Stroopwafel

Gouda Stroopwafels

A traditional Dutch stroopwafel from Gouda: two thin, spiced waffles sandwiched around a warm caramel-cinnamon syrup (stroop). Best enjoyed fresh, ideally resting on a mug of hot coffee or tea so the steam softens the filling.

Prep

30 min

Cook

25 min

Total

55 min

Serves

10 stroopwafels

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •250 g (8.8 oz / 1¼ cups) bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• •100 g (3.5 oz / 7 tbsp) unsalted butter, cold, cubed, plus extra for greasing
• •50 g (1.8 oz / ¼ cup) caster sugar
• •7 g (1½ tsp) instant yeast
• •5 g (1 tsp) fine salt
• •1 g (½ tsp) ground cinnamon, plus extra for the batter
• •2 g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon, for the filling
• •1 g (¼ tsp) ground nutmeg, optional, for the batter
• •60 ml (¼ cup) whole milk, lukewarm
• •1 whole large egg, room temperature
• •200 g (7 oz / 1 cup) dark muscovado sugar, for the stroop; gives the deep caramel flavour
• •75 g (2.6 oz / 5 tbsp) unsalted butter, for the stroop
• •60 ml (4 tbsp) double cream, for the stroop
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) golden syrup or light treacle, for the stroop

Steps

1. 1 Make the dough: in a bowl, rub the cold cubed butter into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Stir in the caster sugar, yeast, salt, 2 g cinnamon and the nutmeg.
2. 2 Whisk the lukewarm milk and egg together, then pour into the dry ingredients. Mix to a soft, slightly sticky dough. Knead briefly until smooth, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
3. 3 Meanwhile, make the stroop: melt the 75 g butter in a small heavy pan over medium heat. Add the muscovado sugar, cream and golden syrup and stir until the sugar dissolves.
4. 4 Bring the stroop to a low simmer and cook, stirring often, for 6–8 minutes until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon (it should reach about 108 °C / 225 °F on a sugar thermometer, or set to a soft caramel). Stir in the 2 g cinnamon, then keep warm.
5. 5 Divide the rested dough into 20 equal pieces (about 22 g each). Roll each piece into a ball, then flatten on a lightly floured surface into a disc roughly 9–10 cm (3½–4 in) across and 2–3 mm thick.
6. 6 Heat a stroopwafel iron over medium heat and lightly brush the plates with melted butter. If you don't have a stroopwafel iron, use a round sandwich-toast maker or a waffle iron with shallow plates (the batter will not look identical, but the result is close).
7. 7 Cook one disc at a time for about 60–90 seconds, until pale golden with a defined grid pattern; the wafer should still be pliable, not crisp. Remove and immediately place on a flat surface.
8. 8 While the first wafer is still hot, spread about 1½ tbsp of warm stroop on it, leaving a 5 mm border. Place a second wafer on top and press gently so the syrup reaches the edges and the two stick together.
9. 9 Repeat with the remaining discs, brushing the iron with butter as needed, and sandwiching each pair with stroop. The stroop stays warm enough to spread for several minutes; rewarm gently if it thickens too much.
10. 10 Cool the stroopwafels on a wire rack for 5–10 minutes before eating. To serve in the Dutch way, rest a stroopwafel on top of a mug of hot coffee or tea for a minute or two so the steam softens the caramel centre.