Ho ho ho! Writing Group Holiday Cookie!

Speculaas cookie by Mrs. Apel

You've heard from top-selling authors and writing group members L.C. Hayden, Kate Michaelson and Mary Seifert. Today it's my turn and have I got a cookie recipe for you! Eat these cookies, and I guarantee your mouth will be holiday happy. Before you savor the sweetness, however, you'll want to read how this recipe relates to a gothic mystery story I'm working on.

Earlier this year, I completed my first draft of Wolf Manor (working title; targeted to come out in 2025)--the story of a teacher, Clara, who has little choice but must accept a position as the tutor to the young daughter of the wealthy and mysterious Gerrit Van Der Vurst. Gerrit is the scion of a powerful Dutch family that originally settled in the Catskills of New York State two hundred years earlier.

This gothic mystery takes place in 1851. I chose the time and place because of significant legislative, cultural, and environmental changes that affected many New Yorkers in the mid-1800s. Going into the details here complicates this post, but suffice to say women and families like the Van Der Vursts experienced a lot of change, which made me think about themes like heritage and family.

To help me weave those themes into my story, I created the character of Mrs. Apel, the Wolf Manor housekeeper, who is everything you’d love a housekeeper to be. Her soft, round face beams with kindness, framed by a white cap that holds her graying hair in place. She’s always dressed in a simple yet neat frock, her apron perpetually dusted with flour or smudged with butter. Her sweet, soothing voice tells tales of old Dutch traditions, keeping the heritage alive and touching the heart of Clara as she comes to know the Van Der Vurst family and their secrets.

Speaking of the family, even though my story setting is not winter, I imagined the family and house at Christmastime. Great drifts of sparkling snow would surround the manor, and a deep, dark forest would hem it in. I pictured the family sitting snug and close to the fire, telling tales of Sinterklaas (the Dutch name for Saint Nicholas/Santa Claus), while Mrs. Apel served up cups of thick hot chocolate with Speculaas cookies.

Now we get to the cookies! Speculaas cookies are a Dutch holiday tradition. Doubtless, the old Dutch families would have brought this recipe with them to the new world and enjoyed the cookies during the holidays.

BTW, historic recipes use wooden cookie molds (which I don’t have), but the dough works with cookie cutters, too (which I do have). For this project, I collected several recipes, experimented (the fun part), and ended up with a recipe mash-up that I call:

Mrs. Apel's Holiday Speculaas Cookies

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon table salt

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 to 4 tablespoons whole milk

OPTIONAL ICING

Note: These cookies look pretty and are just as tasty with a simple dusting of plain powdered sugar. So, it's up to you if you prefer icing. And if you make icing, keep your eye on the consistency. You don't want it to get too thin like mine got in one of my experimental batches!

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 to 3 teaspoons whole milk (for piping you will want a thicker consistency) or water (for drizzling or brushing you will want a thinner consistency)

Equipment

• Two large mixing bowls

• Electric mixer

• Spatula

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Rolling pin

• Cookie molds, cutters and/or stamps

• Baking sheet

• Parchment paper, cooking spray or oil for the baking sheet

• OPTIONAL: Piping bag, spoon, or brush for decorating with the optional icing

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, use the electric mixer to beat together the butter, sugar, spices, salt and vanilla.

2. In another bowl, use a spatula to stir together flour, almond flour, baking powder.

3. Add the flour mixture to the butter, sugar and vanilla and stir.

4. Add milk tablespoon by tablespoon. Once the dough comes together, stop adding milk. (Watch the dough carefully as you may not need the full 4 tablespoons.)

5. Form the dough into two disks and refrigerate for about 2 hours (the dough will be soft and needs to firm up).

6. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Take your baking sheet and grease or line it with parchment.

7. Work with one disk at a time, roll the dough 1/8" to 1/4" thick. Cut out shapes using your desired cutters. Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet.

8. Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes, or until they're lightly browned around the edges. Remove them from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool.

   
   

Optional icing: 

1. Stir together the powdered sugar and enough milk or water to create your icing in the consistency that you like (for piping, drizzling or painting), and decorate.

The cookies will be crisp and sweet, with bold notes of spice. Perfect for an evening by the fire, telling winter ghost stories, while the snow falls around your home. Enjoy!

If you've tested December's writing group cookie recipes, let me know in the comments below! And if great cookies made you hungry for a writing buddy, be sure to check out The Write Group.