Dutch Windmill Cookies (Speculaas)

Dutch Windmill Cookies are one of my daughter's favorite store-bought cookies. These are a close homemade version. And aren’t homemade always better?

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup margarine, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (or 1/4 teaspoon each of cloves, nutmeg and ginger - which is NOT the same as allspice, but it will do)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg white whisked with 1 tablespoon water
• Sliced almonds (for garnishing cookies)

Instructions

1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter, sugar and egg until fluffy.
2. Stir dry ingredients together, then add dry ingredients to butter mixture in three batches.
3. Shape dough into a ball, wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate 1 hour.
4. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes, then transfer cookies to prepared sheet, spacing about one inch apart.
6. Before baking, brush cookies with egg whites, then sprinkle with sliced almonds.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until very lightly browned.
8. Cool on rack.

Attribution

Recipe clipped from a magazine decades ago; posted by LuAnn B., a.k.a. "Tofu Queen."