Chocolate Stroopwafels (2024)

Chocolate Stroopwafels are a fun spin on the classic stroopwafels recipe. Thin, crisp, chocolatey waffle cookies with a sweet and gooey caramel filling in between.

Stroopwafels are my love at first bite. If you have ever tried this classic Dutch dessert before, you will know how amazing the combination of thin crisp buttery cookies with the warm, gooey caramel are together.

They are so good that I decided to purchase a stroopwafel maker so that I can make and eat them whenever I want. Since then, I can’t stop making stroopwafels at home.

I thought it was time to do another fun flavor so Chocolate Stroopwafels come to mind. It was adapted from my previous stroopwafels recipe, but with the addition of cocoa powder in waffle cookie dough. They almost taste like brownie cookies and definitely are not as sweet as the original ones.

What Are Stroopwafels?

Stroopwafels literally means syrup waffle. They are thin, round waffle cookies made from two layers of sweet baked dough with a caramel syrup filling in between. These cookies are a well-known Dutch treat that has been eaten in the Netherlands for centuries.

They are made from a stiff dough of flour, butter, sugar, yeast, milk, and eggs that has been pressed in a hot waffle iron until crisp. While still warm, the waffles have their edges removed with a cookie cutter and split into top and bottom halves. A caramel filling made from syrup, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon is spread between the cookies. The caramel sets as they cool and bind the cookie halves together.

The history of this delicacy dates back to 1784, when a baker from the town of Gouda baked a waffle using old crumbs and spices, and filled it with syrup. Because it was made with leftovers, the stroopwafel was, at the time, a popular pastry among the poor and only known in Gouda. Today, every bakery in Gouda has its own particular recipe for these delicious sweet waffles.

Chocolate Stroopwafels Ingredients

Chocolate Waffle Cookies

• All-purpose flour. You can also use cake flour if you like them crispier.
• Cocoa powder. Either natural or dutch-processed cocoa powder can be used. I personally prefer dutch-processed cocoa powder because it has deeper chocolate flavor.
• Unsalted butter. Salted butter can also be used, just be sure to omit the salt if you do so.
• Granulated sugar. To sweeten.
• Yeast. You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast.
• Milk. Make sure the milk is warm to activate the yeast.
• Egg. Use room temperature egg.
• Salt. To taste.
• Cinnamon powder. To spice the dough.

Caramel Filling

• Dark corn syrup. Dutch stroop is traditionally used to make the recipe. It is a syrup with thick and sticky with color and consistency similar to caramel. Since it can be hard to find, I used dark corn syrup to substitute the stroop. Or you can also use light corn syrup and molasses with 3:1 ratio.
• Brown sugar. You can use both light or dark brown sugar.
• Unsalted butter. For complex and creamy flavor.
• Cinnamon powder. To spice the caramel filling.
• Salt. To taste.

You Need Stroopwafel Maker for This Recipe

Is it possible to make stroopwafel without a waffle iron? Yes and no. You can actually press the dough on a flat pan and press them thinly. However, you won’t get the signature waffle pattern of stroopwafel.

They are waffles, after all. You need a stroopwafel or ice cream cone maker for that. You can also use a pizzelle maker if you have one.

Other Tools You Need

• Offset spatula. To remove the waffle cookies from the waffle iron.
• Round cookie cutter. You will need a round cookie cutter to make the cookies round. I use a 3 1/2-inch / 9 cm round cutter, which is the perfect size for 40gr dough.
• A glove or napkin. To protect your hand from the heat when you split the hot cookies into halves.
• Knife. To split the waffle cookies.

Baking Tips

• Rest the dough. To make the dough more pliable.
• Don’t make the waffle cookies too thin. The thinner they are, the harder they are to split. I suggest not making the cookies too thin, especially if you are a first-timer making stroopwafels.
• Split when the cookies are hot. It is easiest to split the waffles when they are hot off the iron. The cookies crisp up very quickly and will crack if you split them after they have cooled down.
• Keep the caramel filling warm.The filling hardens as it cools. When it cools down, just reheat the caramel filling again.

More Chocolate Recipes

• Double Chocolate Butter Cookies
• Sour Cream Double Chocolate Muffins
• Moist Steamed Chocolate Cake
• Baileys Chocolate Mousse
• Chocolate Espresso Granola
• Dairy-Free Chocolate Banana Bread