Stroopwafels
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These homemade Dutch stroopwafels are made with thin, round waffle cookies split into halves and sandwiched together with sweet caramel filling. Enjoy this sweet treat with a hot cup of coffee or tea, or just by itself.
Have you ever heard of stroopwafels? Stroopwafels are delicious Dutch cookies that look like small thin waffles. Each is filled with spiced buttery caramel syrup. The texture is crisp and chewy at the same time.
They are perfect for that little something sweet with a relaxing cup of tea or a hot cup of coffee, or just by itself. They can be found anywhere, but just wait until you have tasted freshly-baked ones. So good!
Fortunately, they are actually quite easy to make. As long as you have stroopwafel or ice cream cone maker, you can make them at home!
What Are Stroopwafels?
Stroopwafels literally means syrup waffle. They are thin, round waffle cookies made from two layers of sweet baked dough with a caramel syrup filling in between. These cookies are a well-known Dutch treat that has been eaten in the Netherlands for centuries.
They are made from a stiff dough of flour, butter, sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs that has been pressed in a hot waffle iron until crisp. While still warm, the waffles have their edges removed with a cookie cutter and split into top and bottom halves. A caramel filling made from syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon is spread between the cookies. The caramel sets as they cool and bind the cookie halves together.
The history of this delicacy dates back to 1784, when a baker from the town of Gouda baked a waffle using old crumbs and spices, and filled it with syrup. Because it was made with leftovers, the stroopwafel was, at the time, a popular pastry among the poor and only known in Gouda. Today, every bakery in Gouda has its own particular recipe for these delicious sweet waffles.
Ingredients You Need
To make the waffle cookies, you will need:
- All-purpose flour. You can also use cake flour if you like them crispier.
- Unsalted butter. Salted butter can also be used, just be sure to omit the salt if you do so.
- Granulated sugar. To sweeten.
- Yeast. You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast.
- Milk. Make sure the milk is warm to activate the yeast.
- Egg. Use room temperature egg.
- Salt. To taste.
- Cinnamon powder. To spice the dough.
For the caramel filling, you will need:
- Dark corn syrup. Dutch stroop is traditionally used to make the recipe. It is a syrup with thick and sticky with color and consistency similar to caramel. Since it can be hard to find, I used dark corn syrup to substitute the stroop. Or you can also use light corn syrup and molasses with 3:1 ratio.
- Brown sugar. You can use both light or dark brown sugar.
- Unsalted butter. For complex and creamy flavor.
- Cinnamon powder. To spice the caramel filling.
- Salt. To taste.
You Need Stroopwafel Maker for This Recipe
Is it possible to make stroopwafel without a waffle iron? Yes and no. You can actually press the dough on a flat pan and press them thinly. However, you won’t get the signature waffle pattern of stroopwafel.
They are waffles, after all. You need a stroopwafel or ice cream cone maker for that. Or you can also use a pizzelle maker if you have one.
Other Tools You Need
- Offset spatula. To remove the waffle cookies from the waffle iron.
- Round cookie cutter. You will need a round cookie cutter to make the cookies round. I use a 3 1/2-inch / 9 cm round cutter, which is the perfect size for 40gr dough.
- A glove or napkin. To protect your hand from the heat when you split the hot cookies into halves.
- Knife. To split the waffle cookies.
Baking Tips
- Rest the dough. To make the dough more pliable.
- Don’t make the waffle cookies too thin. The thinner they are, the harder to split. I suggest not making the cookies too thin, especially if you are a first-timer in making stroopwafels.
- Split when the cookies are hot. It is easiest to split the waffles when they are hot off the iron. The cookies crisp up very quickly and would crack if you try to split them after they have cooled.
- Keep the caramel filling warm. The filling hardens as it cools. When it cools down, just reheat the caramel filling again.
How to Enjoy Stroopwafels?
The traditional way to eat the stroopwafel is to place it on top of a cup of hot coffee or tea. This heats and softens the waffle and slightly melts the caramel syrup in the stroopwafel.
Chocolate Version
If you love this recipe, try also Chocolate Stroopwafels recipe, a fun spin on the classic stroopwafels recipe. Thin, crisp, chocolatey waffle cookies with a sweet and gooey caramel filling in between.
More Cookies Recipes
- Florentine Cookies
- Biscoff Stuffed Cookies
- Sable Breton Cookies (French Butter Cookies)
- Double Chocolate Sable Cookies
- Matcha Wreath Cookies
Ingredients
Waffle Cookies
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) milk, warm
- 1 1/2 tbsp (15 gr) instant or active dry yeast
- 1 1/8 cups (250 gr) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup (150 gr) granulated sugar
- 4 cups (500 gr) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1 tsp salt
Caramel Syrup
- 1 cup (200 gr) brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (280 gr) dark corn syrup
- 3 1/2 tbsp (50 gr) unsalted butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
Waffle Cookies
- In a large bowl, add milk and yeast. Stir to combine. If you use active dry yeast, let the mixture sit until slightly foamy for about 10-15 minutes. If you use instant yeast, you can skip to the next step.
- Add melted butter, egg, granulated sugar. Mix until well combined.
- Sift in all-purpose flour, cinnamon powder, and salt. Mix until well incorporated.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead a few times to form gluten. Shape the dough into a ball and transfer it back into the bowl.
- Cover the bowl and rest the dough for 1 hour.
Caramel Syrup
- In a medium saucepan, add brown sugar, dark corn syrup, unsalted butter, cinnamon powder, and salt.
- Cook on low-medium heat while stirring constantly until the mixture boils. Keep the filling warm. If it has cooled down, you can reheat it again. Set aside.
Assemble
- Divide the dough into 24-25 pieces evenly or about 40 gr in weight.
- Shape into balls and flatten slightly.
- Preheat the stroopwafel maker before using. Place a ball of dough on the preheated iron and press to flatten it. Cook until the steam no longer escapes and it has turned golden brown.
- Remove the cooked waffle cookies with an offset spatula.
- Immediately use a 3 1/2-inch (9 cm) round cookie cutter to cut off the edges. While the cookie is still hot, gently split it into top and bottom halves with a knife.
- Spread the caramel filling on one half and sandwich the filling with another half. Place the finished stroopwafels on a cooking rack to cool completely.
- Continue the process with the rest of the dough. Once the stroopwafels have cooled completely, transfer them into an airtight container.
Hi dear can u recommend a good wafflecone maker that you use here in indo? Txx
Hi Cyn, here is the link of the product https://shope.ee/1VcL2iC1Eu