Spekulatius, also known as Speculoos Cookies, is a common German dessert around Christmas time. When the cookies are placed in the correct order next to each other, the Spekulatius tells the story of St. Nicholas. The German tradition of biscuits and sweet pastries can be traced back to a very old Christian custom. As early as the 15th and 16th century, blessed bread was distributed to the faithful at the end of the mass. Anastasiia Chokhliad studied how German Christmas culture influenced American Christmas culture; “When most people think of ‘Christmas cookies’, they think of Gingerbread or frosted sugar cookies. Yet, cookies like Spekulatius are a huge part of Christmas culture in Germany.” Chokhliad said. “One thing unique about these cookies is that they tell a story. Everyone in Germany knows about St. Nicholas and Krampus, and these cookies focus on that story of St. Nicholas.” Chokhliad said. The cookies are also quite common around Christmas markets, which were another tradition taken from German culture.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups all-purpose flour
Recipe:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dust two baking sheets with flour.
- Beat brown sugar and butter together in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough comes together.
- Shape dough into cookies by hand or using cookie cutters; arrange on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until firm but not hard, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
