Sabine: Speculaas (or Spekulatius) are Dutch Christmas biscuits; baking them at home will fill your house with their spicy aroma – perhaps reminding you of visiting Christmas markets and the smell of mulled wine all around you. Traditionally the biscuits are made using wooden moulds of windmills, or male and female figurines…
For:
Bakers, cooks and mixologists
What is it?
The Speculaas Spice Mix is a perfectly-balanced mixture of nine organic spices including real, high grade, cinnamon from Sri Lanka, cloves, ginger and six other spices, with no artificial flavours, colours and preservatives; made by The Speculaas Spice Company. The exact recipe is a family secret.
The speculaas mould is made from untreated European birch that will need some prep before you first use it.
Products:
Spice refill packs start at £4.50 for 25g, but they are also available in multiples and in a resalable jar (£10.69) that contains 60g.
Traditional Speculaas mould & spice kits start at £9.79, the larger ones are £14.99.
Speculaas Spice Liqueur Kit £10.99
Shipping is free within the UK
What I used it for:
I tried the spices in a couple of baking recipes. The first one was in Mini Bundt Cakes, where I only used a teaspoon of the mix. It worked really well and gave the spongy cakes just a hint of spiciness.
The second one was in biscuits. I made one portion of the dough with white sugar and almonds and again only one teaspoon of Speculaas spices and the other one with brown sugar and five teaspoons of the spice mix as per the recipe that came with the kit.
I used the moulds with the second part of the dough, but, as it is stated in the leaflet that came with it, it does take some time for the shapes to work properly, in the beginning they are too new and too clean. But I will give it another go next weekend as the biscuits tasted great!
The Verdict:
The taste of the speculaas I baked is very authentic, thanks to the spice mix. But I was surprised at the amount that is needed (25g or 5 teaspoons for 250g flour), which means, making the biscuits is not exactly cheap.
Would I buy it again? Absolutely! Getting the right blend of spices isn’t easy and here The Speculaas Spice Company does all the hard work for you. And shop bought speculaas don’t even come close to my home baked ones.
More Info
www.speculasssspice.co.uk
info@speculasspice.co.uk
@vanDotschSpices
0202 8374 8718