Come Christmas, many of us get a hankering for Speculaas, the thin, crisp, Dutch windmill-shaped spice cookies. This version, from Martha Stewart’s “Cookie Perfection: 100+ Recipes to Take Your Sweet Treat to the Next Level” (Clarkson Potter; $26), gets its intricate pattern from crocheted doilies. The design is imprinted by placing a doily on top of the rolled-out dough and then using a rolling pin to transfer it. Tip: Stick to thick, fabric doilies. Wimpy paper ones won’t do the trick.
Glazed Spiced Snowflakes
Makes 7 large, 12 medium and 36 small cookies
Ingredients
3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
Glaze: 1½ cups sifted powdered sugar, ¼ cup whole milk, 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
In another large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high, beat butter with brown sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add half the flour mixture, then 1/3 cup water, then the remaining flour mixture, beating on low after each addition until just incorporated. Shape dough into 3 disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
Working with one disk at a time, roll out to 1/4‑inch thickness on lightly floured parchment. Cover with a doily and gently roll to make an imprint. (Dough should now be about 1/8 inch thick.) Remove doily and freeze dough until firm, about 15 minutes.
Using a 5-inch snowflake-shaped cutter, cut snowflakes from one disk. Cut remaining dough disks using 3-inch and 1½‑inch snowflake-shaped cutters. Chill and reroll scraps. Arrange large cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and medium and small cookies together on another; freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are set around edges, 16 to 18 minutes for large, 12 to 14 minutes for medium and small. Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cool completely.
Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. If necessary, add more milk, ½ teaspoon at a time, until glaze is slightly thicker than cream.
Dip each cookie, imprint side down, into the glaze, tilting to evenly coat. Transfer to rack and let sit until glaze is set, about 10 minutes. (Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.)
— Reprinted from “Martha Stewart’s Cookie Perfection” by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (Clarkson Potter; $26)