Each year during Chanukah, my family bakes sugar cookies. We make the dough, roll it out, shape the cookies with themed cookie cutters, and then decorate them with royal icing and sprinkles.
However, this year I wanted to try something a little more sophisticated, and that’s where these speculoos cookies came in.
Not only do they look sophisticated and party ready, they taste exactly like gingerbread cookies too, which is always a great thing in my book. I brought them out in a cute cookie tin for dessert, where they were promptly devoured by all spice-cookie lovers.
Lightly adapted from Bon Appetit
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons light molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg white
- Sanding or other decorative sugar
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Edible glitter, dragées
- Whisk first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter in a medium bowl until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add both sugars and molasses; continue to beat until mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Beat in egg and vanilla; mix for 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add dry ingredients and mix to blend well.
- Scrape dough from bowl and divide into thirds. Using your palms, roll each piece of dough into an 8-inch log. Wrap logs tightly in plastic or parchment paper and freeze for at least 3 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375°. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk egg white in a small bowl to loosen; lightly brush all over 1 log. Roll the log in sanding sugar. Using a long, slender knife, slice off a sliver of dough from each end of log to make ends flat.
- Cut log into 1/4 inch-thick rounds. Transfer to 1 baking sheet, spacing 1/2 inch apart; place in freezer while you cut the next log. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake 2 sheets of cookies, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back after 6 minutes, until tops are golden brown and centers are firm, 11-13 minutes.
- Bake the third sheet of cookies. Let the cookies cool on wire racks.
- Mix powdered sugar and 7 teaspoons cold water in a large mixing bowl. Pipe about 1/2 teaspoons glaze onto each button. Decorate with edible glitter or dragées. Let stand on rack at room temperature for at least 30 minutes for glaze to set.
retrolillies 
4 responses to “Speculoos Button Cookies”
I love speculoos cookies. Is this recipe from Dorie Greenspan in Bon Appetit a few Christmases ago?
Yes! Highly recommended!
Noted! Definitely on my list for baking next Christmas 🙂
These look impeccable, I love the edible decor!