Gevulde Speculaas

Gevulde Speculaas is an epic treat for most Dutchies in December, when we celebrate Sinterklaas in December. It’s a decadent biscuit which is served in small cubes: the filling is rich, soft and sweet whilst the biscuit is warmly spiced with hints of ginger and cardamon. The biscuit is probably best enjoyed with a hot cuppa tea or coffee to wash away the sweetness. Unfortunately bakeries and shops usuall only start selling Gevulde Speculaas in the later half of the year just before December. Whoever suggested that you can only have Gevulde Speculaas in December, was joking 😊. You can have Gevulde Speculaas every day… in moderation off course. So why not try to make it yourselves, because we all know homebaked is best!

The Recipe

The hardest part about making Gevulde Speculaas is not the actual making itself but in planning your preparation. Both the filling and the dough are best made a few days before you want to actually serve it: the filling and spiced dough need to rest in the fridge so the flavours can develop. I recommend to prepare these 2-3 days before.

Let’s start with the filling. The filling for Gevulde Speculaas is called amandelspijs (almond paste) is super simple: equal amounts of almond meal and sugar, egg and grated lemon peel. My go-to recipe reference is on the website of Laura’s Bakery.

For the biscuit, you will need a spice mixture “Speculaaskruiden” which you can buy at the local Dutch supermarkets. Since I am not in the Netherlands, I found some good recipes online. I used this spice mix recipe by Rutger Bakt. There is no cooking involved, you only have to mix the spices together in the right quantities to balance out the flavours. When it comes to making the dough for the biscuit, it’s basically a cookie dough: Rutger Bakt has an easy to follow recipe. I used Lighthouse biscuit, pastry & cake flour as the biscuit flour and I did add baking soda as per suggestion to give the biscuit a crispy bite and the Speculaaskruiden gives the dough the typical spiced flavour.

The most tricky part in preparing the Gevulde Speculaas, is actually rolling out the biscuit in a thin layer without breaking it. Luckily dough can be forgiving and like play-dough, you can knead it back into a ball and re-roll it again.

Homemade Gevulde Speculaas is absolute delicous! The smell of the biscuit in the oven fills the house and will make you salivate. So why not give this a try yourself, you won’t regret it!