Dutch stroopwafels — thin, crisp waffle wafers split and filled with warm spiced caramel syrup. A beloved treat, best enjoyed warm over a cup of coffee.
Few things beat a freshly made stroopwafel — two wafer-thin, lightly spiced waffles pressed around a molten caramel-syrup filling. Making them at home is a labour of love, but warm from the iron with the stroop still gooey, they're in a different league to anything shop-bought. This is a recipe to make with a friend, working quickly while the irons are hot.
Prep 80 min
Cook 30 min
Total 110 min
Hard
- 15 ml Milk
- 10g Instant Yeast
- 250g All Purpose Flour
- 80g Sugar
- 1 Egg
- Pinch Salt
- 200g Dutch Stroop
- 120g Brown Sugar
- 80g Unsalted Butter
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
Video
Preparation
- Combine the milk and yeast in a bowl and let stand for a moment to dissolve.
- In another bowl, combine the flour, butter, sugar, egg and salt, pour in the yeast mixture, and knead until smooth. Cover and leave to rise for one hour.
- When the dough is almost ready, make the filling: combine the stroop, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon in a saucepan and stir until the butter is melted and the sugar dissolved, then simmer for a while (it will thicken further as it cools).
- Shape the dough into balls of about 35g each — 14 in total. Heat your stroopwafel iron on the highest setting.
- Place a ball in the iron and close it, without flattening too much (you should still be able to cut through it), and bake for 1–2 minutes until golden brown.
- Work quickly: remove the waffle and immediately cut out a neat circle about 8–9cm across with a round cutter.
- Place the hot waffle on a board and slice it horizontally with a sharp knife, holding it with an oven mitt as it's very hot.
- Spread the hot stroop on one half, place the other on top, pressing gently, and cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the rest.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Have your round cutter and sharp knife ready before you start — stroopwafels must be cut and filled while piping hot or they'll crack.
- Don't clamp the iron all the way shut; you want the waffle thick enough to slice horizontally in two.
- Keep the stroop filling warm and pourable over a low heat as you work — it stiffens fast as it cools.
- Wear an oven mitt when slicing the hot waffles; they hold a surprising amount of heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a thick, dark sugar-beet or apple syrup with a deep caramel flavour. If you can't find it, a mix of dark treacle and golden syrup makes a reasonable stand-in.
For the authentic thin, crisp waffle, yes. A pizzelle iron is the closest alternative and will give you a similar result.
It cooled too much. You have only seconds to cut the circle and slice it in two — move fast and keep the rest warm under a cloth.
Keep in an airtight tin for a few days. Rest one over a hot cup of coffee for a minute and the filling goes gloriously soft again.
