Cookie Walk is Saturday, December 1st, from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. We’re asking each parish family for ten pounds of cookies to make this year better than ever. To encourage your contribution, we’re providing recipes that have proven especially popular in the past.
Variations of speculaas (or speculoos) are common in the Low Countries, where they are associated with the Feast of St Nicholas (December 6th).
Ingredients
2 cups unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 1⁄2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
4 1⁄2 cups sifted all purpose flour
3⁄4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cardamon
Directions
Cream the butter, then cream the sugar until the mixture is very light. Beat in the eggs and lemon rind. Sift the flour with the remaining ingredients and blend well with the creamed mixture.
The cookies can be rolled to a depth of 1/3 inch and cut into desired shapes or pressed into a spekulaas board, which has been floured, using a pastry brush to push flour into the pattern. Press the dough into the board and level it off to a depth of 1/3 inch, by drawing a thin bladed sharp knife across the board. Sometimes the dough handles with greater ease when chilled. Unmold by holding board over a cookie sheet and tapping lightly.
A carved springerle rolling pin can also be used. Roll dough to 1/3 inch in thickness, then roll with floured springerle rolling pin. Cut between the springerle designs and transfer with a spatula to the cookie sheet.
Bake cookies in a preheated 375° F oven until very delicate brown—6 to 12 minutes, depending on the thickness and circumference of the cookies. This recipe makes a lot of cookies and can be easily halved.
Here are some photos from Cookie Walks Past—some from as far back as 2002. The cookies have completely taken over the Parish Hall (which was enlarged a couple of years ago), so some displays have moved to the lobby and the hallway.
24 Photos
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