Speculaas
Speculaas is a classic Belgian spiced shortcrust biscuit made with plain flour, dark muscovado sugar, butter and a fragrant blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper and fennel. The Thermomix TM7 grinds the whole spices to a fine powder in seconds, then kneads everything into a firm, aromatic dough. Ideal with coffee or as a festive treat.
About this recipe
Speculaas Thermomix TM7 recipes bring the scent of a Belgian bakery straight into your kitchen. This beloved spiced biscuit, crisp on the outside and richly aromatic within, relies entirely on the quality of its spice blend: cardamom pods, a cinnamon quill, a vanilla bean, whole cloves, nutmeg, peppercorns and fennel seeds. Where traditional recipes ask you to buy pre-ground spices that lose their punch quickly, the all-in-one kitchen machine grinds the whole spices to a super-fine powder in moments, unlocking far more fragrance than anything from a jar. Combined with plain flour, dark muscovado sugar and cold unsalted butter, the dough comes together into a firm block that is easy to roll and stamp. Speculaas is the perfect snack with coffee, a cheese board or as a homemade gift during the festive season, and this Thermomix TM7 version makes a big batch of the Dutch and Belgian favourite genuinely simple.
Preparation tips
- Grind the whole spices first and sift them through a fine sieve before adding to the flour, so no coarse cardamom shell fragments end up in your speculaas dough. This keeps the biscuit texture uniformly crisp and delicate.
- Wrap the finished dough tightly in cling film and rest it in the fridge before rolling. Cold speculaas dough rolls out far more cleanly and holds the pattern of a traditional wooden speculaas plank beautifully.
- For a deeper caramel flavour, replace half of the dark muscovado sugar with honey or use lightly salted butter. Store the baked biscuits in an airtight tin; their spice flavour actually improves after a day or two.
Recipe variations
- Almond speculaas: fold in flaked almonds or stuff the dough with an almond-paste filling before baking. The nuts add a lovely crunch and pair wonderfully with the cardamom and cinnamon spice blend of this classic biscuit.
- Festive St Nicholas variation: use a traditional wooden mould to stamp large speculaas figures, or cut the dough into windmill shapes and dip the baked edges in dark chocolate for an extra-indulgent holiday treat.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Fresh grinding of cardamom pods, cloves and nutmeg in the TM7 releases far more aroma than pre-ground spices, giving your speculaas maximum flavour in seconds. [Multi-Function]
- Weigh the plain flour and dark muscovado sugar directly in the mixing bowl on the built-in scale, so every biscuit batch has consistent spice-to-sugar ratios. [Built-in Scale]
- The Thermomix kneads the butter, flour and spice mixture into a smooth, firm speculaas dough hands-free while you prepare your rolling pin and moulds. [Hands-Free]
- Briefly heating the unsalted butter with the sugar in the Thermomix creates a soft, workable base that absorbs the freshly ground spices evenly throughout the dough. [Multi-Function]
- Mixing the homemade spice blend into the flour takes just moments in the TM7, producing an even golden-brown colour and balanced flavour in every single biscuit. [Built-in Scale]
Ingredients
- cardamom pods
- cinnamon quill
- vanilla bean
- whole cloves
- whole nutmeg
- whole white peppercorns
- fennel seeds
- plain flour
- dark muscovado sugar
- unsalted butter