Speculaas

Ingredients: 500 gr	(3 1/3 cups) plain flour,(sifted)
2 tsp	baking powder
220 gr	butter, softened
250 gr	dark brown sugar
2 tbsp	milk
Speculaas spice
8	green cardamom pods
8	cloves
5	star anise
1 tsp	white peppercorns
1	piece of mace
2 tbsp	ground cinnamon
2 tsp	ground ginger
½ tsp	finely grated nutmeg

or You can use 3 tsp special Speculaas  spice

Directions:

1	For speculaas spice, finely grind cardamom, cloves, star anise, peppercorns and mace in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. Transfer to a large bowl, add cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, stir, add to flour and baking powder, and set aside.
2	Beat butter, sugar and a pinch of salt in an electric mixer until creamy (3-4 minutes). Add milk, beat to combine, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Form mixture into a dough with your hands on a work surface (add extra milk if mixture is too dry), shape into a disc and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate to rest (8 hours-overnight).
3	Preheat oven to 170C. Roll pastry on a lightly floured surface to 5mm thick, then refrigerate until firm (30 minutes). Cut into desired shapes (see note) and place on trays lined with baking paper. Re-roll scraps and repeat. Chill until firm (20 minutes), then bake in batches until light brown and crisp (10-12 minutes). Cool for 5 minutes on trays, then transfer to wire racks and cool completely. Speculaas will keep, stored in an airtight container, for 1 week.		Recipes From: Australian Gourmet Traveller