Prep time:

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Total time:

Serves: 6

175g Butter at Room Temperature

75g Caster Sugar

175g Plain Flour

75g Semolina or Rice Flour

1.5tsp Mixed Spice

Icing Sugar, for dusting

½ Pack of Philadelphia Cream Cheese (full cream)

1/2 Cup if Speculoos Spread

1tsp Vanilla Essence

1/2 Cup Icing Sugar

Speculoos is a type of spiced shortcrust biscuit traditionally baked just before the feast of St Nicholas (5th December) and around Christmas in Europe. The traditional spices used are pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg. You can now buy it as a premade paste in most supermarkets.

  1. Heat oven to 160°C.
  2. Beat the butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon (or in the mixer) until softened. Mix the spices with the flour.
  3. Beat in the sugar, followed by the flour and semolina (or rice flour). Work the ingredients together until they form a soft dough.
  4. Shape into a ball and chill for 30 mins in the fridge.
  5. Once ready to roll, remove from refrigerator and roll out on lightly floured surface until desired thickness is achieved (ideally about ½ to ¾ of a centimetre thick) and, using a cookie cutter, cut out discs.
  6. Place on lined (or greased and floured) baking sheet, and bake in oven at 160°C for 20-25 minutes, until a light golden brown bake.
  7. Remove from oven and leave on tray for a minute before placing on cooling rack.

For the Speculoos Cream Cheese Filling:

Speculoos is a type of spiced shortcrust biscuit traditionally baked just before the feast of St Nicholas (5th December) and around Christmas in Europe. The traditional spices used are pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg. You can now buy it as a premade paste in most supermarkets.

  1. Beat the cream cheese, speculoos spread and vanilla until blended and smooth.
  2. Add icing sugar and mix until all incorporated.
  3. Spread between cooled biscuit discs and sandwich together, chill until set.

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

You may also like

Lamb tagine

This is the perfect recipe for entertaining, batch cooking or freezing ahead for Christmas. It’s best made a day or two before, or you can cook low and slow in the morning. This is lovely served with my giant cous...

Giant cous cous with roasted winter vegetables & pomegranate molasses dressing

This goes so well with the tagine or stands alone as a delicious salad. You can make all the elements the day before and refrigerate. Then mix up on the day (you will need to break the couscous up a...

Smoked Mackerel Pâté

Here is an irresistible, light canapé recipe – a lovely starter or gorgeous for a buffet! This is a tasty pâté or dip to enjoy that takes 5 mins to whip up and is packed full of delicious flavours, and...