Speculaas Shortbread

Buttery, and warmly spiced, this Speculaas Shortbread combines the festive charm of traditional Scottish shortbread with aromatic Dutch speculaas spice. Perfect for the holidays or as a cozy tea-time treat, these biscuits are simple to make and impossible to resist.

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Course: Baking, Biscuits and Cookies, Festive, Sweets

Cuisine: European, Scottish

Diet: butter, caster sugar, flour, rice flour, speculaas, vanilla

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 45

Chilling Time: 30

Total Time: 1 30

Servings: -20 biscuits

Author: Eff | Food Daydreaming

Equipment

Wooden spoon
Electric Hand Mixer
Mixing Bowls
Square tin

Ingredients

For the Speculaas Spice Mix

4 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground pepper

For the Speculaas Shortbread

230 g unsalted butter, at just room temperature
Generous pinch of salt
120 g caster sugar
250 g all-purpose flour
70 g rice flour
1 teaspoon Speculaas Spice Mix
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

Instructions

Grease and line a 20-25cm square tin with a loose base with butter and baking paper. If your square tin doesn’t have a loose base, line it with a longer piece of baking paper so you can lift the shortbread out when baked and cooled. Set aside.
Make the Speculaas Spice Mix by adding all the spices to a bowl and mixing with a spoon or mini whisk until well combined. Set aside. (You will have extra Speculaas Spice Mix, read our Homemade Speculaas Spice Mix post for ideas on using it all up!)
4 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground clove, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
To make the shortbread dough, you can use either a wooden spoon and elbow grease or an electric hand mixer with the beaters attachment. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened – not melted! – butter until smooth and pale. Add the salt and caster sugar and cream until well combined and fluffy.
230 g unsalted butter, Generous pinch of salt, 120 g caster sugar
Gradually mix in the all-purpose flour, rice flour, speculaas spice vanilla paste until a shaggy dough forms. Then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl, kneading gently as needed, without overworking it.
1 teaspoon Speculaas Spice Mix, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract, 250 g all-purpose flour, 70 g rice flour
Gently press it into the lined tin, making sure to press it all the way into the edges. Use a small handleless mug, glass or a silicone offset spatula, to gently smooth over the top – just enough to remove your fingerprints!
Score – don’t cut! – the shortbread dough into fingers, and dock each finger a few times with a fork.
Chill the dough, tin and all, in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 160C.
Remove the shortbread from the fridge and bake for 45-50 minutes. Shortbread baked in one piece like this is ready when the edges are golden brown and a pale golden brown on top, with no shiny sheen (they are warmer in colour than traditional shortbread thanks to the speculass spices). When removed from the oven, shortbread is still quite soft in the centre, and will firm up as it cools.
Remove the shortbread from the oven and quickly and gently rescore the fingers with a sharp knife, and then allow the Speculaas Shortbread to cool fully before cutting along the scored lines.
Store your shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Cook along with me

Notes

You will have extra Speculaas Spice Mix, read our Homemade Speculaas Spice Mix post for ideas on using it all up!

Did you make this recipe?Mention @food_daydreaming or tag #fooddaydreaming on instagram. I love seeing what you all come up with!

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