A high altitude tested recipe for homemade stroopwafels, made from a simple, no-knead yeast dough that’s baked in a mini waffle maker, then split and filled with caramel syrup or “stroop”. These traditional Dutch cookies are crisp, chewy, and so fun to make!
You might also like these recipes for Dutch butter cake (boterkoek) and Dutch apple pie (appeltaart).
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What are Stroopwafels?
Stroopwafels are traditional Dutch cookies from the Netherlands. They are thin, crispy waffles made from a simple yeast dough that’s baked in a special waffle iron. Immediately after baking, they are cut into perfect circles with a biscuit cutter and then split with a knife so they can be filled and sandwiched with “stroop”, a sweet, caramel syrup.
In the Netherlands, it’s common to place a stroopwafel over a hot drink, like a cup of coffee or tea. This will warm and soften the caramel filling inside the cookie. Bakeries in the Netherlands even sell bags of the scraps that are trimmed from around the cookies. I put a bag of stroopwafel scraps in our freezer, with possible plans to use the crumbs for a cheesecake crust or tart crust of some kind.
Most of the stroopwafel recipes online use a high ratio of molasses in the filling, but I prefer a sweeter caramel filling with just a whisper of molasses. If you don’t want to make the caramel filling, you can use store-bought chocolate hazelnut spread, dulce de leche, or even just some melted chocolate.
Note that I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Unsalted Butter.
- Whole Milk.
- Eggs.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugar.
- Vanilla Extract.
- Yeast.
- Salt.
- Cinnamon.
- All Purpose Flour.
- Molasses (not blackstrap).
- Lyle’s Golden Syrup. You’ll need to get your hands on some golden syrup to get the right flavor and consistency in your caramel filling. While you can use light corn syrup instead, the flavor will be more bland. Honey and maple syrup are not suitable replacements.
Instructions
Make the Waffle Dough
- In a saucepan, heat the butter and milk over medium low heat, just until the butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, yeast, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add the flour, and use a spatula to stir into a soft, smooth dough.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 – 2 tbsp capacity) with a release lever to scoop the dough into 24 portions. Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Make the Syrup
- In a saucepan, combine the golden syrup, molasses, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.
- Over medium heat, warm the syrup until the sugar dissolves and the syrup begins to boil. Let boil gently for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
- Pour the syrup into a bowl and let it cool and thicken before filling the waffles. To speed up the cooling, you can place the bowl of syrup in the fridge, and stir it every 10-15 minutes.
Bake and Split the Waffles
- To bake the waffles, you’ll need a mini pizzelle maker or stroopwafel maker, as well as a 3-inch round biscuit cutter.
- Heat the waffle maker according the the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Flatten the dough balls, place them on the hot waffle maker, and slowly close and lock the lid. Bake the waffles until golden brown – this may take 1 1/2 – 3 minutes, depending on the brand of waffle iron you use. If you bake them for too long, though, they will be far too crisp to cut and split open.
- Remove the baked waffles from the iron and set them on a cutting board. Immediately, use the biscuit cutter to cut the hot waffles into perfect 3-inch circles. Then, use a small, sharp knife to split the waffles into two thin layers, while trying not to burn your fingers on the hot waffle. The knife should easily slice between the crisp exterior of the waffles through the softer interior.
- Continue to bake, cut and split all the waffles.
Fill the Waffles
- When the syrup/caramel is cooled and thickened, you can fill the waffles.
- Spoon about 1 – 1 1/2 tsp of syrup onto the bottom halves of the waffles.
- Place the top waffle over the syrup, and gently press it down to help the syrup spread out just to the edges of the cookies.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the leftover stroopwafels in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to 3-6 months.
You can find golden syrup with the international foods at stores such as World Market, or buy it online. Instead of golden syrup, you can also use light corn syrup, however, your caramel will have a more bland flavor than if you use the golden syrup. Honey or maple syrup are not suitable replacements for the golden syrup.
You cannot use a standard waffle maker (such as a Belgian waffle maker) to make stroopwafels. You must use a waffle maker specifically meant for pizzelles and stroopwafels. Unfortunately I cannot recommend a stroopwafel iron at this time, as I had to return the one I purchased.
Here are a few of the main differences between stroopwafels and pizzelles. Stroopwafels are Dutch, from the Netherlands. They’re made from a yeasted dough, which, after “baking” in the iron are split and filled with “stroop” or caramel. Pizzelles, on the other hand, are from Italy. These cookies are made with a dough that’s leavened with baking powder instead of yeast. They’re often flavored with anise, and are not sandwiched with any type of filling.
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Homemade Stroopwafels
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Mini Pizzelle and Stroopwafel Waffle Maker
- 3-inch Biscuit Cutter or Round Cutter
- Medium Cookie Scoop with Release Lever (1 1/2 – 2 tbsp capacity)
Ingredients
Waffles
- ¾ cup (12 tbsp) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 packet (2 1/4 tsp) instant or active dry yeast
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
Syrup
- ¾ cup Lyle's golden syrup
- 1 ½ tsp molasses (not blackstrap)
- 6 tbsp light brown sugar
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
Instructions
Make the Waffle Dough
- In a saucepan, heat the butter and milk over medium low heat, just until the butter is completely melted. Remove from the heat.
- In a bowl, whisk together the melted butter, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, yeast, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add the flour, and use a spatula to stir into a soft, smooth dough.
- Use a medium cookie scoop (1 1/2 – 2 tbsp capacity) with a release lever to scoop the dough into 24 portions. Cover the dough balls with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Make the Syrup
- In a saucepan, combine the golden syrup, molasses, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt.
- Over medium heat, warm the syrup until the sugar dissolves and the syrup begins to boil. Let boil gently for 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
- Pour the syrup into a bowl and let it cool and thicken before filling the waffles. To speed up the cooling, you can place the bowl of syrup in the fridge, and stir it every 10-15 minutes.
Bake and Split the Waffles
- To bake the waffles, you'll need a mini pizzelle maker or stroopwafel maker, as well as a 3-inch round biscuit cutter.
- Heat the waffle maker according the the manufacturer's instructions.
- Flatten the dough balls, place them on the hot waffle maker, and slowly close and lock the lid. Bake the waffles until golden brown – this may take 1 1/2 – 3 minutes, depending on the brand of waffle iron you use. If you bake them for too long, though, they will be far too crisp to cut and split open.
- Remove the baked waffles from the iron and set them on a cutting board. Immediately, use the biscuit cutter to cut the hot waffles into perfect 3-inch circles. Then, use a small, sharp knife to split the waffles into two thin layers, while trying not to burn your fingers on the hot waffle. The knife should easily slice between the crisp exterior of the waffles through the softer interior.
- Continue to bake, cut and split all the waffles.
Fill the Waffles
- When the syrup/caramel is cooled and thickened, you can fill the waffles.
- Spoon about 1 – 1 1/2 tsp of syrup onto the bottom halves of the waffles.
- Place the top waffle over the syrup, and gently press it down to help the syrup spread out just to the edges of the cookies.
Notes
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