These spiced cookies, called Kruidnoten, are typical of the period leading up to Christmas in the Netherlands. They are made or bought during the Sinterklaas holiday.
The legend says that Sinterklaas, known as Saint Nicholas to us, lives in Spain and arrives in Holland on November 14th with his ship full of gifts for children, along with his numerous helpers called Piet. Sinterklaas comes to the Netherlands to celebrate his birthday which is on December 5th, and during those days in Holland, there are many Sinterklaas and Piet distributing candies and typical sweets, including the popular Kruidnoten!
The taste of these crunchy vegan cookies is given by the speculaaskruiden: a spice mix which is easily found in any grocery store in Holland. This mix is very similar to the Pain d’épices used for making spiced bread. However, it is also very easy to make at home, and crushing the spices with a mortar will release an aromatic Christmas scent!
Craving cookies? Here are some others:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 40 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas, Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1 pinch baking powder (for desserts)
- 3.5 tbsp vegetable margarine (40% fat)
- 1/4 cup whole cane sugar
- 2 tbsp plant-based milk (unsweetened)
- 1 tbsp speculaaskruiden (a spice mix you can make as explained later)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 4 tsp cinnamon (ground)
- 1 tsp nutmeg (ground)
- 1 tsp cloves (ground)
- 1 tsp ginger (ground)
- 1 tsp cardamom (ground)
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp star anise (ground, optional)
- 1 tsp ground coriander (optional)
- Points for 2 cookies = 1 WW point
Tools
- Mixer
- Sifter
- Baking paper
- Cooling rack
Preparation
If you are using whole spices, grind them with a mortar or a grinder and then sift them. Mix very well and store in an airtight container in a dark pantry.
Using a mixer (with the hook) or by hand, mix the margarine in pieces with the sugar until creamy. Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and a tablespoon of speculaaskruiden spices and add everything to the bowl with the sugar and butter cream. Also add the milk and knead until you get a soft but compact dough.
Form 40 balls and slightly flatten the base to create small hemispheres. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Preheat the convection oven to 350°F (a bit more for a static oven) and place the tray in the center of the oven for 12-15 minutes or until the spiced cookies start to brown on the surface. Remove from the oven and let them cool on a cooling rack: as they cool, they will acquire the typical crunchy consistency that distinguishes them.
Here are a couple of them cut open to show their crumbly texture… but watch out for the diet: a handful is fine but you have to control yourself because you can’t stop at just one!
Our spiced cookies are ready… what a scent they leave in the house, it’s worth making them just for that!
During the Christmas period, they are beautiful and aromatic to offer and use to fill bags to give as gifts or hang on the tree. They are also a great snack idea for children and are good to munch on all year round! Above is a collage of photos from my readers that I thank for their collaboration!
Here’s how I used the dough to create some spiced cookies to hang on the Christmas tree, cute right? This recipe is to be made with children: you can make many more cookies and the kids will have a lot of fun preparing all these sweet “meatballs”…
And as they say for something good in Dutch: lekker!
by Giovanna Buono
Storage
You can store these cookies for a few days in a cookie container.
What can I use instead of margarine?
I know many people are wary of margarine. I choose one without hydrogenated fats, palm oil, and 100% vegetable, and use very little of it: mainly for making cookies and pastries, as it gives a flakiness that you can’t achieve using only oil. But if you prefer to avoid it, you can make this dough with just oil, starting with 1-2 tablespoons instead of margarine, and then following the recipe. Be sure to redo the Weight Watchers point calculation considering the oil used.
