Speculaas or Speculatius Cookies (Spice Cookies for St. Nicholas)

(from JenniferGM’s recipe box)

Dutch Spice Cookies made for the feast of St. Nicholas, December 6.

Dough needs to chill overnight, so factor a few days before December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas.

Source: Margaret Gregory, taken from Cooking for Christ by Florence Berger

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Categories: Desserts; Cookies

Ingredients

  • 2 cups butter (or 1 cup butter and 1 cup lard)
  • 2 cups brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 4 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 4 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions

  1. Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.

  2. Cream butter (and lard) and sugar. Add sour cream, alternating with dry ingredients. Stir in nuts.

  3. Knead dough into rolls. Wrap rolls in wax paper and chill overnight.

  4. Roll dough very thin and cut into shapes. Bake at 375° F. for 10 to 15 minutes. These are delicious alone, but also can be decorated with colored icings and candied fruits.

  5. Part of the dough can be cut into shape of birds or fish or animals. St. Nicholas is the patron of school children – what pleases them is the order of the day. Sometimes we ice these ginger cakes with white or pink icing, and decorate them with dried or candied fruits.

  6. Gregory Family Hints: This dough is very thick and sticky, a task a small hand mixer cannot undertake easily. Growing up, our family did not have a stand mixer, so mixing the dough was a part of the family tradition. Making the cookies is actually two nights’ work. We mix the dough one night, which meant everyone getting a hand into the action, mixing and kneading by hand – a great tactile experience, feeling the different textures of the butter, sugar, sour cream, and flour. The stand mixer, though, really mixes the dough more thoroughly.

  7. If everyone gets tired of cutting into shapes, the rolls can be sliced up and baked, or if the dough is too soft, roll into balls and smash down with a bottom of a glass and bake.

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