Stroopwafles ("stroopies") are a Dutch treat made by taking two thin, round, pizzele-like waffles and sticking them together with a layer of molasses syrup. They are commonly placed on top of a mug of coffee or tea like a lid, to keep the beverage warm and also heat up and soften the filling. The thinness of the waffles made me wonder, can you make this with matzah for Passover?
YES YOU CAN!
True molasses isn't available for Passover but molasses substitutes are very easy to find. Obviously this is not for people who are vegetarian for health reasons because the filling is sugar, honey and butter, but if you are vegetarian for other reasons it's a delicious treat and easy to make. I brought a batch in to the office yesterday and one of my co-workers, upon tasting it, immediately identified it as a stroopwafle. He is very familiar with the Dutch treat and easily recognized this as a Passover version. My long-time taste-tester Rachel was also in town to try it. She was very pleased with them and took a bag of them home.
This recipe is gebrochts and not gluten-free (contains matzah). It might be possible to make it vegan by substituting margarine for the butter, though I'm not sure how well that would work.
Melt butter in a 1 quart or larger pan over low heat.
Add honey, brown sugar and cinnamon and stir until they are completely blended, butter absorbed into the sugars.
Raise the temperature very slowly, until the mixture begins to bubble and get foamy on top. Be careful: don't raise the temperature too high, just the minimum necessary to get this foaming effect. Let it foam for about a minute.
Pour the syrup slowly into the center of each of the three pieces of matzah until it spreads almost to the edges of the matzah. You may have to add a bit to the corners. You should have enough syrup for all three.
Wait about 10 seconds, then gently press another piece of matzah on top of each of the three pieces (don't press too hard; you don't want to squeeze out the filling!).
Let them sit for about 5 minutes, cooling a bit.
Carefully cut them into four pieces -- you don't want them to crumble! I cut mine with a pizza cutting wheel that I bought for last year's Passover pizza recipes, and it worked very well.
You can eat them as soon as they are cool, or put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them. You can reheat them to a good eating temperature by putting them on top of a cup of hot tea or coffee, a traditional way of serving stroopies.
This recipe is gebrochts and not gluten-free (contains matzah). It might be possible to make it vegan by substituting margarine for the butter, though I'm not sure how well that would work.
Ingredients
- 6 pieces of matzah
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter (most of a stick)
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar (be sure to use dark, not light, because it has the molasses flavor that is key to this recipe)
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Kashrut Notes
- Matzah: I know it sounds silly to point this out, but some matzah is NOT suitable for Passover, You will sometimes find not-for-Passover matzah in the Passover aisle at grocery stores. Watch out for this! It is clearly marked Not For Passover Use, usually at the top right corner of the box.
- Butter: Requires Passover certification. Breakstone's salted and unsalted whipped butter are commonly available in stores marked Kosher for Passover. If you want to substitute margarine to make it vegan, Mother's brand makes a kosher for Passover margarine that is available in stores with better kosher-for-Passover aisles.
- Honey does require Passover certification, because some honey is mixed with corn syrup (kitniyot, not for Passover). In the past, the OU Passover Guide has indicated that some widely-available honeys had OU-P supervision, such as Sue Bee, Wegmans and Kirkland (the Costco brand). Make sure the honey has a P after the OU logo!
- Brown sugar: Domino's Dark Brown Sugar always has Passover certification, but be sure to use a new, unopened box to avoid cross-contamination.
- Cinnamon: Ground spices require Passover certification because of anti-caking agents and the risk of cross-contamination or dilution with not-for-Passover ingredients. Cinnamon can be hard to find because it is such a popular spice it sells out quickly. In the past, McCormick has made Passover runs of cinnamon, usually found in the spice aisle of stores with a good Passover selection but in a separate display.
Preparation
Lay three matzot out on a baking sheet or a sheet of aluminum foil with about an inch of space between them (this can be messy, and the sheet will keep it from making a mess of your counter!)Melt butter in a 1 quart or larger pan over low heat.
Add honey, brown sugar and cinnamon and stir until they are completely blended, butter absorbed into the sugars.
Raise the temperature very slowly, until the mixture begins to bubble and get foamy on top. Be careful: don't raise the temperature too high, just the minimum necessary to get this foaming effect. Let it foam for about a minute.
Pour the syrup slowly into the center of each of the three pieces of matzah until it spreads almost to the edges of the matzah. You may have to add a bit to the corners. You should have enough syrup for all three.
Wait about 10 seconds, then gently press another piece of matzah on top of each of the three pieces (don't press too hard; you don't want to squeeze out the filling!).
Let them sit for about 5 minutes, cooling a bit.
Carefully cut them into four pieces -- you don't want them to crumble! I cut mine with a pizza cutting wheel that I bought for last year's Passover pizza recipes, and it worked very well.
You can eat them as soon as they are cool, or put them in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them. You can reheat them to a good eating temperature by putting them on top of a cup of hot tea or coffee, a traditional way of serving stroopies.