A headstart on the holidays: Spectaculoos Sandwich Cookies with White Chocolate-Peppermint Candy

Do you realize that we have entered the final quarter of the year and only a month or so away from the start of the holiday season? Well, neither did I but the folks here certainly did and are preparing ahead of time, prompting the perfect opportunity for me to share this recipe of a cookie that I got totally addicted to while living in Paris.
Speculaas (or speculoos in French) is >/span> a traditional Dutch cookie; a crispy, thin layer of shortbread full of brown-sugary goodness and holiday spices, primarily cinnamon, nutmeg and sometimes ginger.

Most cafés in Paris would serve a complimentary piece of this sweet, crunchy cookie alongside each cup of coffee or tea, a delightful treat that I had always looked forward to, sometimes more so than my cuppa itself! As wonderful as the combination of brown sugar and cinnamon is for the holidays, the addition of a holiday filling - decadent white chocolate with bits of peppermint candy - makes the cookie nothing short of spectacular! They are really simple to make and I whipped up a batch of these in no time while taking a break from my other test bakes.

Spectaculoos Sandwich Cookies with White Chocolate-Peppermint Candy

For the Cookies:
Ingredients (makes ~ 36 pieces):
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp cinnamon powder
7 Tbsp butter, softened to room temp.
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp milk
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt

For the filling:
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or use chopped pieces of white chocolate)
1/4 cup heavy cream
Peppermint candies (5 or 6 candies or 1 1/2 candy cane)

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350˚F. Line baking tray with parchment paper or silicon mat
1. Add the flour, cinnamon powder and salt together in a separate bowl; whisk to mix well. Set aside.
2. Using an electric or hand mixer,  cream butter on medium speed for about 1 minute.
3. Add brown sugar and granulated sugar to softened butter and cream at high speed until the sugars and butter are well blended.
4. Add milk and egg yolk to mixture. Mix well.
5. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients mixture of flour-baking powder-salt in 2 batches. Mix until the dough comes together in the middle and does not stick to the sides of the bowl.
6. Pour the cookie dough on to a cling wrap laid on a clean, flat work surface. Flatten dough to a disk and wrap with cling wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

7. Once chilled, remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Lightly flour work surface, then roll out the dough to form a circle about 1/8" thick, turning the dough as you roll to ensure that it does not stick to the work surface.

8. Using a 2" round fluted cookie cutter (or any shapes you desire), cut of the cookie dough and place the cookies on to the parchment or silicon-lined trays.

9. Bake at 350˚F for 12 minutes or until the cookies are done and turn a golden brown.

10. Remove from oven and place on baking rack to cool.

To make the white chocolate ganache filling:
1. Place the white chocolate pieces in a heat-proof bowl.
2. In a separate heavy-based pot, heat the cream and bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and pour over white chocolate.
3. Wait for 2 minutes, then stir the mixture to fully melt the white chocolate.
4. Continue stirring until the mixture becomes smooth and cools down to room temperature.
5. Crush the peppermint candies in a bowl or ziploc bag.
6. Pour crushed candies into the white chocolate ganache mixture. Stir to mix.
7. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

To assemble the cookies, spoon about a teaspoon of white chocolate ganache on to a cookie, spread and flatten ganache with spatula, then place another cookie on top, sandwiching the white chocolate ganache-peppermint candy filling in between.

If you like fruit preserves, you can also substitute the peppermint candies with a tablespoon of marmalade, raspberry or any preserves of your choice. So go ahead and try these spectaculoos and let me know what you think!