These cheese croquettes are a favorite here. I would love to make them every single week. They are that good!
Keep in mind that they do require some resting time, so if you want to make them calculate a couple of hours so they have enough time to set in the fridge. This is a crucial step for most croquettes.
The funny thing is that we Dutch like to believe that croquettes (or kroketten as we call them) are a typical Dutch invention. But as it turns out there are more countries that are home to the (little) croquette: France, Spain, Japan and Brazil!
There is a bit of a difference between the different regions and you’re probably not gonna find these cheese croquettes in Japan, for instance. In Spain you might find cheese croquettes as well but with different ingredients.
So each region has its own take on this delicious snack. But today I’m sharing my favorite cheese croquettes.
The first thing is to assemble all the needed ingredients. Making sure they are all at room temperature.
Now once you’ve assembled all your ingredients you start by making a ragout. You can find how to make this in the recipe card.
Once everything is mixed well and firm, place it in a baking tray or baking dish and cover with cling film. Now place this mixture into the fridge for at least 4 hours.
You can leave it in the fridge longer. I like to keep mine in overnight. Whatever works for you.
Once the ragout is cooled enough you can cut it with a knife. Cut it into 24 equal slices. It helps to rub your hands with a little olive oil so the ragout becomes easier to handle.
Roll the ragout in your hands and form into croquette shape. Prepare two bowls or a deep plate with the eggs and another one with the breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil in the frying pan to 180˚C/350˚F while you prepare the coating for the croquettes.
Roll each croquette through the breadcrumbs, the beaten egg, breadcrumbs again, egg again and finish with the breadcrumbs. So you will have three layers of breadcrumbs.
Repeat this for every single piece. Now deep fry the croquettes in a single layer in the fryer until golden brown. Take them out of the hot oil with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towel to crisp up.
Now the last thing to do is to make a dipping sauce. You can keep this very simple as I did and just use sweet chili sauce. That’s ready in no time.
Just serve the cheese croquettes in a large bowl and add the chili sauce. But you can also make any other kind of dip that goes well with cheese. Mixing mayonaise with some sweet chili sauce is really tasty as well.
You can easily make small variations to your cheese croquettes recipe. You can add a bit of garlic powder or onion powder next time for instance or add some crispy bacon.
You can also mix some fresh herbs through the ragout for additional flavor.
Store the prepared -but not fried- cheese croquettes in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days prior to baking. Or freeze them uncooked for up to 3 months.
You can even fry them straight out of the freezer, although keep in mind that the total preparation time in the deep frying will be slightly longer.
These cheese croquettes are a favorite here. I would love to make them every single week. They are that good!
Keep in mind that they do require some resting time, so if you want to make them calculate a couple of hours so they have enough time to set in the fridge. This is a crucial step for most croquettes.
The funny thing is that we Dutch like to believe that croquettes (or kroketten as we call them) are a typical Dutch invention. But as it turns out there are more countries that are home to the (little) croquette: France, Spain, Japan and Brazil!
There is a bit of a difference between the different regions and you’re probably not gonna find these cheese croquettes in Japan, for instance. In Spain you might find cheese croquettes as well but with different ingredients.
So each region has its own take on this delicious snack. But today I’m sharing my favorite cheese croquettes.
The first thing is to assemble all the needed ingredients. Making sure they are all at room temperature.
Now once you’ve assembled all your ingredients you start by making a ragout. You can find how to make this in the recipe card.
Once everything is mixed well and firm, place it in a baking tray or baking dish and cover with cling film. Now place this mixture into the fridge for at least 4 hours.
You can leave it in the fridge longer. I like to keep mine in overnight. Whatever works for you.
Once the ragout is cooled enough you can cut it with a knife. Cut it into 24 equal slices. It helps to rub your hands with a little olive oil so the ragout becomes easier to handle.
Roll the ragout in your hands and form into croquette shape. Prepare two bowls or a deep plate with the eggs and another one with the breadcrumbs.
Heat the oil in the frying pan to 180˚C/350˚F while you prepare the coating for the croquettes.
Roll each croquette through the breadcrumbs, the beaten egg, breadcrumbs again, egg again and finish with the breadcrumbs. So you will have three layers of breadcrumbs.
