• 1/8 tsp each of ground ginger, cardamom, aniseed and white pepper

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix the flax egg ingredients well and set aside.
2. In a stand mixer or by hand, whisk the butter and sugar together until it turns into a cream. Normally around 1-2 minutes.
3. Whisk in the vanilla extract and the flax egg. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, sift all the dry ingredients.
5. Add the butter and sugar mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well. It will still be a little soft. Once it's well incorporated, this is where I normally get my hands into the bowl and work the dough for about 30 seconds.
6. Wrap in some unbleached parchment paper and put in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes. Alternatively, put a plate on the bowl and put in the fridge to chill for 40 minutes.
7. At this stage, preheat the oven to 180C (355F) and line two baking trays with unbleached parchment paper. Set aside.
8. When the dough is ready, on a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to around 3mm-6mm (1/8" - 1/4") thick dough. Imprint dough with whatever you're using (if anything) and cut to size. My cookies were approximately 1.5cm x 7.5 cm (1.5" x 3"). You can make your whatever size you like! Cut with a sharp knife and carefully transfer onto the lined baking tray. I use a spatula to do so.
9. Bake for 12-15 minutes* until golden brown.
10. Cool on tray for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

* The amount of cookies this recipe yields depends on what size and thickness your cookies are. This was based on how many I was able to make with the size and shape I used.

* I like these cookies quite sweet (because they normally are when you buy them), however, you can use a little less sugar if you like. I've tested it both ways and it will turn out well.

* Baking time will depend on what kind of cookies you like and how thick they are. If you want them slightly softer in the middle, bake for less, if you want them crunchy, bake for longer.

Other recipes youll love:

1. Gluten-Free and Vegan Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
2. Vegan Chocolate Brownies (Candida Diet Friendly)
3. Peanut Butter Caramel & Chocolate Tart
4. Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Tarts
5. Homemade Vegan Eggnog

The post Vegan Speculaas Cookies (Dutch Spiced Cookies) appeared first on The Minimalist Vegan.