My very first encounter with Stroopwafels was on my flight to New Zealand eight years ago. I had never heard of such a snack before. So, when the flight attendant said peanuts or waffle, I jumped at the chance to try something new! Let me tell you that choice was the best one I have ever made. I am now officially obsessed with Stroopwafels and could probably eat them all of the time and not get sick of them.
So, it may not have been a very good idea to buy a waffle cone maker to make the Stroopwafels from scratch because now I will always have them in my freezer which isn’t so great for my waistline! But I am so excited to share this recipe with you on how to make them from scratch, even they are found in most supermarkets nowadays.
If this is your first time hearing of a Stroopwafel; let me explain. A Stroopwafel is a delicious Dutch cookie that looks like a small waffle. Each is filled with a cinnamon spiced buttery caramel syrup. The Dutch word for syrup is stroop. Hence, the name of this cookie means syrup waffle. There is a lot of back and forth as to how to enjoy these delicacies. Some say to place the waffle on top of your coffee or tea cup to slightly warm the cookie before indulging others simply dunk. To me, there is no wrong way!
Stroopwafel Dough
Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe
Yield: 9-10 cookies
Active time: 20 minutes
Start to finish: 75 minutes
2 cups all-purpose flour
3.5 teaspoons yeast
1/3 cup sugar
8.5 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 Tablespoons lukewarm milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the dough:
1. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream together the butter, cinnamon and sugar. You may have to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
2. Once creamed, add the milk and yeast, and combine.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg, and mix for another minute or so.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the salt and the flour.
5. Add the flour to the wet ingredients, and just mix until no dough is sticking to the sides of the mixing bowl anymore.
6. On a floured surface, knead the dough for a few minutes and shape into a ball.
7. Cut the dough into even balls (roughly 1.5 oz each) and put them on a cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let them sit in a warm spot for at least 45 minutes, up to an hour.
For the filling:
Caramel Sauce
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Active time: 15 minutes
Start to finish: 20 minutes
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup heavy cream
1. Stir together the water and sugar in a medium-size saucepan with a clean spoon.
2. Simmer over medium heat without stirring until the sugar caramelizes into a deep amber color.
3. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Be careful, because the butter will create a lot of steam. Allow to sit until the butter is melted, then stir until smooth.
4. Whisk in the heavy cream.
5. Cool before filling the Stroopwafels. As it cools, it will thicken and we are looking for thick caramel.
Note:
To help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while it boils, wash down any sugar crystals that stick to the sides of the pot with water and a clean pastry brush. Caramel will last weeks in an airtight container in the fridge and can be reheated in the microwave or on the stove to thin out. Traditionally, the filling for stroopwafels is made with a certain kind of Dutch syrup that can easily be bought on line but I wanted to make them my own and have a really ooey gooey caramel filling!
To cook and assemble the Stroopwafels:
There is a specific kind of waffle iron that is designed to make the perfect Stroopwafels that once again can be purchased online, but I went a more economical route and bought a waffle cone maker and the results worked just as well. Every unit will yield different results, but for mine I set it to "max," and waited until the "ready" light came on. I used pan spray to grease the waffle iron initially but didn’t need to after that first time.
Add a ball of dough, a bit closer to the back - my machine heated better towards the back. Slowly close the lid, and push until it just about closes all the way.
Cook the Stroopwafel for 60 seconds, until the darkest area is a golden brown color. It should puff slightly and be an even golden brown color. If needed, close again and cook for an additional 15 to 20 seconds.
Using the cookie cutter, trim the uneven edges off. The trimmings are delicious, just save them in a bowl for snaking later with extra caramel or as cereal for breakfast!
Lay the waffle on the corner of a cutting board, and carefully insert a sharp paring knife in it, parallel to the board (you're going to split this waffle into two, making two thin cookies) try and move quickly here because as the waffle cools, it will become very delicate and brittle.
The trick is to use one hand to rotate the waffle and make just a sawing motion with the knife.
Put some caramel on the spatula, and spread it on one of the waffle halves. Leave a little bit of space around the edge.
