Speculoos (Windmill Cookies) Recipe

Jun 18 2022

This easy recipe makes traditional spiced speculoos, a Christmas favorite. You might know them as windmill cookies.

Ingredients

1 ¾
cups self-rising flour
½
cup sugar (donkerbruine basterdsuiker, see tips below, or pure raw cane sugar demerara )
7
tablespoons butter, room temperature
2
to 3 tablespoons milk
3
teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or speculaaskruiden
½
teaspoon baking soda
½
orange, zested and finely grated
2
tablespoons all-purpose flour (or enough to dust the work surface)
1
large room temperature egg white, beaten
Brown sugar (for sprinkling)
Flaked almonds (for sprinkling)

Step 1
Gather the ingredients.
Step 2
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, raw cane sugar, butter, milk, spice, baking soda, and zest with your hands or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. The dough is ready when you can shape it into a ball without it sticking to your hands.
Step 3
Cover the dough ball with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for an hour so the spices can work their magic.
Step 4
Meanwhile, heat the oven to 347 F / 175 C. Grease one or more cookie sheet pans or line them with parchment paper.
Step 5
Lightly flour your work surface and roll 1/4-inch thick.
Step 6
Using a cookie cutter or speculaasplank, cut the dough and place the shapes on the prepared sheet pan(s).
Step 7
Brush the cookies with egg white and sprinkle brown sugar and flaked almonds on top.
Step 8
Bake 10 to 25 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of the cookies, or until the almonds are caramelizing and the cookies are turning a slightly darker shade of brown.
Step 9
Remove from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes on the pan(s) and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.