It’s Sinterklaas time in The Netherlands, so here’s a second Sinterklaas recipe I tested. The first I posted yesterday, kruidnoten. There are many sweets that are specifically for the Sinterklaas period. Speculaas comes in various forms, as chunks, stuffed and shaped in various figures. This time I picked a recipe I shaped into gingerbreadmen. The recipe is from Allerhande, a food magazine from Albert Heijn. When you want speculaas in pie vorm, the speculaas pear pie is a good idea. A variation are the Chocolate Kruindnoten with Cranberries and Hazelnuts.
Just like kruidnoten, they’re temporarily for sale on the sales page, until December 6th. On the overview blog about selling cookies you can see which non-Sinterklaas cookies are in the shop. Enough about selling cookies, speculaas is delicious! It’s something I grew up with and which I make each year in this period. It’s crunchy, seasoned to perfection and simply good.
Review
The recipe is great, I only made minor changes. 180°C instead of 175°C, my oven doesn’t have that grade. 5 Minutes longer in the oven compared to the recipe. I made smaller men, so I could make more in total. Because of this I used less almonds.
Comment below if you’re going to try it out, if you have any questions and tag #cosetteiscookin when you post pictures on your socials.
Gingerbreadmen or Speculaasmannetjes
Allergies: wheat, gluten, dairy
Ingredients
250 grams flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
125 grams dark brown castor sugar
Salt
1 ½ tablespoon speculaas seasoning
175 grams cream butter
17 white almonds
Instructions
Mix the flour, baking powder, sugar, a bit of salt and speculaas seasoning. Add the butter and rub it with your fingers till it’s a crumbly dough. Then knead it fast in a ball. Wrap it in foil and place it in the fridge for 2 days, so the flavors come out well.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface. Cut out gingerbreadmen with a cookie cutter. Place an almond on each man. Bake in a preheated 180°C/355°F oven for 25 minutes.
Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.
Notes:
- Recipe source is Allerhande magazine.
- Enough for 17 gingerbreadmen.
