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1
Cut or chop candied ginger into very small pieces.
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2
Mix softened butter with sugar, salt and spices until creamy.
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3
Scrap out the inside of the vanilla pod, add to mixture and mix.
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4
Add egg and mix until creamy and well mixed.
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5
Add ginger and mix.
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6
Add flour gradually to the butter mixture and mix until dough is formed.
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7
Wrap dough into cling film and put into the fridge overnight.
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8
Line out baking tray(s) with parchment paper.
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9
Flour a workspace slightly and roll out the dough very thinly (thinner than 1/4 inch).
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10
Cut out squares of about 2 inches (see note).
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11
Put cookies on baking tray and put in a cold place for about 1 hour (see note).
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12
Meanwhile preheat oven (390F, 200C).
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13
Bake cookies in lower third of the oven for 10-12 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned.
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14
Watch carefully.
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15
If you make the cookies very thin watch closely after 8 minutes.
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16
Do not overbake them.
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17
Remove from oven and let cool completely.
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18
Store in an airtight container.
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19
NOTE on candied ginger: the quality and sharpness varies a lot.
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20
If the candied ginger is too mild for your taste, you might add some grounded ginger to the dough, but not more than 1/4 teaspoon.
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21
NOTE on spices: I use fresh grounded spices here.
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22
And would recommend to do so.
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23
Cardamom, cloves and nutmeg have more flavour.
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24
Especially cardamom has more fresh notes.
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25
NOTE on cookie shape: you can use any form from simple squares over different shapes to special cookie molds for Spekulatius.
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26
You could also use a cookie stamp.
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27
Important: the cookies have to be thin.
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28
NOTE on cooling the cut cookies: prior baking it is important to cool the cookies, so that the butter inside is getting hard again.
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29
So they will not rise much in the oven and this cooling will make them crisp.
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30
I put the cookies on the baking tray and keep them on the tray in the fridge for 1 hour.
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31
NOTE: time to make does not include time for cooling dough.
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32
Cooking time is for one baking tray.
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33
Yield is a guess, because it depends mainly on how thin you make the cookies.
