Sinterklaas is in town!

It's Sinterklaas time. Chef Pascal Lahaij of the Teaching Hotel made a lovely recipe for gingerbread buttons and stuffed speculaas. 

Recipe for gingerbread buttons

• 150 grams of butter
• 125 grams of brown sugar
• 10 gram speculaas spices
• 250 grams of self-rising flour
• pinch of salt
• ± 4 tablespoons of milk

Preheat the oven to 160 ° C. Knead the butter, brown sugar, gingerbread spices, self-rising flour and a pinch of salt well together. Knead well so that everything is well mixed with each other. Add the milk spoon by spoon. Make small balls of the dough and place on a baking tray covered with baking paper. Bake them in the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes at 180 ° C. Let them cool down and sprinkle some thin stripes of melted chocolate over them if necessary.

Recipe for stuffed speculaas

• 500 grams of sifted flour
• 312 grams of brown sugar
• 40 grams of gingerbread spices
• 300 grams of butter
• 15 grams of baking powder
• pinch of salt
• 150 grams of milk
• 750 grams of almond paste
• shredded almonds or half almonds
• 1 egg white (beaten)
• 1 egg (beaten)

Mix the flour with the baking powder and the gingerbread spices. Crumble the butter, sugar and salt, add the flour and make large crumbs. Add the milk and make a dough. Do not knead for too long! Sprinkle the dough with a little bit of flour and wrap in it plastic to let it rest in the refrigerator. Get a deep, square shaped baking tray. Cover the tray with butter and flour. Roll out half of the gingerbread dough and cover the mold with it. Brush with egg white. Roll out the paste into a thick slice and place it on the gingerbread dough. Brush the paste again with egg white.
Roll out the rest of the dough and place on top of the paste. Press it lightly. Brush the dough with beaten egg and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 150 ° C in about 40 minutes. Let the speculaas cool down and cut it into squares.

Enjoy!