What Dutch cookie is made from two thin waffles with syrup filling between them? A stroopwafel is the Dutch cookie made from two thin waffle layers joined by a sweet syrup filling.
The name literally means “syrup waffle” in Dutch. Stroopwafels are typically round and thin, with crisp baked dough on the outside and a filling made from syrup, brown sugar, butter and often cinnamon. The filling firms as it cools and acts like edible glue between the layers.
The treat is strongly associated with Gouda in South Holland. Culinary folklore places its beginnings in the late 18th or early 19th century, when bakers supposedly used leftover crumbs and scraps, sweetening them with syrup. One tradition credits Gouda baker Gerard Kamphuisen, though the exact origin story is not certain.
A stroopwafel is not the same as a thick breakfast waffle or a plain wafer. Many people warm one over a cup of coffee or tea so the syrup softens. Related Dutch treats include honingwafels, which use honey, and stroopkoeken, which use crisp biscuits instead of waffle layers.