Carefully place the other half on top, and press them together, until there's a little bit of syrup peeking out from the edges.
Put the Stroopwafel on a plate to cool. If you want to try it right away, give it a minute to let the syrup and waffle cool down enough.
Repeat this for the rest of the balls of dough.
Realistically you can fill your waffles with anything such as Nutella, peanut butter, or even plain honey would be delicious. I decided to take my waffles a step further and made a simple ganache to dip in and then coated them with heath toffee bits.
But why stop there?! The next thing I tried was turning my Stroopwafels into Choco tacos! I was feeling pretty nostalgic on National Ice Cream Day and since Good Humor discontinued them, I figured, why not make them myself?
First, I carefully bent my waffle while they were still warm. You need to move fast with this step. As you can see, I almost cracked them.
I froze the shells for about 10 minutes and then filled them with my ice cream; I used cookie dough because that’s all I had but if you want to be like the real deal, fudge ripple is the way to go.
Next, I dipped the top of the taco in the chocolate ganache.
And finally, it gets dipped in peanuts or any other toppings you may like.
These are such the perfect summer treat, and I hope you do try them out for yourself. Even if you don’t make the Stroopwafels from scratch, you can buy them and microwave them for ten seconds or so to bend and make your Choco Taco that way.
If you like trying new baking techniques and recipes like I do, you should definitely check out our Culinary Boot Camp 2 which has a whole 8-hour day devoted to pastry techniques as well as tons of savory cooking techniques.
We have other great baking classes coming too, so don't miss:
- Hands-On Artisanal Breads Boot Camp Saturday, September 9 10am
- Hands-On Gluten-Free Baking and Pastry Friday, September 15 11am
- Hands-On How to Bake Bread Saturday, September 23 11am
- Hands-On Pastry Boot Camp: Modern European Desserts Saturday, October 7 9am
- Hands-On Pie and Tart Boot Camp: Fall Menu Saturday, October 14 10am
- Hands-On Cupcake Boot Camp: Fall Menu Saturday, October 28 10am
Stroopwafel
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3.5 teaspoons yeast
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 8.5 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 2 Tablespoons lukewarm milk
- 1 tgg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- 1. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream together the butter, cinnamon and sugar. You may have to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- 2. Once creamed, add the milk and yeast, and combine.
- 3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg, and mix for another minute or so.
- 4. In a separate bowl, mix the salt and the flour.
- 5. Add the flour to the wet ingredients, and just mix until no dough is sticking to the sides of the mixing bowl anymore.
- 6. On a floured surface, knead the dough for a few minutes.
- 7. Cut the dough into even balls (roughly 1.5 oz each) and put them on a cookie sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and let them sit in a warm spot for at least 45 minutes, up to an hour.
- Stir together the water and sugar in a medium-size saucepan with a clean spoon.
- Simmer over medium heat without stirring until the sugar caramelizes into a deep amber color.
- Remove from the heat and add the butter. Be careful, because the butter will create a lot of steam. Allow to sit until the butter is melted, then stir until smooth.
- Whisk in the heavy cream.
- Cool before filling the Stroopwafels. As it cools, it will thicken and we are looking for thick caramel.
- Grease the waffle iron with pan spray.
- Add a ball of dough, a bit closer to the back. Slowly close the lid, and push until it just about closes all the way.
- Cook the Stroopwafel for 60 seconds, until the darkest area is a golden brown color. It should puff slightly and be an even golden brown color. If needed, close again and cook for an additional 15 to 20 seconds.
- Using the cookie cutter, trim the uneven edges off.
- Lay the waffle on the corner of a cutting board, and carefully insert a sharp paring knife in it, parallel to the board (you're going to split this waffle into two, making two thin cookies). Try and move quickly here because as the waffle cools, it will become very delicate and brittle.
- Put some caramel on the spatula, and spread it on one of the waffle halves. Leave a little bit of space around the edge.
- Carefully place the other half on top, and press them together, until there's a little bit of syrup peeking out from the edges.
- Put the Stroopwafel on a plate to cool.
- Repeat this for the rest of the balls of dough.
