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Speculaas...
It is thought that the Dutch name Speculaas comes from the latin 'speculum' that means mirror.
Traditionally speculaas biscuits are the mirror image of the carved wooden moulds they are baked in.
Windmill shaped speculaas biscuits are known throughout the whole world, as are male or female speculaas figurines.
These days speculaas biscuits can take any shape or form. But you can do so much more with speculaas spice than just making biscuits.
Find out more about the delicious recipes you can make using vandotsch speculaas spice mix.
Cambridge-based Helen, Jewish mother, family cook and food blogger at Family-Friends-Food.com, used the vandotsch speculaas spice mix in one of her mother’s old recipes: date cookies.
As dates are one of the many symbolic foods for Rosh Hashana – the Jewish new year festival – that normally takes place in the Autumn, her friends and I were a little surprised to see these cookies in June! But they are delicious all year round.
Helen omitted the traditional half a teaspoon of vanilla essence, and found that the speculaas spices added a subtle warmth that went very well with the dates, while the familiar soft texture of her mother’s date biscuits was unchanged.
What follows is an overview of the ingredients that Helen used to make the vandotsch speculaas spiced date biscuits, including:
Makes approximately 34 biscuits
Ingredients:
- 155g margarine or butter
- 100g light muscovado sugar
- 1 egg
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) bicarbonate of soda
- 5 grams (1 teaspoon) of vandotsch speculaas spice mix
- 255g self-raising flour
- 200g chopped stoned dates
I refer to Helen’s write-up for directions on how to bake her vandotsch speculaas spiced date biscuits.
vandotsch Speculaas Spice Biscuit Recipes
Helen’s speculaas spiced date biscuits
How to make Helen's speculaas spiced date biscuits
Other Biscuit Recipes:
"I loved the warm, spicy flavours the speculaas mix added to these cookies, and even my Mum approved!"
Helen
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