Speculaas Cookies

1. Place butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer, until soft. Add the brown sugar and cream until smooth, 1-2 min.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, and spices. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until combined into an even, sandy mixture.
3. Add the milk and beat until the dough forms wet crumbs. Using your hands, knead the mixture to form a soft and pliable dough. (The dough should be soft, but not sticky.) Wrap the dough with plastic wrap or place it in a plastic bag, and refrigerate for 30 min – 1 hour. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days before baking.)
4. Preheat your oven to 350F.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it to a 1/4 - 1/3 inch thickness. Cut using a roughly 2 ½” cutter. Place the cut cookies on a baking sheet and decorate them with sliced almonds if desired. Bake the first batch while you knead the scraps together and re-roll the dough for a second cutting.
6. Bake the cookies for 11-12 min, until firm and just beginning to turn golden around the edges.
7. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 1 min before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Continue cutting, decorating and baking until all the dough has been used.
9. Store the cooled cookies in an air-tight container for up to 2 weeks.

To use Springerle Molds

1. Roll the dough to 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick (depending on your molds). Spray the molds with cooking spray and lightly dust them with powdered sugar.
2. Cut a piece of dough the size of the mold and press the dough firmly and evenly into the mold. Flip the mold over and press it onto your baking sheet, loosening the dough from the mold with your fingers. You can trim any excess dough from the cookie with a small knife. Repeat with the remaining dough. (Be sure to frequently dust the mold with powdered sugar and check if it needs to be cleaned out with a toothpick.)
3. Place the molded cookies on a baking sheet and place them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Bake as directed above.

To use a Springerle Rolling Pin

1. Roll the dough 1/2 inch thick with a normal rolling pin. Dust the springerle rolling pin with powdered sugar and press firmly to make a 1/4 inch cookie dough with one pass of the rolling pin. Cut the dough along the grid lines with a pizza cutter.
2. Place the molded cookies on a baking sheet (a dough scraper works very well to loosen these cookies from the counter) and place them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Bake as directed above.