Speculoos (Spiced Caramel Biscuits)

Bake. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, plus heat to 175°C (180°C). In the bowl of one stand mixer fitted using a paddle attachment, mix candi or toasted sugar with butter, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, kinako, nutmeg, salt, cloves, cardamom, plus anise. Cream on mid-sized speed till fluffy, soft, and pale, around 10 minutes, pausing to scrape the bowl plus paddle if you need to if the sugar seems dense plus compacted at the bottom of the bowl. Slowly splash in the water in little amounts while creaming on mid-sized speed. Reduce speed to low and tip in the flour all at once it disappears in the fluffy butter/sugar mix. Keep mixing till the dough begins to gather round the paddle. Turn the dough onto a clean surface, plus work lightly to form a ball. Pat in a rectangular shape, next dust using flour, above plus below. Roll to a thickness of 5–6 mm, using one ruler for guidance. Slide an offset spatula beneath this dough in order to loosen, plus brush away the excess flour. Cut the dough into 1.9 cm strips, next cut crossways to form 5 cm rectangles with a fluted pastry wheel. Move the cutouts and scraps to a paper-lined half sheet pan, leaving an inch among every piece to account for spread with the offset spatula. Bake till cookies are golden brown, around 16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through if needed in order in order to ensure even browning. Cool in order to room temperature directly on the baking tray; the cookies will not crisp till fully cool. Enjoy using coffee, and store leftovers in an airtight container upwards to 1 month at room temperature; this scraps can be ground in order to use for crumbs plus frozen in an airtight container for upwards to 3 months.