These tiny gingerbread-style cookies make terrific stocking stuffers (2024)

Karin Engelbrecht

Magazine editor, restaurant reviewer, and food writer who focuses on Dutch cuisine.

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Updated on 10/13/21

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups (200 grams)self-rising flour
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar, Dutch donkerbruine basterdsuiker, see tips, or pure cane sugar, demerara
7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces/100 grams) unsalted butter
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, orspeculaaskruiden
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 orange, zested, finely grated
1 large egg white, beaten

Gather the ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the egg white and knead well. You may use a mixer with a dough hook attachment here. You should be able to shape the dough into a ball without it sticking to your hands. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour. so that the spices can work their magic.
Preheat the oven to 347 F / 175 C. Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
Wet your hands and roll little marble-sized balls of dough (approx. 1/2 inch/12 mm). Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet.
Using your thumb, gently press down on each ball to flatten slightly.
Brush with egg white.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cookies puff up and turn a slightly darker shade of brown. Allow to cool.

Basterdsuiker is a typical Dutch product. It is manufactured by adding invert sugar and other ingredients to fine white refined sugar. This mixture helps to achieve certain textural structures and keeps baked goods moist. There are three varieties, white, brown and dark brown, called witte basterdsuiker, (licht)bruine basterdsuiker or gele basterdsuiker and donkerbruine basterdsuiker. It is widely available from Dutch supermarkets and some Dutch groceries on the internet. I've had good results substituting the donkerbruine basterdsuiker in this recipe with pure cane sugar (demerera).
You can order little sachets of speculaas spices (known as speculaaskruiden) online. But you can easily substitute pumpkin pie spices. You can also make your own speculaaskruiden, which really allows you to tailor things to your tastes - a little more cinnamon, or a little less cardamom - whatever you fancy.
Kruidnoten make a great gift. Simply wrap up in some cellophane and tie with a ribbon.

Sinterklaastreats, such askruidnoten,pepernotenand various candies are known asstrooigoed, because they're traditionally strewn and eagerly scooped up by children.The act of sewing suggests fertility, like a farmer sowing his seeds, and the practice is supposedly linked to more ancient Germanic fertility rites practiced here, with children being the living symbols of fertility.
Kruidnotenare often mistakenly calledpepernoten, which are actually slightly chewy, rusk-like aniseed and honey cookies.
Traditional kruidnoten remain popular, but new variations, such as truffle kruidnoten, chocolate-covered kruidnoten and yogurt-covered kruidnoten are also enjoyed.

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 50
Amount per serving
Calories	39
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g	2%
Saturated Fat 1g	5%
Cholesterol 8mg	3%
Sodium 75mg	3%
Total Carbohydrate 5g	2%
Dietary Fiber 0g	1%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg	1%
Calcium 17mg	1%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 9mg	0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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