Make the Speculoos Dough

Cup of Yum
1. Combine first the dry ingredients: spices, flour, and sugar. Ensure that the flour, spices, and brown sugar are well combined before adding any liquids.
2. Make a dent in the middle with your fist and add butter, milk, and egg.
3. Combine with your hands, or use a stand mixer with a kneading hook until the dough comes together.
4. At first, you'll get a crumbly mixture. But as you keep mixing or kneading, it all quickly sticks together.
5. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead together into a rough ball.
6. Don't overdo the kneading part. Work your dough just enough until it forms a rough ball. Otherwise, it will get too soft and crumbly.

Method 1: make cookies with unique shapes.

1. Continue from step 6 of making the dough.
2. Pat the dough further into a more oval-shaped ball.
3. Wrap with parchment paper and refrigerate for 2 hours—you can still choose to let it rest overnight for a deeper flavor but not necessary.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 °F/180 °C with the rack adjusted to the middle position.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge about 15 to 30 minutes before rolling.
6. Cut the dough into three equal pieces for easy handling.
7. Flatten the first piece with the palm of your hand until somewhat softened.
8. Then roll it out on a lightly floured work surface (I use a cutting board) into an about ¼-inch thick sheet.
9. Use your preferred cookie cutters to cut out the shapes you want and immediately transfer them to a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
10. Gather the remaining scraps of dough, knead them again into a ball, and roll it out again to create new shapes.
11. Bake for 15 minutes. Take out and let slightly cool before transferring them carefully to a cutting board or large clean kitchen towel to cool further (they will get harder). This will free up your baking sheet to bake the next batch.
12. While you bake the first batch of cookies, repeat the whole process of flattening, rolling, and shaping the second batch of dough, and then ultimately, when the second batch is in the oven, you will do the same with the third batch of dough.

Method 2: Make uniform-looking cookies without special shapes

1. Continue from step 6 of making the dough.
2. Place the batter onto a lightly floured work surface and start rolling into a 15-inch long cylinder shape (see pictures in the post).
3. Cover and wrap with parchment paper.
4. Place it in the refrigerator overnight to sufficiently harden and for a deeper flavor.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 °F/180 °C with the rack adjusted to the middle position.
6. Take the cookie batter from the fridge—the texture should be solid—and place it on a cutting board.
7. Immediately cut into thin slices (about ¼-inch thick) with a bread knife.
8. Place the cookie slices on a large parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
9. You might have to bake the cookies in multiple batches.
10. Take out and let cool for at least 10 minutes (they will get harder).
11. Store in a tin box or air-tight container.