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Homemade Speculaas Cookie Butter Recipe

Is it Speculaas, Speculuus, or Spekulatius?

img 13895 1They’re all correct. Speculaas is the Dutch name, Speculoos (often spelled Speculuus) is used in French, and the German version is Spekulatius. No matter the spelling, these are beautifully spiced cookies with a gingerbread-like character originating in the Netherlands and enjoyed across Europe year-round.

Speculaas Spice Blend

This spice mix follows the blend popularized by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh in their cookbook Sweet. The base is familiar: cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves. What sets European speculaas apart is the addition of white pepper, aniseed, and coriander. Together these spices create a warm, aromatic blend that is cozy and complex without any single spice dominating. White pepper contributes a gentle heat, aniseed adds a subtle licorice note, and coriander brings a rounded warmth. Make a generous amount and use it in cookie baking, spiced cakes, or even in warm drinks.

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Speculaas Cookies

This master recipe begins with a batch of speculaas cookies. The formula is straightforward: combine the dry ingredients (flour, the spice blend, baking powder, salt) in one bowl and cream the butter and sugar in another. A splash of dark rum lends depth to the dough before the dry mixture is incorporated. After a brief knead the dough forms a smooth ball that can be chilled for at least 30 minutes or frozen for later use.

Roll the dough to just under 1/4 inch (about 0.5 cm), cut rounds with a 2 1/2 to 3 inch cutter, and bake until the edges are darker and the cookies are crisp. For sharing, brush the tops with a thin layer of beaten egg white and scatter sliced almonds before baking. If you’re making cookies to turn into cookie butter, leave those plain. One full recipe yields many cookies; a half batch makes about 30, and you’ll need roughly 15 cookies (about half the batch) to make the cookie butter described below.

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Speculaas Cookie Butter

Cookie butter transforms crisp speculaas into a spreadable treat. The process is simple: pulse the cookies in a food processor until they become fine crumbs, then add a liquid (almond milk, dairy milk, or even cream), coconut oil (or softened butter), a little brown sugar, vanilla and salt. Blend until the mixture turns into a thick, cohesive spread with visible specks of cookie crumb. A slightly chunky texture is charming and feels homemade—if you prefer a thinner consistency, add milk a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired spreadability.

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How to Use Cookie Butter

Use the cookie butter on toast, swirled into yogurt, as a filling for cookie sandwiches, folded into waffle or crepe batter, or spread on pancakes. It also works beautifully as an ice cream base or stirred into hot cereal for an extra-spiced breakfast. Store the cookie butter in a sealed jar in the back of the refrigerator for up to two weeks; bring it to room temperature before spreading if it becomes firm when cold.

With these recipes you can keep speculaas cookies on hand for snacking and also turn some into a versatile and indulgent spread. Enjoy experimenting with the spice blend and the many ways to use the cookie butter.

Love, Jen

Speculaas Cookie Butter

Fragrant speculaas cookies are transformed into a luscious, easy cookie butter—perfect on toast, in baking, or as a filling.

Course: Baking

Cuisine: Dutch

Keywords: cookie butter, speculaas, spice blend

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Yield: about a 14 oz jar

Ingredients

Speculaas Spice Blend (makes enough for two full batches of cookies)

  • 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground aniseed
  • 1 tsp ground cardamom
  • 3/4 tsp white pepper
  • 3/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves

Speculaas Cookies

  • 3 2/3 cups (450 g) all-purpose flour (or a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend)
  • 3 1/2 tsp spice blend (above)
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup plus 1 1/2 tbsp (250 g) room-temperature butter
  • 1 3/4 cups (330 g) packed brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 tbsp (50 ml) dark rum or brandy
  • 1 large egg white, beaten until frothy (for decorating cookies you plan to eat)
  • 1 cup (100 g) sliced almonds

Speculaas Cookie Butter

  • 8 oz (about 225 g) speculaas cookies (about 2 cups crushed crumbs)
  • 1/4 cup almond milk (or whole dairy milk or cream)
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil (or softened butter)
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tbsp dark brown sugar (or cane sugar)
  • a good pinch of salt

Instructions

Make the Spice Blend

  1. Combine all spices in a jar or small container and shake or stir well to blend. Store in a cool, dry place. You can double the blend to keep on hand for other baking.

Speculaas Cookies

  1. Sift the flour, spice blend, baking powder and salt together and set aside.
  2. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add the rum or brandy and mix until combined.
  4. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until the dough comes together. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth if needed.
  5. Divide the dough into two balls and flatten each into a thick disk. Wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (or freeze one disk for later).
  6. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  7. Roll the dough to just under 1/4 inch (about 0.5 cm) thick. Use a 2 1/2 to 3 inch cutter to cut rounds and place them on the prepared sheets about 3/4 inch apart. Re-roll scraps and continue cutting.
  8. If you plan to use some cookies for cookie butter, leave those plain. For cookies to eat, brush tops lightly with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sliced almonds.
  9. Bake for about 12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until golden brown and crisp. The cookies should be dry and take on a darker color.
  10. Cool on the sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Store in a sealed container for up to a week.

Speculaas Cookie Butter

  1. Place the cookies in a food processor and pulse until they become fine crumbs.
  2. Add the milk, coconut oil, vanilla, brown sugar and a pinch of salt.
  3. Pulse or blend until the mixture becomes cohesive and spreadable. Some small crumbs will remain, which adds texture.
  4. If you prefer a thinner spread, add milk a teaspoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
  5. Store the cookie butter in a sealed jar in the back of the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Let it sit at room temperature briefly before spreading if it firms up when cold.

Notes

Make a double batch of the spice blend to keep on hand; it works as a lovely alternative to chai spice. The cookie dough freezes well if you don’t want to bake the entire batch at once. You can also halve the recipe easily. For variety, try making cookie butter from other cookies such as Oreos, ginger snaps, oatmeal, chocolate or peanut butter cookies.

Spice blend and cookie recipe adapted from Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. Cookie butter idea inspired by popular homemade cookie butter recipes.