Are you invited to any cookie exchanges this season? Or are you hosting one? I stinking love a good cookie exchange! Make one kind of cookie and go home with lots of kinds! It’s really quite genius.
We’re planning an “Around the World” Cookie Swap with our homeschool group. The kids are super excited about it since we recently studied different cultures around the world. This just seems like the perfect idea for a cookie exchange, since we can all make a sweet treat from our own heritage or a favorite country that we’ve learned about.
It was an easy choice for us because Speculoos is a favorite around here! You know Speculoos…..those fragrant, crispy Biscoff cookies that Delta airlines serves. They’re often stamped in the shape of windmills or St. Nick. Trader Joes also has a whole line of cookie butter treats that are made with Speculoos. Mmmm! So good.
My mom is Dutch and much of her family still lives in the Netherlands. So, naturally, those crispy, sweet and spiced windmill cookies were always a favorite of mine growing up. They’re traditionally a holiday cookie made for St. Nicholas Day in the Netherlands, Belgium and certain parts of Germany. They’re a shortbread sugar cookie, but with lots of different, delicious spices added.
I just love learning about how different cultures celebrate Christmas in different ways! Since I grew up with my Dutch mother and had Dutch grandparents, we celebrated Christmas on December 25th AND St. Nicholas (Sinterklaas, aka Santa Claus) on December 6th. BONUS! And spiced Speculoos were always there.
In honor of my Dutch heritage and St. Nick, we decide to bring Speculoos cookies to the cookie party.
I don’t own a special mold or cookie stamp, but still wanted to try to create these traditional cookies for the swap. I actually don’t bake very much….it’s way to exact for me. Measuring is not my thing. So, I had to figure out a way to recreate the flavor of this special cookies with semi-homemade shortcuts. My favorite kind. And I did it! Check it out and try these babies for yourself. They are so chewy and spicy and perfect. They rock with a cup of coffee. Traditionally they’re crispy, but I prefer a softer, chewy cookie. Try them. Seriously. So simple. So good.
Simple Speculoos Cookie Butter Cookies
What you need:
- One box of Krusteaz Butter Vanilla Sugar Cookie Mix
- 1 egg
- 1 stick of butter
- 1.5 TBS cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp anise
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
What you do:
- Follow the baking directions on the box of the Krusteaz cookie mix. Heat oven to 350.
- In a large bowl, stir the spices into the dry baking mix. (Hint…some spices are more expensive if you purchase them ground. Buy whole and grind in your coffee bean grinder. )
- Stir the egg and the softened butter into the spiced mix.
- Scoop dough and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake as directed on the mix box.
- Enjoy your amazing shortcut Speculoos cookies.
- Be the star of your cookie exchange. Because everyone loves Speculoos.
Tip: Every family has a slightly different Speculoos recipe and the spice blends are often in different quantities. So, if you’re missing one of the spices I mentioned, like anise or cardamom. Just make them without. They’ll still be amazing. The amounts are adjustable. Play around and find your favorite blend. The main players seem to be cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
Do you need more ideas for cookie swaps? Krusteaz has you covered. They have a fun cookie personality quiz you can take. Check out their handy Holiday Cookie Helper and choose your cookie recipe. And BONUS….you’ll also get a coupon for a Krusteaz Cookie Mix. Which you can use to make these Speculoos Cookies! Plus 10 people will win a $100 grocery gift card. 🙂
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Krusteaz. All opinions are my own.
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