Ancient waffle iron and getting in the Christmas mood in Sweden

Yesterday I was looking for a baking pan, going through all the kitchen supplies my mother in law owns. I did not find the baking pan I was looking for, but I did find something far more exciting.... an ancient waffle cookie iron. The one they do not produce these days anymore, the one with this special character we will never find in any of this new fancy kitchen devices, the one which brings you back to the past and challenge your creativity, as you immediately start to think what kind of delicious treats you would like to make with this. I was beyond my happiness and could not wait for the fun and creativity to begin.

It is some time now I wanted to try my own Spekulatius cookies (German / Dutch spiced Christmas cookies), but I never got a change, as I do not have the spekulatius molds, which you would need to make the cookies. Of course you can use the standard cookie cutters for them too, but I always knew them with this special pattern and this was the way I always wanted them to make. Today I got finally my chance, using my exciting discovery kitchen device for making the cookies. Yes, yes I know this is actually a waffle iron, but I felt so in love with the pattern of this waffle iron, which I could vividly see on my Spekulatius cookies, so I could not resist to miss-use this special kitchen device to fulfil my dreams. And so I used this waffle iron to put the pattern on my cookies, by pressing the rolled out dough in between... 

The outcome was as adorable as the ancient waffle iron itself. I have to admit it took some more time, as you usually would need to make cookies... but it is really worth the effort. I really enjoyed the whole process, taking my time to create something special, something we would not have everyday, something super adorable and which makes a really special Christmas souviner to bring with, these days when you are visiting your family or friends. Buy a nice bottle of Glög / Glühwein / mulled wine and your presents becomes even more special, the spices are going very well with this warm wine drink complementing each other perfectly. And as its starts to get cold outside, we start appriciate the warm wine more and more. The cookies are going perfect with hot chocolate too, this combination will make every kids face smile for sure. 

Spekulatius cookies

• 100 g softened butter
• 100 g brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons grounded cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom (or cloves)
• 1/4 teaspoon grounded nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
• good pinch of salt
• 2-3 tablespoon milk
• 200 g flour

Put all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix it all together till a firm ball of dough will formed. Add more milk or flour if your dough appears too dry or too wet. The dough should be rather tense and not sticking to your hands. Wrap the dough in a wrapping foil and let is cool for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator. Take the dough out, roll it out and continue to put the pattern on it (either like me using a waffle iron or using the actual spekulatius cookie molds), of course you can always  use your cookie cutters to cut the cookies in different shapes. Bake for 10-15 min till cookies are golden brown. The cookies should be rather crisps. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and let the cookies getting cooled leaving them on the baking sheet.

Please note that if you are putting pattern on the cookies, to make sure the pattern are not disappearing during the baking process, the dough should be very very cold. I actually prepared my cookies and popped them into the freezer for about 10-20 min, before baking them.

On top to all the nice kitchen devices my mother in law has, which I personally enjoy a lot, we do also enjoy the Swedish country side...with phenomenal sunrises and special guest who are visiting us early in the morning.... 

Enjoy!