Slagroomwafels

 Every now and then, when looking for new recipes in my Dutch cookbooks, memories flood back when I see a name or an ingredient. Other times, it happens when readers like you comment on the recipes or posts, either on Facebook or Instagram. So too last week, when I posted the recipe for stroopkoeken, a reader mentioned that their favorite cookie was not so much a stroopkoek, but a slagroomwafel, a whipped cream waffle. The moment I read the comment I was straight back in my childhood, standing next to my grandpa Tinus, at the little window of the ice cream shop in town. I loved getting the little square waffle cone, topped with a big swirl of soft serve ice-cream. It fit right in my little fist. My grandpa, who had as much of a sweet tooth as I have, would sometimes get a slagroomwafel: a big, round crispy waffle, topped with what seemed to me a massive amount of freshly whipped cream, and sandwiched with another waffle. It was a messy endeavor, but oh boy.....worth every dribble on his shirt by the look on his face!

There is not much known about slagroomwafels: just two crispy sweet waffles sandwiched together with a huge dollop of freshly whipped cream. I've found references to it going back as early as 1917 - but no recipes, regional references, or specific holidays or celebrations that it belongs to. Both ingredients are standard fare at the ice cream shops: crispy waffles for ice-cream waffles (one or two big scoops of ice cream between two waffles), and freshly whipped cream to go on top of ice cream sundaes, so often slagroomwafels are also on the menu. A few bakeries will include slagroomwafels in their repertoire, but it's not very common anymore. 

Which is a shame really, because the combination of sweet whipped cream and a crispy waffle truly is delightful. Messy, but delightful. And what's even better is that, because it's so "plain", if you will, and there are no specific details about how and when to make them, this recipe lends itself to personal adjustments. Prefer to flavor the waffle with speculaaskruiden? Go for it! Want to fold chopped strawberries into the whipped cream? Do it! 

For this recipe, I tried a few things: I served the cream directly on the waffle (for eating, it's best to pull the two waffles apart and share the slagroom between the two of them ). I also piped whipped cream in circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, froze them overnight (now you have an ice cold treat) and assembled the waffles shortly before sharing them, adding raspberries in the center. 

Lastly, I piped whipped cream on a waffle, added raspberries, topped it with another waffle, and froze the whole thing overnight. To my surprise, the waffles stayed crispy. So plenty of options to try! 

For this recipe, I used my trusted Palmer Electric Waffle Iron. The recipe makes approx. 16 single waffles. For more shopping recommendations, scroll to the bottom of the page.

Slagroomwafels

For the waffles

1 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar

6 Tbsp (60 grams) butter, melted and cool

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch cinnamon 

For the whipped cream

2 cups (475 ml) whipping cream

1 cup (120 grams) powdered sugar

Decoration

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Fresh fruit (optional)

Mix the flour with the sugar, then stir in the melted butter, the egg, the vanilla and the optional cinnamon. Knead into a cohesive dough, remove from the bowl, roll into a sausage shape. Cover with plastic, or put in container, and refrigerate for at least an hour. 

Heat up your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions. Remove the dough from the fridge, and divide it into 1 oz (approx. 25 grams) pieces, then roll each into a ball. 

Bake your waffles until they are golden. The time will differ between irons so you will just have practice a little bit. Remove the waffles when they are done, with a flat, broad implement (I use my cheese slicer) because they will still be soft when hot, but will harden as they cool, so lay them flat on a rack to cool off. 

Whip the cream in a cold bowl until soft peaks, sieve in the powdered sugar, and continue to whip until stiff peaks. Fill a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe a large double circle on a waffle, add fresh berries in the middle (optional) and top with another waffle. Dust with powdered sugar.

You can serve them directly, or freeze them for later. If you have any whipped cream left over and no immediate use for it, you may want to try and pipe big dollops on a baking sheet, and freeze them. They make a great last minute addition to a hot cup of coffee or chocolate! 

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• Digital kitchen scale (weighs both grams and ounces)
• KitchenAid 5 Quart, Scorched Orange

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Stroopkoeken

The traditional stroopwafel, hailing from the city of Gouda, has quickly taken the world by storm. Whereas a few years ago it was still difficult to find a decent stroopwafel in town, they are now available just about everywhere. No self-respecting coffee house can be found without!

It's all the same to me. I am not very fond of the stroopwafel (how very un-Dutch of me!). It's too sweet, too sticky, and there just isn't enough wafel to hold all the stroop. Luckily for me, and others who prefer to bite into a buttery, crumbly cookie instead, somebody in Gouda invented the Punselie: a stroopwafel made from cookies. 

Here is what happened. A young man by the name of Johannes Punselie started a bakery in Gouda around 1872-1873. He specialized in making various cookies, among which the famous Goudse Mop, and the Gouds Ruitje: a buttery cookie with a diamond pattern. At some point, his son Bertus took over, and this is where it gets interesting!

History has it that the members of the church choir would each get a stroopwafel as compensation for their singing. However, in 1945, because of money struggles (we were just coming out of the war), the sextant at the church was no longer able to treat his choir. Bless Bertus Punselie, who decided to take two Goudse Ruitjes, glue them together with stroop, and hey presto! the stroopkoek was born. Or in this case, the Punselie, as Bertus did not hesitate to name the invention after himself. How exactly the sextant was able to pay for them, or if Bertus provided them for free, I was not able to track down. 

I'm sure they figured it out somehow. In the meantime, grandson Ronald is currently heading up the company, which produces 40,000 biscuits per hour (yes, you read that right, per HOUR!), and the bakery/factory is still located in the middle of the city. 

From my kitchen, I don't plan to get even close to that kind of production! I made 16 stroopkoeken,  all within a fairly short amount of time. This may be a great addition to your baking repertoire, or a fun gift for the upcoming holidays! Stroopwafels are so last year....let's hone in on the stroopkoek!

Stroopkoeken

For the dough

2 sticks butter + 2 tablespoons (250 grams), room temperature

1 scant cup sugar (180 grams)

3 1/4 cups AP flour (400 grams)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon speculaaskruiden (optional, and not traditional - but so tasty!)

For the stroop

1/3 cup pancake syrup (100 grams)

1/4 cup brown sugar (60 grams)

3 tablespoons butter (40 grams)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (if not using spices in dough)

Cream the butter and the sugar until white and fluffy. Add in the flour, the baking powder, the egg and a pinch of salt and the spices (optional), and blend it into a pliable dough. Remove it from the bowl, roll it into a ball or a sausage, cover with cling film or place it in a container, and let it rest in the fridge for at least an hour, better overnight but not necessary.

Melt the ingredients for the stroop in a small pot on the stove, until the sugar has dissolved. Do not overheat, it's better to go low and slow. Pour the syrup in a container, and refrigerate. Also best left overnight, but it definitely has to be cold before using. 

Preheat your oven to 350F/175C. 

Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Roll out the dough, about 0.1 inch (3 mm) thick, and cut out large circles, approx. 8 cm (3 inches) wide. Transfer each onto the baking sheets. You can mark the cookies with a fork, or stamp them with letters, like I did. It won't make any difference to the taste so make this your own! 

Bake the cookies golden in 13 - 15 minutes - you may need to turn the sheet trays around to ensure even baking. Cool the cookies on a rack. When cold (the syrup will run otherwise and make a big mess!), pour a heaping teaspoon of syrup on the back of a cookie, spread it with a knife, and press the second cookie on top, flat side down. Repeat this until all cookies are matched. Let them rest for a little bit so that the syrup settles. 

Now it's time to make yourself a cup of tea, grab that book you've been meaning to read, and treat yourself to a tasty stroopkoek, you've deserved it!