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Close-up of a stamped snowflake speculoos cookie with crisp, caramelized edges, styled for holiday baking.
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Homemade Speculoos Cookies (Bishoff Cookies)

These homemade Belgian Speculoos cookies—also known as homemade Biscoff—are warmly spiced, lightly crisp, and deeply caramelized. Easy to make with pantry spices, they’re perfect for Christmas cookie tins, afternoon tea, or gifting.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Chilling Time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Calories: 124kcal
Author: Stephanie Wilson

Ingredients

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar light brown candi sugar preferred
  • 1 large egg
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, and pepper. Whisk together and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or with an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and honey until smooth and fluffy. This will take several minutes. Then beat in the egg until the dough comes together, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. The dough will be soft.
  • Gently knead the dough to become a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill for 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350℉ with the rack in the lower middle position.
  • Bake the cookies until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through for even browning.
  • Remove the baked cookies from the oven and let them cool slightly on the pan before transferring to a wire rack so they can cool completely.

Stamped Cookie Press (3-inch)

  • Roll the dough into a golf ball size ball (about 40 grams each) and roll in sugar. Place dough ball on a parchment lined baking sheet and press down on the chilled dough until you see the edges emerge from the press. If you want, you can trim the essess dough from the edges to form an even cookie. Place 1-2 inches apart on the baking sheet as they will spread slightly.

Biscoff Style Cookies

  • Roll the dough, then using a fluted pastry wheel, cut the dough into 1-inch strips lengthwise, and cut crosswise to form 2-inch rectangles. Gently transfer the cookies to a parchment lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart for some spreading.

Notes

  1. Chilling the Dough: For the best flavor and cleanest stamped impressions, chill the dough for at least 2 hours. Overnight (up to 24 hours) develops even deeper caramel notes.
  2. Stamped Cookies: Keep dough balls chilled until the moment you stamp them. If the dough warms up, lightly flour the cookie stamp and chill the portioned dough again before pressing. 
  3. Rectangular “Biscoff-Style” Cookies: Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment to prevent sticking. If the dough becomes too soft to cut cleanly, slide the sheet onto a baking tray and chill for 10–15 minutes before cutting.
  4. Spice Variations: This recipe uses an easy, pantry-friendly spice blend. For a more traditional Belgian flavor, add a pinch of white pepper or anise.
  5. Baking Time: Bake just until the edges turn golden brown. The cookies will crisp further as they cool.
  6. Storage: Speculoos keep exceptionally well. Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days. They also freeze beautifully for up to 2 months. 
  7. Serving: Perfect with coffee, tea, or hot cocoa—especially during the holidays or St. Nicholas Day celebrations.

Nutrition

Calories: 124kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 129IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg