These
stroopkoeken are just as good as their cousin, the more famous
stroopwafel, but you won't need a special waffle iron to make them. You will, however, need to track down a few typical Dutch ingredients, most of which can be
ordered online quite easily.
While we feel confident that you can find good substitutes for most of these ingredients, such as
cake flour instead of
Zaanse bloem and
golden syrup or
treacle instead of
keukenstroop, it's best to use the original ingredients if you're after an authentic tasting end result.
This recipe has been translated from the original in Koekje cookbook and has been republished on the Dutch Food site with the permission of the publisher. While we've converted the recipe to US measurements (as closely as possible), this is a precision recipe, and you'll get the best results using a kitchen scale and the original European measurements (in grams).
Special note: We found an error in the original recipe in Koekje cookbook: the recipe instructs to rest the dough at room temperature and then later to take the dough out of the fridge. We rested the dough at room temperature and the results were fine.
Ingredients:
- FOR THE COOKIES:
- 8.5 oz (1 cup) soft butter, (240 g)
- 8.5 oz (1¼ cup) 'witte basterdsuiker' sugar (see Tips below), (240 g)
- 1 tsp salt, (5 g)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 16 oz (5 cups) 'Zeeuwse bloem' flour (see Tips below), sieved, (450 g) and a little extra to flour the work surface
- 2 ⅔ tsp baking powder, sieved, (10 g)
- FOR THE FILLING:
- 4.5 oz (½ cup) 'keukenstroop' syrup (see Tips below),(200 g)
- 4.5 oz (about ⅔ cup) 'bruine basterdsuiker' sugar (see Tips below), (125 g)
- 3.5 oz (about 7 tbsp) best quality butter ('roomboter'), (100 g)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- YOU WILL NEED:
- A 3-inch round cookie cutter (8 cm)
- Cookie sheets
- Grease-proof paper/parchment paper
Preparation:
Mix the butter with the sugar, salt and the egg. Add the flour and baking powder and knead until mixed. Cover and allow the cookie dough to rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
Warm the syrup in a small saucepan, and stir in the sugar, butter and cinnamon. Set aside and allow to cool to lukewarm.
Preheat the oven to 340 degrees F (170 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with grease-proof or parchment paper.
Flour the work surface with flour and roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/16-inch (2 mm). Using a cookie cutter with a diameter of about 3-inches (8 cm), cut cookie rounds from the dough and place on the cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven.
Spread a layer of syrup on the flat side of half of the cookies and cover with the remaining cookies. Serve warm.
Tips:
Basterdsuiker is a typical Dutch product and cannot be easily substituted. It is manufactured by adding invert sugar and other ingredients to fine white refined sugar. This mixture helps to achieve certain textural structures and keeps baked goods moist. There are three varieties, white, brown and dark brown, called witte basterdsuiker, (licht)bruine basterdsuiker or gele basterdsuiker and donkerbruine basterdsuiker. It is widely available from Dutch supermarkets and some Dutch groceries on the internet.
Zeeuwse bloem is a finely milled white Dutch cake flour, made from soft wheat. It is described by Holtkamp as 'a flour rich in enzymes and low in gluten, which is very pliable and elastic in nature.' According to the patissier, this makes the flour suitable for cookies that have to be ultra light and crispy. What makes this flour different from regular cake flour, is the fact that it comes from an area with a sea climate, contains less starch, is more moist - with an almost fatty feel - and has less thickening power. Zeeuwse bloem can be ordered at most bakeries in the Netherlands. Alternatively, go to a good baker where you live and tell them you need a finely milled white four, made from soft wheat, suitable for cookies.
Keukenstroop is a molasses-colored syrup made from sugar syrup and glucose syrup. This treacly syrup (also called simply 'stroop') is often enjoyed with pancakes in the Netherlands instead of maple syrup. It is widely available from Dutch supermarkets and Dutch groceries on the internet.
Stroopkoeken are at their most delicious straight from the oven, served warm. You can keep cooled leftover cookies in an air-tight container for a few days.
