Almond Muffins With Speculaas Spices

When fall arrives, I can’t resist adding warm speculaas spices to nearly every bake I make. These Almond Spice Muffins are one of my favorites for the cozy season.

They’re soft, full of flavor, and have the perfect balance of sweet spices and nutty almonds. Around the holidays, especially during the Sinterklaas holiday season in the Netherlands, these muffins are always a hit, but honestly, they’re delicious any time of year. Nothing better than the smell of speculaaskruiden when baking in the oven!

Why This Recipe Works

These muffins are simple to make but taste as if you spent all afternoon in the kitchen. The almond flour adds a soft, tender crumb, while the speculaas spices bring that cozy flavor of cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.

A touch of almond extract brings out the nuttiness, and the crunchy almond flakes on top give each muffin a little extra texture. The combination of spice, sweetness, and crunch makes these irresistible.

Recipe Ingredients

• almond flour – I love the flavor of almond flour and in these easy almond muffins, it is the highlight.
• all-purpose flour – the combination with regular flour ensures that they rise properly and are fluffy and delicious once baked
• sugar – I used regular granulated sugar but you can also use brown sugar if you prefer
• speculaas spice mix – you can make your own spice mix or use pumpkin pie spices as an alternative.
• vegetable oil – I use sunflower oil for this recipe, but you can use any other kind of neutral vegetable oil you want
• cookies – these speculaas muffins are extra delicious if you add some speculaas cookies (or Biscoff cookies) in the batter. Speculaas cookies are a traditional Dutch pastry but can be made yourself with this easy speculaas recipe.

Make sure to double-check the quantities in the recipe card below, which includes all the ingredients.

How To Make Almond Muffins with Speculaas Spices

Making these easy almond muffins you will need a muffin pan or muffin mold to bake them.

Start by adding the all the dry ingredients to a large bowl. Use another bowl to add the wet ingredients and mix them together. You can use a food processor, but to be honest, you don’t really need one as the batter is very easy to mix.

Simply fold it together with a spatula until just combined. It’s totally ok if the flour mixture is not super smooth.

Now you add the cookie pieces and the chopped almonds and mix it together so it is evenly distributed in the batter.

Divide the batter over the muffin tin (using cupcake liners) and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted.

Expert Tip

For an extra crunch, sprinkle a few extra cookie pieces on top before baking. They toast beautifully in the oven and add a delicious bite to every muffin.

You’ll need a cupcake or muffin pan for this recipe. I like using the Wilton nonstick pan, it’s durable, easy to clean, and gives perfect results every time.