Chocolate-dipped Speculoos Cookies

Total Time: 2 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• 18 tablespoons unsalted butter, preferably with 82 to 84 percent butterfat content, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar, packed
• 4 1/2 cups flour, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 large egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground star anise
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 1/2 tablespoons orange zest, finely grated (from 3 navel oranges)
• 6 ounces chocolate, finely chopped

Recipe

• 1 combine butter and sugar in mixer about 5 minutes on medium, until smooth and lightened in color, scraping bowl as needed.
• 2 sift together flour and baking powder and add to mixer.
• 3 add the 1/2 egg, milk, spices, salt and orange zest. beat on low speed until a dough forms that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. the dough should be wonderfully fragrant and not sticky.
• 4 divide the dough in half. roll each half between two large pieces of parchment paper into a rectangle with an even thickness of 1/8 inch. slide each half onto a large baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and preferably overnight (so the flavors meld). alternatively, chill to let the flavors meld, then roll out when ready to use.
• 5 preheat the oven to 375 degrees with the oven rack in the middle of the oven. line several baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
• 6 working with one sheet of dough at a time, cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch squares and transfer to the lined baking sheets; space 1 inch apart. scraps can be rerolled and rechilled as needed.
• 7 bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, starting to check after 10 minutes, until the wafers are evenly browned. cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. repeat to use all of the dough.
• 8 for the optional chocolate coating: microwave chocolate on low for 10 seconds at a time, checking between each cooking segment to make sure the chocolate does not go above 82 to 85 degrees. if the chocolate becomes too hot, stir in an extra bit of finely chopped chocolate to reduce the temperature.
• 9 the chocolate will be ready when it is soft enough to stir; stir until smooth and almost pourable.
• 10 dip a corner or half of each cookie into the chocolate, then place on waxed paper to let the chocolate set.