Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

Whisk together flour, salt and spices.

Cream butter and dark brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Alternately add dry ingredients and water. Mix to combine.

Chill overnight or at least 2 hours to hydrate and allow the spices to intensify.

If you are going to use regular cookie cutters, roll out dough on a smooth surface, lightly dusted with flour. Roll to about ¼ inch thick. Cut cookies and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until matte and set around the edges. The time will depend on the shape of cookie.

If you are going to use a traditional speculoos cookie mold, grab the rice flour and a sifter. Sift some rice flour over the top of the mold, turn it over and give it a gentle tap to remove the excess.

Grab a piece of the chilled dough and press it into the mold, leaving at least ⅛th inch on top of extra. Press the mold firmly flat on the counter, and slice the excess off by running a sharp paring knife across the surface. Lifting off the extra dough and setting it to the side. You can continue to reuse the dough, but it comes out of the molds easier when it is chilled.

Use the tip of the knife to lift a corner of the cookie dough out of the mold. Gently pull the cookie from the mold. It should release easily and have a perfect impression of the mold!

Place cookies on a lined baking sheet and continue with the remainder of the dough.

Don’t forget to dust with rice flour between each round of cookies!!!

Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until set around the edges and matte in the center.

If the cookies cool and are not totally crisp, you can continue to bake them in a 300°F oven until they have completely crisped. They won’t be completely crisp until they have cooled.