These German Spekulatius cookies are spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and a little cocoa powder. Creamed butter & sugar keeps them tender, while cornstarch makes them crispy and prevents them from spreading, so they don't lose the festive design imprinted by a cookie mold or stamp.
These Spiced Biscuit Are My Favorite Christmas Cookie!
Growing up in Germany, I woke up every December 6th to a packet of Spekulatius tucked into my shoes from Saint Nikolaus. They've always been one of my favorite Weihnachtsplätzchen (German Christmas cookies) with their punchy spiced flavor. They're thin and crunchy like gingersnaps, taste like a better version of Biscoff since they're less crumbly, and made for dunking into German hot cocoa or coffee.
Traditional German Spekulatius use baker's ammonia (hartshorn), which is a leavener that makes cookies extra crisp. It's hard to find in regular U.S. grocery stores, so I tested pantry alternatives. The winner was baking powder with some cornstarch, which keeps these cookies crisp and stops them from spreading in the oven & losing the definition of their imprinted design.
If you're baking a full Christmas cookie tin, pair these with my honey-sweetened Lebkuchen Herzen, another classic German gingerbread with a glaze on top.
Don't panic when the dough looks crumbly
Like pie dough, this cookie dough is supposed to look crumbly when you first combine the wet and dry ingredients. This makes the finished cookies turn out tender and crisp instead of tough.
Here's my test: squeeze a small handful of dough in your palm. If it holds its shape, it's ready to be chilled. But if it falls apart, mix in one more tablespoon of softened butter. Then press the dough into a mound on a large sheet of plastic wrap, wrap it tightly, and chill.
While it rests in the fridge, the flour hydrates so it'll stay together when you roll it out, and it won't feel sticky or crumbly. Let it chill at least two hours, or keep it in the fridge overnight to follow a classic German gingerbread trick that lets the spices mellow and deepen.
How to Make Spekulatius from Scratch
Tips for Baking Cookies that Don't Lose Their Design in the Oven
- Brush a cookie mold (I love this heart-shaped mold) or cookie stamp (wood, plastic, or metal all work here) with cornstarch and a pastry brush. In recipe testing, powdered sugar made the dough stick, and flour left a dusty coating on the baked cookies that was hard to brush off.
- No mold? Roll out the dough and cut with regular cookie cutters. You lose the stamped design, which is what sets Spekulatius apart from other holiday cookies, but they still taste great!
- If you have an embossed rolling pin, roll out the dough with a regular rolling pin then firmly roll the embossed one over the dough. You get the design with no mold needed.
Spekulatius | Crispy Spiced German Cookies
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (use table salt or fine sea salt, not kosher salt)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or substitute 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar)
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch, cocoa powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix the butter and sugars with a large spoon until it is soft and creamy.
- Add the eggs and vanilla to the butter mixture, and mix until it's well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix with a large spoon until it forms a dense, crumbly dough. (The dough will be dry at first, but just keep mixing until you no longer see dry flour.)
- Dump the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap. Use your hands to press the cookie dough into a large ball, and wrap it tightly in the plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. If your dough is hard straight from the fridge, allow it to soften and warm up at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Shape the cookies with one of the following methods: Cookie Mold: Dust your cookie mold with cornstarch and shake out the excess. Take a small handful of the cookie dough and press it flat into the cookie mold. Turn the mold upside down and whack it on your counter to release the cookie. Transfer the cookie to your baking sheet, and continue with the rest of the cookie dough.Cookie Cutters: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the cookie dough to about ¼ inch thick. Optional: Use an embossed rolling pin to imprint a design on the dough. Use cookie cutters to cut out shapes, then transfer the cookies to your prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are brown around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool on a cooling rack, then enjoy!
Notes
- Cookie Cutters: If you don't have a cookie mold or a rolling pin & cookie cutters, you can use the bottom of a drinking glass to imprint a beautiful design on your cookies.
- Cookie Mold: If you're using a cookie mold, use a pastry brush to brush it with cornstarch each time you press the dough into it, which works better than dusting with powdered sugar or flour.Â
- Storing: Traditionally German Spekulatius are stored in metal tins. I recommend storing your cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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Julie Caldwell says
If I have baker's ammonia, what should the recipe be?
Carissa Erzen says
Hi Julie, I haven't tested this recipe with baker's ammonia, so I'm not about sure the quantity needed.
Diane says
I did this for Christmas and they turned out good, just didn't have the fancy cookie cutter lol
Carissa Erzen says
Hi Diane, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed making these cookies for Christmas. And I agree, they taste just as good with or without a fancy cookie cutter!
Lindsey Jll says
I had a horrible time getting the dough to stay together into a ball. It seems way to dry. I double checked to make sure I had everything right on my end. Hopefully it comes out after it's
Carissa Erzen says
Hi Lindsey, I'm so sorry to hear that! I wonder how soft your butter was, because if it's still a little hard, then it won't allow the dough to come together quite as easily. Also it takes a few minutes of mixing, since the dough is dry at first. Sometimes if you find your dough isn't coming together, mixing it with your hands to warm it up a bit with your body temp can help.
Rolf says
Perfect Christmas cookies
Carissa Erzen says
Hi Rolf, I agree - it's not Christmas without a batch of Spekulatius!
Mila says
Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
Carissa Erzen says
Hi Mila, thanks for stopping by & commenting! Let me know if you get a chance to make these cookies!