Belgian Cinnamon Cookies Food

SPECULOOS (BELGIAN SPICE COOKIES)

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mix together the cinnamon, coriander, and allspice in a small bowl. Remove one teaspoon of the spice mixture and place it in another bowl, along with the white sugar.
• In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cloves, and the rest of the spice mixture and whisk.
• Using a stand mixer with the paddle, beat the butter, brown sugar, and salt on high for about 5 minutes, until fluffy and light. Add the corn syrup and water and mix for 30 seconds more.
• Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.
• Divide the dough in half and lightly knead each half a couple of times. Press each into 8 inch squares. Wrap one in plastic wrap while you work with the other half.
• Roll one half of the dough out to 1/8 inch thick between two layers of parchment paper.
• Using a 2 inch round, square, or rectangle cookie cutter, cut the dough and gently lift the cut cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.
• If you like, you can use a smaller cookie cutter to make an imprint on the cookies. Poke a few holes in the center with a toothpick.
• Re-roll the scraps and cut more cookies. Sprinkle with the reserved sugar and spice mixture. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking.
• Bake the cookies in the center of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating halfway through. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
• Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough.

BELGIAN IRON COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter and brown sugar. Add eggs, vanilla, salt, and liquor (if desired). Blend in.
• Now it gets to be fun. You have to work in all five pounds of flour little by little by hand. It will work in but it takes a while. You'll wind up with a BIG mixing bowl of dough.
• Refrigerate dough overnight.
• Have plenty of people to help with the cooking. Lightly grease and heat the empty cookie iron over a gas burner. Start with a tablespoon and a half of dough rolled into a little "cigar" shape and vary amount to fit the size of your cookie iron. It takes from one to one and a half minutes to cook each cookie - it's a trial and error process at first till you get a handle on the temperature of the gas burner and the heat retaining capabilities of your iron. A properly cooked cookie will be golden and after cooled, crisp.
• This a family holiday tradition for us and we spend a whole day cooking cookies with lots of testing to make sure they're as good as last year's. The cast iron cookie irons work best, but I have seen people make them with the aluminum pizelle "irons". Ask for a krumkokie (croom cockie) iron at a gourmet cooking shop. We put them in tins and store till next Christmas, eating last year's cookies.

BELGIAN CINNAMON COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix the butter and sugar well. Add the water, egg and honey.
• Sieve the flour, salt and cinnamon. Then add to the butter mixture. Mix to a homogenous dough.
• Leave to rest in a cold place for up to 5 hours.
• Divide the dough into 30 portions.
• Roll and flatten to about 1.5 centimeters.
• Put them on a baking tray, lined with baking paper.
• Press an almond in each cookie.
• Brush with egg or milk and bake in a preheated oven (170°C) for about 15 minutes.

HOMEMADE BISCOFF (BELGIAN SPECULOOS COOKIES) RECIPE

Steps:

• While creaming on medium speed, slowly splash in the water a little at a time. Once it disappears into the fluffy butter/sugar mix, reduce speed to low and add the flour all at once. Continue mixing until the dough begins to gather around the paddle.
• Turn the dough onto a clean surface, and knead gently to form a ball. Pat into a rectangular shape, then dust with flour, above and below. Roll to a thickness of 3/16-inch, using a ruler for guidance. Slide an offset spatula beneath the dough to loosen, and brush away the excess flour.
• With a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into 3/4-inch strips, then cut crossways to form 2-inch rectangles. With the offset spatula, transfer the cutouts and scraps to a parchment-lined half sheet pan, leaving an inch between each piece to account for spread.
• Bake until cookies are golden brown, about 16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through if needed to ensure even browning. Cool to room temperature directly on the baking sheet; the cookies will not crisp until fully cool. Enjoy with coffee, and store leftovers in an airtight container up to 1 month at room temperature; the scraps can be ground to use for crumbs and frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

