This traditional Dutch Spice Mix Recipe(aka speculaaskruiden or speculaas spices) is so easy to make using ingredients that you probably already have in your store cupboard (if you bake regularly). And with a batch of this on hand, you are set to go with a staple spice mix that is used in many popular Dutch sweet baking recipes.
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A few years ago I shared a recipe for Dutch Pepernoten(mini Dutch spiced cookies) and I promised the recipe for the spice mix would follow.
It is only when I went to make a new spice mix-up ready for all the popular Dutch baking recipes that feature during this time of year (pepernoten, speculaas, etc) that I realised I had not shared it with you guys.
Where To Buy Dutch Speculaas Spices
Here in the Netherlands, you can easily buy this blend of spices in the Supermarkets but elsewhere you need to either purchase it at a specialist shop or buy it online.
This is an easy recipe to make a blend of spices that is frequently used in many traditional Dutch baking recipes such as Speculaas, Pepernoten, Kruidnoten to name but a few.
Prepare airtight spice jars by cleaning them and adding labels.
In a large bowl simply measure out all the spices and mix.
Divide the spice mix between the spice jars and seal.
Notes
The amounts shown in this recipe make enough spice mix to fill 3 small spice pots.
There are many versions of this recipe here in the Netherlands and many bakeries have there own secret recipies.
This basic recipe can also be adapted to suit your own personal taste.
For example, if you are not so keen on cardamom then just leave it out or you really love ginger then you can simply increase the amount you put in.
*Optional*
Another optional ingredient that you often see is white pepper. I didn’t use this in my mix but if you want to spice it up a bit then you can add half a tablespoon to give it a bit of bite.
Nutrition
Calories: 100kcal
What To Bake With Your Dutch Spice Mix
Now that you have the basic recipe for this why not try making my traditional Dutch Pepernoten Recipe (Mini Spice Cookies)?This recipe is so easy and a lot of fun to make with the kids as their little fingers are perfect for rolling all the little round dough balls.
The kids here in the Netherlands go mad for them and eat them by the bucket load.
This is usually leading up to Sinterklaas (the Dutch Father Christmas) arriving in the country on his steamboat from Spain (this year it falls on the 16th of November) to when he brings them gifts on pakjesavond (present evening) which is on the 5th of December.
Once Sinterklaas has arrived in the land the kids are allowed to put their shoes out by the fireplace every Saturday night until pakjesavond.If they have been good the shoes will be filled with pepernoten and small gifts.
And Honestly, these are so yummy you will totally understand why the Dutch kids go crazy for them.
More Dutch Recipes …
In the Netherlands, another base ingredient that is used in many Dutch recipes is Amandelspjis (Almond Paste). This can be used to make many cookies, cakes, pastries, and dessert recipes. Here is a recipe to make a delicious homemade version
Another Dutch recipe that is great for kids and a total crowd-pleaser for parties and fetes is my Traditional Dutch Poffertjes Recipe. Not only are they easy to make but the topping combination ideas are endless.
And of course, if we are talking about recipes from the Netherlands then we can’t forget the classic Dutch Apple Piewhich is often served in cafes and during birthday celebrations, and the Gevulde Koek (Ductch almond Cookie) which is a real National favourite.
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Like I said, each baker used to have their own special blend of Speculaas Spices. All mixes do include at least, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, aniseed, white pepper and coriander. Next to that people are known to add ginger, cardamom and mace.
Like I said, each baker used to have their own special blend of Speculaas Spices. All mixes do include at least, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, aniseed, white pepper and coriander. Next to that people are known to add ginger, cardamom and mace.
The vandotsch speculaas spice mix is the definitive sweet tasting spice mix. It contains high quality, high grade organic 'real' ground cinnamon from Sri Lanka (55%), organic ground cloves (14%), organic ground ginger (14%) and six other organic ground spices to give our spice mix that unique kick.
Most traditional recipes in Dutch cuisine call for spices (kruiden) that the Dutch East India Company (VOC) began trading during the Golden Age. These include cloves (kruidnagel), cinnamon (kaneel), and nutmeg (nootmuskaat).
Speculaas (Dutch: speculaas, French: spéculoos, [spekylos], German: Spekulatius) is a type of spiced shortcrust biscuit baked with speculaas spices originated from the County of Flanders territory in present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
Speculaas and speculoos are 2 different biscuits. Speculaas is typical cookie from the Netherlands based on the specific flavour of "speculaas"herbs. At Lotus Bakeries, we produce Speculoos, a biscuit that obtains it taste by the special production proces of the karamelisation of sugar in the biscuit.
These spiced cookies comes in a variety of shapes with the flavours of ginger and cardamom. INGREDIENTS: Wheat flour sugar vegetable oil (palm rapeseed) speculoos spices (cinnamon nutmeg clove allspice ginger coriander mace cardamom) raising agent (sodium bicarbonate disodium pyrophosphate) sodium invert sugar syrup.
But while it's been known as speculoos in Belgium since its invention, when Lotus took the brand to international markets in the 1990s, it abandoned its native name. Instead, it gave it the name Biscoff — a portmanteau of “biscuit” and “coffee” — easier to say for an international audience.
The name speculaas has to do with the wooden molds the cookies are made in (we call it a speculaasplank, speculaas (sometimes also called speculoos) comes from the word speculum which means; mirror). One of the more famous shapes is a windmill of course!
"Dutched" cocoa has a brown colour and a mild cocoa flavour with earthy, woodsy notes. The manufacturing of Dutch-process cocoa powder begins with washing the cocoa beans (either before or after roasting) in an alkaline solution of potassium carbonate.
The Dutch East India Company (VOC) was formed in 1602 by the Staten-Generaal (States General) of the then Republic of the Seven United Netherlands. The company was granted a 21-year charter with rights to trade exclusively in Asia and to buy valuable spices, such as nutmeg, mace, and cloves.
Spice blends add delicious flavor to many of your favorite foods, but instead of paying top dollar for spice mixtures, it's easy to make your own. You can save money by mixing your own DIY spice mixes from bulk spices.
Often mistaken for a blend of spices, allspice is a single-ingredient seasoning with loads of unique flavor. Its name is derived from the flavor profile — a mixture of nutmeg, black pepper, cinnamon and clove. Not all spices, but many of the most impactful.
Speculoos (French: spéculoos, German: Karamellgebäck) is a biscuit, originally manufactured in Belgium, made from wheat flour, candy syrup (from beet sugar), fat, and sometimes cinnamon.
Today when speaking of speculaas, the cookie will contain a variety of spices, but when speaking of speculoos, we mean the Lotus Biscoff biscuit, which contains only a tiny bit of cinnamon, getting its warm flavor from kandij syrup and caramelizing sugar.
Speculoos, the cookie family to which Biscoff belong, are often described as a type of gingerbread, but that's a little misleading. Aside from their use of caramel sugar, speculoos don't have quite the same bite; their spice blend tends toward aroma rather than heat.
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Introduction: My name is Msgr. Benton Quitzon, I am a comfortable, charming, thankful, happy, adventurous, handsome, precious person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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