Stroopwafels (syrup waffles) are undoubtedly the most popular cookie in the Netherlands, made from 2 thin waffle-like wafers with a very special caramel filling. The Dutch consider Stroopwafels to be a daily treat, mostly eaten with morning or afternoon tea/coffee. The traditional way to eat them is to place the waffle on top of the tea cup and let the hot steam soften the syrup layer causing it to release the lovely scent of cinnamon, a real treat!
The stroopwafel originates from Gouda in the Netherlands. It was first made in 1784 by a baker using leftovers from the bakery. He baked a waffle of old crumbs and spices and filled this waffle with syrup and the Stroopwafel was born. Nowadays every bakery in Gouda has its own recipe and there are a number of factories in the Netherlands that produce Stroopwafels for national and international supermarkets. Stroopwafels are still sold and made in the traditional way, at local open air markets using propane powered cast iron grills or more modern specialised baking irons. The delicious scent that travels through the market always draws a crowd.
We make our Stroopwafels following a traditional Dutch recipe. We prepare the dough and syrup ourselves using local and imported ingredients. We cook the waffles using specialised baking equipment that allows us to cook the waffle at very high temperatures (200°C). We then slice the waffle in half and spread the syrup on one of the halves and glue the halves together again. Our “glue” is a very special caramel-like syrup with a touch of cinnamon. For those who want to try to bake Stroopwafels at home we have some bad and good news: The bad news is that most (the real) stroopwafel recipes are secret, and you need specialized (expensive) equipment to bake a proper Stroopwafel. The good news is that you do not need to make them yourselves in Australia, because we can bake and ship them to you!!! You can order them here, or have a look at our calendar to see where the next market/event is that we are attending!