Speculoos

To prepare the speculoos cookies, start by placing the flour and cold butter cut into pieces in a blender 1, blend until you get a sandy texture 2. Place the mixture obtained on a work surface, add the brown sugar, and mix everything with your hands, giving the flour the classic fountain shape 3.

Add the ground black pepper (about 2 grams) and ground cloves 4, then the grated nutmeg and baking soda 5, and finally the cinnamon 6.

Pour the water into the fountain and knead with your hands 7 until you get a compact dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours (or even overnight), so that the dough compacts and the spices can better permeate and release their aroma 8. After this time, take the dough, slightly soften it with your hands if you can't work it, and roll it out on a lightly floured work surface using a rolling pin 9.

Roll out a sheet about 1/8-1/4 inch thick and use a cookie cutter with a diameter of 2.5 inches x 1.5 inches to cut out the speculoos 10. Gather the dough scraps, re-knead very quickly, and roll out the dough again to get the other cookies: doing so will yield about 20 pieces. Gradually place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper 11. Before baking, it's preferable to let them rest for 5-10 minutes in the refrigerator so they retain their shape. Then bake them in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 15 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool completely on a wire rack. Your speculoos are ready to be eaten 12!