BELGIAN SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar and butter in large bowl until light. Add egg and beat until fluffy. Gradually add dry ingredients and beat just until combined. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into rectangle. Wrap with plastic; chill 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 2 large baking sheets. Roll out 1 dough piece on lightly floured work surface to 13 x 9-inch rectangle. Trim edges to form 12x8-inch rectangle. Cut into 24 4x1-inch rectangles. Lightly press miniature cookie cutter into each rectangle to make imprints (do not cut through dough). Arrange cookies on prepared baking sheets, spacing 1 inch apart. Bake until edges begin to darken, about 8 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack and cool. Repeat with remaining dough piece.
• Working with 1 cookie at a time, brush imprints with melted white chocolate. Sprinkle colored sugar generously over chocolate. Let stand until chocolate sets, about 2 hours. Shake off excess colored sugar. (Can be made ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week, or freeze up to 1 month.)

CINNAMON COOKIES

Steps:

• Beat the butter, muscovado sugar, caster sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon together with an electric whisk for 2-3 mins until well-combined. Add the egg, flour, baking powder and raisins, if using, and continue to beat until the mixture becomes a uniform dough. Roll tablespoons of the dough into balls between the palms your hands (you should have 12-15). Chill in the fridge for at least 2 hrs until firm, or overnight. The unbaked dough balls will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months (see tip, below).
• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment. Place the dough balls 3-4cm apart on the prepared baking trays to allow the mixture to spread without touching. Bake for 10-12 mins until lightly golden at the edges but still soft and gooey in the centre. Leave to cool completely on the baking trays.
• Mix the icing sugar with the remaining cinnamon, then dust over the cookies. Will keep in an airtight container for up to five days.

COCOA CINNAMON COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix flour, sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
• Cut in butter and margarine until in small bits. Stir in egg yolk until until blended. If dough seems too dry work in a few drops of milk. Form dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill dough about 30 minutes.
• Divide dough into 3 pieces. Return 2 to fridge. Roll 1/3 at a time on a lightly floured board to 1/8 inch thick. Cut with a 3 inch floured cookie cutter.
• Place cookies 1/2 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 350F for 10 to 12 minutes till firm. Remove to rack to cool.
• When cool, decorate with icing as desired. Store airtight in a cool place. Makes about 40.

SNICKERDOODLES (CINNAMON COOKIES)

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl beat togethor the 3/4c sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla.
• In a small bowl stir togethor the flour, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar.
• Stir into the butter mixture until well mixed.
• Cover and refrigerate the dough for several hours.
• In a small bowl combine the 2T of sugar and the 2t of cinnamon.
• Grease a cookie sheet with non-stick spray, shortening, etc.
• Shape the cookie dough into 1-inch balls; roll each in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
• Place the cookies on the cookie sheet making sure they are 2-inches apart.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees.
• Remove with a pancake turner or something else and place on a cooling rack.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE-CINNAMON COOKIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Beat butter until creamy.
• Add brown sugar and 3 tablespoons granulated sugar; beat until blended.
• Add egg, baking soda, corn syrup and vanilla; beat well.
• Stir together flour and cocoa; beat into butter mixture.
• If batter becomes too stiff, use wooden spoon to stir in remaining flour.
• Cover; refrigerate about 30 minutes, if necessary, until batter is firm enough to shape.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
• Combine 1/4 cup granulated sugar and cinnamon; roll balls in mixture.
• Place balls 2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.
• Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until cookies are set and tops are cracked.
• Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
• Cool completely.
• 40 cookies.

BELGIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Steps:

• Cream butter with extract; add brown sugar gradually, creaming until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition.
• Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together; add in thirds to creamed mixture, mixing until blended after each addition. Turn into a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan and spread evenly to edges.
• Sprinkle a mixture of almonds and cinnamon over batter, then sprinkle with a mixture of red and green sugar.
• Bake at 375°F 10 to 12 minutes.
• Cut into bars while still warm. About 5 dozen cookies.
• Canadian Family Cookbook.