Gevulde Speculaas Koekjes (Dutch Almond-Filled Spice Cookies)

In the autumn and winter (holiday season) it's the time of year that a Dutch tradition, to eat almond-filled speculaas (the highlight of course is to eat this Dutch treat at Sinterklaas evening), is on its top.

The crispy outer layer, with a deep speculaas flavor, and then you get the creamy slightly sweet almond paste filling. And of course, whole almonds are pressed on top (because without the almond, this stuffed speculaas cookie is not finished).

And are you also a fan of traditional Dutch pastry? Then try this stuffed Almond-Filled spiced speculaas cake. Ideal for Sinterklaas evening (December 5th) or at a birthday party.

The History of Speculaas

In the 17th century, the golden age, where the DutchVOC did a lot of spice trade. All those spices were introduced in the Dutch kitchen and made that bakers tried them in their treats.

They mixed spices until they've found a good blend with the right amount of spices. And one of those blends was the speculaas mix as we know it

And there are a lot of cookie recipes and other treats that get the flavor from this spice mixture.

Ingredients for a Almond Speculaas Cookie

A full list of ingredients can be found at the end of this blog.

• Self-rising flour - This way the flour is already mixed with the baking powder. To this recipe some extra baking powder is added to make it aerier. If you don't have self-rising flour, use 1 ½ cup (200 grams) of all purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder instead.
• Speculaas spices - Indispensable for that warm taste of the filled cookies. You can compare them with gingerbread spices. If you want to make your own spice blend use this basic recipe. Mix the following spices in a small bowl: 4 tablespoons of ground cinnamon, 3 teaspoons of ground nutmeg, 3 teaspoons of ground cloves, 2 teapoons of ground anise seeds, 2 teaspoons of coriander and 1 teaspoon white pepper. But a small note: everybody has it's own spice mix. Sometimes ground ginger is added, or a teaspoon of cardamom (or the quantities are adapted). So bake, taste and adapt (if you want to).
• Dark Brown sugar - Not only gives color to these cookies, but also extra flavor. That's because of the molasses that has been added, which gives this treat a caramel taste. You can replace it with another type of sugar, but keep in mind that you will get a different taste.
• Almond paste - buy ready-made (as in this recipe), or you can quickly make it yourself with the following recipe for almond paste. Take 2 cups of raw almonds (without skin). With a kitchen machine you can easily make ground almonds of them. Or, if you want it even more easy, use 2 cups of almond flour instead. Add 1 ¼ cup of sugar, 2 teaspoons of lemon zest (or 1 teaspoon lemon juice), and one large egg. You can also add ½ teaspoon of almond extract for even more flavor. Mix everything well and cool for at least 1 hour in ther refrigerator (so the flavor can develop).

Preparation Dutch Speculaas Cookies

You can find a recipe that you can easily print at the bottom of the blog.

1. In a large bowl of a food processor with a knife, put the dry ingredients: self-rising flour, speculaas spices, salt, cubes of cold butter, brown sugar and extra baking powder. Pulse that until you get granules with the size of a pea. If you don't have a food processor, use a bowl and cut the butter with two knives through the dough until you get those small grains. It is a labour-intensive process, but it certainly works.
2. Then add the egg yolk, milk and slivered almonds and pulse.
3. Continue until you have a cohesive dough. You can check that by taking a little dough from the bowl and squeezing it briefly in your hand. If it sticks together, the dough is ready.
4. Remove the dough from the food processor and knead it briefly and form into a small disc. Wrap with a sheet of clingfoil and refrigerate for at least an hour (but you can make this dough up to two days in advance).
5. Take a (mini) muffin tin and grease with butter. Roll out your dough into a thin slice of about ¼ inch (3 mm) thickness. Take a 2 inch (5 cm) diameter round cutter (mini cupcake tin) or 3 inch (9 cm) diameter (large cupcake tin). And don't you have a cutter? Then use a glass or bowl with a diameter of that size). Fill the cavity of the cupcake tin with the dough. This will be the bottom layer.
6. Take a piece of almond paste and knead it lightly. Push into the cavity of your dough. Press the top flat.
7. Take your dough and cut out a second layer of dough use a 2 inch (4 cm) cutter (mini cupcake form) or 3 inch (7 cm) (large cupcake form) and place it on top of the paste. Press the edges well. Take a whole raw almond and press it into the dough. Beat the egg and brush the top of the dough.
8. Bake the filled gingerbread cookies for 15 minutes (small cookies ) or 20 minutes (larger cookies) in a preheated oven at 350 °F (180 °C) (bottom and top heat). Remove the mold from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the filled cakes from the mold and allow to cool further on a wire rack.