Stroopwafel Wizardry

Since I last posted about Honey Stinger's energy waffles I've been throwing around the idea of making the good old stroopwafels in my own kitchen.  Let's face it, Honey Stingers are great, but when a case of them costs about 25 bucks, it can be a pretty expensive ride food to stock in your pantry.  So a little googling, a little researching and a little trial and error later, I've managed to create something that not the same as Stinger waffles, but is pretty damn tasty in its own right.  And just because I'm a nice guy, I'll even share the recipe I settled on so you can recreate them in your own kitchen.

Pressing problems

Unfortunately, it seems that the only options for a traditional stroopwafel press involve a trip to the Netherlands or a large expenditure in order to procure a true stroopwafel press.  I've found that a suitable substitute can be found in the Cuisinart Pizzelle Press which only lists for about $40.  Hint here: I purchased it at Bed Bath and Beyond (just to the right of the Beyond section) using a 20% discount coupon and only paid about $32 for it.  For that price, it would easily pay for itself in two batches of waffles.  With the press unpacked, plugged in and burning off any nastiness, I set about making “batter.”

Recipe revelation

Since most stroopwafel recipes are closely guarded family secrets, I had to improvise and cobble together a recipe from various internet sources.  I finally settled on the dough/batter recipe below:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let sit for a few minutes to activate.
Cut one  cup of room butter into the flour in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, cinnamon, eggs and yeast mixture.  Mix together using a stand mixer or food processor until the dough comes together.  It will not be liquid like most traditional “batter” but more like a pie crust dough.  Form into a ball and set aside covered with a towel for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the dough to rise.

Filling in

Everyone familiar with these Dutch treats (and the Honey Stinger variety) knows there is a syrupy filling in the middle of the wafer thin pastries.  I figured I would go with something that was fairly tasty, but had a lot of simple sugars to burn quickly on a ride.

• 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• vanilla extract to taste (or substitue other flavor)

Basically, the idea here is to make a caramel, so you'll boil the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, corn syrup and molasses until it starts to form a “foam” on top and reaches about 235 degrees.  Keep it at a constant temperature until you're ready to start spreading it on your wafels, but beware as hot caramel can cause some pretty nasty burns (don't ask how I know this.)

Press away

After your dough has rested, roll it out onto a non-stick board and use your pastry knife to quarter it.  Then quarter it again.  Now you'll have 16 balls of dough.  Cut each one in half to make 32 balls.  Roll each out into a flattened, roughly circular shape, about 1/8″ thick and press into the pizzelle press, cooking for about 40 seconds or until golden brown (mine ended up a little light, so I may add more cooking time next time.)  You'll end up with a plate full of thin pastries.

Cut and fill

I found through trial and error that these waffles are just thick enough to cut with a sharp, small bread knife, and they are much easier to cut fresh and warm out of the press.  So as you pop each pastry out of the press, just slice it in half with a bread knife and set it aside to be filled once you're done making pastries.

Filling these wafels is easy.  A tablespoon to a tablespoon and a half of caramel is spread over one side of the cut pastry, and the other side is pressed over the caramel, effectively gluing the two halves together (they are never coming apart again, trust me.)  Once they are all cut and filled, you'll be able to sit back and let them cool for an hour or two before bagging them and refrigerating them.

Traditionally, stroopwafels were treats for tea time, and thusly they were laid over a hot cup of tea or espresso to warm them up and make them a little bit gooey.  You can certainly do that (as they are tasty any time of day) but if you're like me and you want to take them riding with you, just cut them into 6 pieces and stick them in a small plastic baggie in your pocket.  Especially in summer, the warmth of the sun and heat of the day will soften them enough, and they will be appetizing, tasty treats for your long rides.

While they may not be the same as Honey Stingers, and they may not be the same as the Dutch confection, I've found these to be a very tasty version of an old world classic, and a much more economical version of a new world energy food.

Try it out and let me know what you think.