Almond Filled Speculaas

ALMOND FILLED SPECULAAS Filling / Almond Paste: 4 cups ground almonds 3 cups icing sugar 2 tsp lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp almond extract 2 eggs Mix together well. Wrap up and set aside in fridge to chill. Speculaas: 1 1/2 cup butter 1 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 1/2 cup white sugar Cream together butter and sugars. 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cloves powder 1 tsp ginger powder 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp allspice 1 1/2 tsp nutmeg powder 3 eggs Add to butter and sugar, mix well. 4 1/2 cups flour Add flour and mix well until it all comes together. Take half the speculaas and spread in a 12"x17"x1" cookie sheet. Layer almond paste in a thin layer- you can slice it or roll on parchement paper and transfer over. Spread the other half of the speculaas on top of almond paste. Watch video on some tricks to help spread layers thinly. Before baking, spread top with a splash of milk. This will make a nice 'crust' on top. Bake 350° for 40 minutes. Cut while still warm. Cool. Freezes well.