Repeat this for every single piece. Now deep fry the croquettes in a single layer in the fryer until golden brown. Take them out of the hot oil with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towel to crisp up.
Now the last thing to do is to make a dipping sauce. You can keep this very simple as I did and just use sweet chili sauce. That’s ready in no time.
Just serve the cheese croquettes in a large bowl and add the chili sauce. But you can also make any other kind of dip that goes well with cheese. Mixing mayonaise with some sweet chili sauce is really tasty as well.
You can easily make small variations to your cheese croquettes recipe. You can add a bit of garlic powder or onion powder next time for instance or add some crispy bacon.
You can also mix some fresh herbs through the ragout for additional flavor.
Store the prepared -but not fried- cheese croquettes in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days prior to baking. Or freeze them uncooked for up to 3 months.
You can even fry them straight out of the freezer, although keep in mind that the total preparation time in the deep frying will be slightly longer.
In the Netherlands we love our classic thin Dutch pancakes, or as we call them: pannenkoeken. Do you love pancakes? Then you need a good basic recipe! With this recipe you can make a whole stack of delicious pancakes in no time.
Where American pancakes are thick and fluffy, classic Dutch pancakes are very thin. Think crepe like thin.
Dutch pancakes are also large, they usually have the same size of a dinner plate. And when you visit a Dutch pancake house or restaurant (yes, they exist!), they are even bigger and are being served on very large plates. You can order all kinds of flavors, sweet pancakes and savory pancakes.
When I bake Dutch pancakes, they are very thin. I like that best. Most people bake their pancakes a bit thicker. A French crepe is generally thinner than a Dutch pancake. But I’ll have to say mine are very close.
Another difference is that crepes are usually a bit smaller than Dutch pancakes.
The final comparison, I promise. Although Dutch baby pancakes sound very Dutch, you’ll barely see them in the Netherlands. They actually origin from Germany. Somewhere a long time ago, the German word ‘deutsch’ was turned into Dutch.
But is a Dutch baby pancake recipe anything like the traditional Dutch pancakes? No, they are not. Dutch babies are a mix of a pancakes and a souffle, very light and fluffy. Dutch thin pancakes are as flat as can be.
Another recipe in the pancake category that is Dutch: Dutch mini pancakes. They are similar to these classic thin pancakes. I can really recommend my recipe for Dutch mini pancakes (poffertjes).
It is an easy recipe to vary and make all kinds of different flavors of pancakes. You can flavor the thin batter yourself, but it’s also great for making your pancakes luxurious with toppings. The recipe card below just shows the basic ingredients to make plain pancakes. I mostly make those and add flavor by adding toppings. But you could also add flavors in the beginning, by change up the batter a bit.
If you want to flavor the batter, there are multiple options. I name a few of my favorites:
Baking Tip: I prefer to use a pancake pan with a little butter in it. I have something similar like this crepe pan that works on all heat sources. You could also use a cast iron skillet or frying pan.
The most popular toppings for pancakes are ‘stroop’ and powdered sugar. Stroop is somewhat similar to maple syrup, which you could use too. I’ll share some of my favorite pancake toppings and will divide them by sweet and savory.
The most simple topping is powdered or icing sugar, but you can add everything you like! I like fresh berries on my pancake a lot.
When I eat pancakes, I always make one with Dutch cheese. It’ so good. But bacon ánd cheese might be even bettter. You can add the topping to a plain pancake, or you can bake the toppings with the batter.
In the case of cheese bacon pancakes, I always put some bacon in the pan and bake for a few minutes. Then add the batter and put cheese on top. After you flip the pancake and bake the side with cheese, you will have a crispy side. I’m drooling while I write this. I need to make these pancakes soon!
These are just a few of my favorites. The list could be at least 10 times longer, there are a lot of options.
Another tip: instead of using the ingredients above as toppings, you could also incorporate them in the batter. When you bake a pancake batter with savory fillings, they will be a bit thicker.
Yes, I have made them with whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour.
You could even use buckwheat flour to make them gluten-free. It’s possible you have to add a bit more milk to have a thin enough batter.
Of course, you can swap out the milk for almond milk for example.
I bake mine almost as thin as a crepe. But it’s fine to make them slightly thicker.
