Tag Archives: cookies

Desserts and Sweets

Speculaas

Dutch Spice Cookies

These cookies, crisp when they come out of the oven, soften wonderfully into chewy treats when stored for a week or so. The variety that our Dutch friends introduced us to  years ago were baked in the shape of windmills.

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 t salt
  • 1 t nutmeg
  • 1 t ginger
  • 1/2 t baking powder
  • 2 cups soft butter
  • 3 T sour cream
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 T cinnamon
  • 1/2 t cloves
  • Grated rind of 1 lemon
  • 1 t unsweetened cocoa
  • 1 egg

Put flour, sugar, salt, spices, cocoa, baking powder, and lemon rind in a bowl. Mix in butter with fingers to make crumbs. Add egg and mix again. Add just enough sour cream to hold together and make a stiff but not crumbly dough that rolls easily.

Divide in half and press onto 2 cookie sheets without sides; roll 1/8″ thick. Cut dough in strips 2 x 3″ and bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes. Break one open to see if done. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and loosen with a spatula.

Store airtight. Better if aged for one week.

Dragon with Mechanical Attachments, by Talon
This is not a windmill. It is a dragon with mechanical attachments. By Talon.
Desserts and Sweets

Peanut Butter Cookies

  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 3/4 cup honey
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cups peanut butter
  • 1-1/2 cups wholewheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp orange juice or water
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Mix oil, honey and egg. Blend in peanut butter. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Blend into peanut butter mix alternately with orange juice or water and vanilla. Place spoonfuls on greased cookie sheet and press down with fork. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until brown.