Stand mixers
For the base dough:250 g Butter, soft125 g sugar1 tsp salt1 egg yolk (size M)375 g flour (plain)Flour for rollingFlavours for the dough:1 lemon2 dessert spoon cocoa1 tsp Speculaas spice blend (A Dutch blend of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and cardomom).Decoration:100 g icing sugar1–2 tsp lemon juice100 g chocolateNuts e.g. chopped Pistachios, Almonds, HazelnutsDecorations e.g. hundreds and thousands, sugar nibs, Marshmallows
1- Place the butter, sugar, salt, egg yolk and flour into the Chef bowl and knead using the dough hook into a smooth dough. Divide into three equal portions2- Wash the lemon, then finely grate the zest. Knead one portion of the dough with the lemon zest. Combine another portion of the dough with cocoa. Mix the remaining dough with the Spekulatius spice blend. Wrap each portion in cling film and place in the fridge for an hour.3- Preheat the over to 180 °C/ Fan: 155 °C). On a floured work surface roll out the dough to approx. 0.5 cm thick. Cut out the biscuits using the variety of cutters and place on the baking sheet covered with baking paper. Place in the oven on the middle shelf and bake for approx 12 minutes. Then remove from oven and leave to cool.4- For a frosting, mix the icing sugar and lemon juice in the mixing bowl until smooth. Melt chocolate in a bowl over a warm water bath. Decorate biscuits with as desired.Tip: When you chill the dough, don’t roll into a ball, but into a flat disc so that the dough will chill evenly.