Gevulde Speculaas

Ingredients

• 300 gself-rising flour
• 150 gbrown sugar
• 10 gspeculaas spice mix, Dutch spice blend (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamom, anise)
• salt, a pinch
• 125 gbutter, cold; cubed
• 6 tbspmilk, start with 6 tbsp; add more if dough is too stiff; up to about 10 tbsp total
• 300 galmond paste, for filling; mixed with half the beaten egg
• 1egg, beaten; half kneaded into almond paste filling, half used for egg wash on top
• almonds, whole; for garnish pressed on top before baking

Method

1. 1

   Mix the flour, brown sugar, speculaas spice mix and salt. Add the cold butter and milk and knead into a firm dough, starting with 6 tbsp milk and adding more if needed.

2. 2

   Beat the egg. Mix the almond paste with half the beaten egg and knead until smooth and pliable.

3. 3

   Roll out half the dough to a 20 × 20cm square and lay in a parchment-lined baking pan. Spread the almond paste evenly over the base.

4. 4

   Roll out the remaining dough and place on top of the almond paste. Brush with the remaining beaten egg. Press whole almonds decoratively on top and give another brush of egg wash.

5. 5

   Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 40 minutes until golden and cooked through.