buckwheat speculaas
buckwheat makes them healthy, right?
i know i sent out my perfect speculaas biscuits in october, but i just couldn’t stop fiddling with the recipe! these use buckwheat flour for an extra depth of flavour (and the illusion of health!)
leave them plain or sandwich them with spiced filling between for extra christmas cheer
these are two of five cookies in my 2023 cookie box
ingredients
cookies
50g butter, softened
80g brown sugar
zest of 1 orange
1-2 drops bitter almond aroma or almond extract
25g speculaas spice
50g plain flour
50g buckwheat flour
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3 cracks of fine ground black pepper
0.25 whole nutmeg, freshly grated
2-4 tsp milk, as required
spiced filling
36g caster sugar
10g plain flour
44g milk
44g butter, softened
0.5 tsp vanilla paste
1 tsp speculaas spice
method
cookies
cream together the butter (50g) and brown sugar (80g)
beat in the orange zest (from one orange) and bitter almond (1-2 drops, if using)
in a separate bowl, sift together the speculaas spice (25g), plain flour (50g), buckwheat flour (50g), baking soda (1/8 tsp), baking powder (1/2 tsp), black pepper (3 cracks), and freshly grated nutmeg (0.25 whole)
add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture and stir to form a very dry dough
add the milk (2-4 tsp) a spoon at a time until it comes together
cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes
roll the dough out on well-floured baking paper to about 3mm thick and chill again for 30 minutes or until firm
stamp and cut out your cookies, then chill again for 15 minutes
transfer to a lined baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes
spiced filling
while the cookies cool, add the caster sugar (36g) and flour (10g) to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until fragrant
slowly pour in the milk (44g), whisking constantly to avoid lumps
cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes to form a thick roux
refrigerate until cooled
whip the butter (44g), vanilla (0.5 tsp), and speculaas spice (1 tsp) until light and fluffy
add the cooled roux one spoon at a time, beating the mixture thoroughly between spoonfuls
continue until all the roux has been incorporated into the filling and it is light and silky
dollop spoonfuls of the filling onto cooled cookies and sandwich together