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    Home » Holiday

    Speculaas spice mix

    Published: Sep 29, 2019 · Modified: Sep 27, 2023 by Maayke · 9 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links

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    This recipe for speculaas spice mix is an absolute must-have in your kitchen, especially if you love speculaas! It is super easy to make and is ready in less than 5 minutes!

    Spices for speculaas in a wooden box

    Speculaas spice mix is a fall and winter must-have! This spice blend is perfect for cookies, cakes, stews, drinks, and ice cream.

    Now that you have a recipe for the perfect speculaas spice mix, you can finally make your speculaas and pepernoten!

    The history of speculaas spice mix

    One of the oldest recipes for speculaas spices that I found was in a cookbook called 'de Schrandere Stichtse Keuken-meid.' This book, written in 1754, was such a success that it was still published fifty years later under the name of 'De Nieuwe, Welervarene Utrechtsche Keuken-meid.'

    The most interesting thing about the older recipes is that pepper was added to the mixture at that time. Most modern recipes are without this ingredient. This cookbook used an old pepper variety called cubeb or tailed pepper. This pepper has a more floral taste than regular black pepper but can be hard to find.

    There are also a few missing ingredients that we now almost always use, such as mace, cloves, and ginger. My recipe is a mix of the old recipe from 1745 and the modern one.

    Ingredients

    Cinnamon - this is the main ingredient for this spice mix.

    Pepper - I used black pepper in this recipe, but to make an authentic 18th-century mix, you should try to find some cubeb pepper.

    Ginger - gives a little sweetness to the mix.

    Cardamom - gives the mix a mild citrus flavor.

    Aniseed - like ginger, aniseed gives the mix a sweet flavor.

    You can find the complete ingredient list and instructions on the recipe card below!

    Instructions

    Add all the spices to a small bowl and mix them well. Pour them into a glass spice jar and store them in a dark place.

    A mix with pepernoten, speculaas and speculaas with almond paste on a piece of paper

    Speculaas vs speculoos

    So can I use this recipe to make traditional speculoos cookies? No, not really. The names are often used interchangeably, but speculaas and speculoos are not the same cookie.

    Speculaas is a cookie that is flavored with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom, mace, and cloves. It is a traditional cookie in the Netherlands and Germany. Speculoos or Biscoff is a cookie from Belgium that only contains cinnamon or no other spices at all.

    Tools you'll need

    All you need to make speculaas spice mix is a small bowl to mix the spices in and glass jars to store them!

    Storage

    Speculaas spice mix will keep for a year in a cool dark place. You can use it after the first year, but it will start to lose its flavor like all spices.

    Tip: Reuse old empty spice jars to store your speculaas mix!

    Top tip

    • Using whole spices and grounding them yourself gives the best results, but you can use ready-ground spices!
    • Use old empty spice jars to save money.
    • Need more? This recipe is enough for about seven batches of speculaas or pepernoten. If you want to make more, just double the recipe.

    I can't wait until it is November and all the shops and bakeries are filled with speculaas and other Sinterklaas treats! What is your favorite time of the year?

    More amazing speculaas recipes you will LOVE

    • Hot white chocolate in glasses with whipped cream on top
      White hot chocolate
    • a large piece of gevuld speculaas on a baking tray
      Gevuld speculaas (almond filled speculaas)
    • Two cups of Nutella hot chocolate with whipped cream
      Nutella hot chocolate
    • Speculaas truffles on a bakingsheet
      Speculaas truffles
    Whole speculaas spices in a wooden box
    Print Pin

    Speculaas spice mix

    Speculaas spice mix is an absolute must-have in your kitchen. Speculaas spice mix is used in speculaas and pepernoten and is amazing in other recipes such as cake, cookies, and stews!
    Course Seasonings
    Cuisine Dutch
    Keyword Biscoff, Holidays, pepernoten, Speculaas, speculaas seasoning, speculaas spices, Speculoos, spice mix
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time 5 minutes minutes
    Calories 77kcal
    Author Maayke @ Nutmeg and Vinegar

    Equipment

    • Pyrex glass mixing bowl set
    • Spice jars with labels

    Ingredients

    • 8 tablespoons cinnamon
    • 2 tablespoons nutmeg
    • 1,5 tablespoon cloves
    • 1 tablespoon ginger
    • 2 teaspoon cardamom
    • 2 teaspoon aniseed
    • 1 teaspoon mace
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper or cubeb/tailed pepper

    Instructions

    • Put all the spices in a bowl and mix them well.
    • Store the speculaas spices in an airtight jar.

    Notes

    You can also add a little dried orange peel to this mix.

    More Holiday

    • the featured image for ginger cookies with fresh ginger.
      Ginger cookies with fresh ginger
    • Six blackberry scones on a pieve of brown paper.
      Gluten-free blackberry scones
    • Homemade belgian cocoa dusted truffles on a grey background
      Cocoa dusted truffles
    • the featured image for this broccoli and bacon quiche recipe
      Broccoli and bacon quiche
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    1. Alexandra says

      October 17, 2019 at 10:34 am

      I love homemade spice mixes! This sounds like a delicious blend, ideal for this time of year. I look forward to trying.

      Reply
    2. Dannii says

      October 17, 2019 at 10:50 am

      What a delicious spice mix. It definitely reminds me of Christmas.

      Reply
    3. Danielle Wolter says

      October 17, 2019 at 12:46 pm

      I have never heard of this spice mix before, but after reading about it will definitely be giving it a shot. The flavors sound incredible, perfect for the holidays!

      Reply
    4. Corina Blum says

      October 17, 2019 at 12:50 pm

      I've been thinking of getting some speculaas spice mix for some Christmas baking soon so this recipe is exactly what I needed!

      Reply
    5. Ellen says

      October 17, 2019 at 1:30 pm

      I love making homemade spices. This will be a wonderful hostess gift this holiday season.

      Reply
    6. Veena Azmanov says

      November 06, 2019 at 12:46 pm

      All these spices are full of flavors. Always enhance the flavors of every dish when used. I love such spices for my cakes and cookies or pies too.

      Reply
    7. Katherine says

      November 06, 2019 at 12:46 pm

      I adore speculaas. Thanks so much for the recipe. Perfect for an edible Xmas gift.

      Reply
    8. Heidy L. McCallum says

      November 06, 2019 at 1:21 pm

      This spice mix sounds incredible, and I bet I would enjoy using it. I also think this would make an excellent gift for the holidays too. I have so many friends that enjoy cooking.

      Have a wonderful day
      Heidy

      Reply
    9. Lisa | Garlic & Zest says

      November 06, 2019 at 2:49 pm

      This heady spice mix sounds like it would be a perfect twist for my traditional Christmas sugar cookies!

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Maayke! Welcome to Nutmeg & Vinegar! Here I share delicious, simple and easy recipes made with everyday ingredients.

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