I’d been wanting to attempt a homemade stroopwafel recipe for ages. If i’m honest after making them, yes they are delicious made fresh, but I have a new found respect for them as making them is not as straightforward as I first thought. A really fun cooking challenge to attempt, maybe give it a go too!
There’s actually a lot more to this than I’d first thought – making a dough, letting it rest, putting it through a waffle making press, slicing it up and then wedging it with caramel – phew! But, if you still want to do this, it is well worth the effort! It’ll make you appreciate those little coffee shop gems so much more.
First thing to do is make the dough, get the flour and butter mixed together with your fingers and thumbs or a tool like I used in the video, until they are a fine and crumbly. Just like when making pastry. Then add the cinnamon, sugar and yeast and mix together. Add the water and mix with a wooden spoon, it should form a rough dough, add the egg and a pinch of salt and keep mixing. Knead the dough ball on a floured surface briefly to smooth it out and then place back in the bowl, cover with cling film and leave it for 45 minutes or so. It won’t really prove and rise massively like a loaf, but you still want the yeast to work away in there so meanwhile you can make the caramel.
The caramel filling is made by simply, melting the butter and sugar in a saucepan over a low flame, add in the cinnamon and golden syrup (or corn syrup) and stir over the low heat until gentle bubbles appear. It should be a nice smooth mixture, add the vanilla and stir through briefly then leave to cool. This mixture thickens as it cools, keep it out of the way as it is dangerously hot at first. When needed later, just warm it briefly over the hob in the same pan.
With the dough done, take small ball sizes (maybe a table tennis ball size) and place into a greased waffle machine or similar – or try the pan method if you wish like I do in the video using something to press it. Using a low heat and ensuring the plates are lightly oiled cook until browned on both sides. Carefully remove, use a cookie cutter to cut out a neat circle shape with the dough and allow to cool. I quite like the idea of not using the cookie cutter and making some quirky shaped ones after all, there’s this step to do now…..
Yes, now this is the bit that threw me at first, you have to slice the disc you’ve made through the middle horizontally! So make sure they are cool and carefully slice away! This will form two cookies which you then sandwich together with a spoonful of warmed ‘stroop’ (the caramel syrup), allow to cool then gobble away!
Delicious, lots of effort, but there is a real freshness here that I love!