You will love these speculoos, spicy and crispy Belgian spice cookies. Mix together the cinnamon, coriander, and allspice in a small bowl. Remove one teaspoon of the spice mixture and place it in another bowl, along with the white sugar. In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cloves, and the rest of the spice mixture and whisk.
Originally, bakers used large wooden forms carved in the shape of St. Nicholas himself to form the Speculoos cookies. Over the years, I have accumulated a large box of cookie cutters in all shapes to prepare my cookies.
A baker would have originally called the speculoos “speculation” because he doubted that his sales were going to go well. Although speculation could also be a presumption of wealth, as speculoos was a cookie for wealthy gourmets. What is the origin of speculoos? And the paternity of the speculoos? Belgium ? The Netherlands ?