Dutch kniepertjes recipe (New Year’s Eve waffle cookies)

Today I have an authentic Dutch recipe for you that is traditional to eat on New Year’s Eve. They are called kniepertjes. Now giving you a translation for this typical Dutch treat is a bit challenging, as there is no direct translation.

Basically kniepertjes are a flat cookie that can be transformed into rolled cookies or can be eaten flat. Probably the best translation would be to call these thin waffles. They are delicious served with a cup of coffee and the rolls are also sometimes filled with sweet whipped cream.

What are Dutch kniepertjes?

If you have no idea what I am talking about, Dutch kniepertjes are thin sweet waffles eaten on the last day of the year. They are particularly popular in the east of the Netherlands. In Drenthe, the Northern province of Groningen, Twente, the Achterhoek and Salland they love them. It is a real tradition there to bake ‘kniepertjes’ on New Year’s Eve.

Origin of the name

Kniepertjes are also called knijpertje, knieperties or knieperkes in some dialects. This is because the waffles used to be ‘pinched’ between a special waffle iron over a fire. And knijpen or kniepen in dialect means ‘to pinch’. So that’s where the name comes from.

Nowadays, instead of hovering over a fire with an old-fashioned waffle iron, you can make this type of waffle with an electric waffle maker. They have special waffle irons for these cookies, but I used a waffle iron that you can also make stroopwafels with and it worked very well.

The flavor of Dutch Kniepertjes

Kniepertjes taste like an ice-cream cone, but sweeter. Sometimes cinnamon is added. The dough is made from butter, sugar, eggs and flour. You will likely have all those ingredients already so no need to go to the grocery store either. I love adding a little bit of vanilla extract to the dough

Kniepertjes or New Year’s rolls

In this recipe I make flat knieperjes, but maybe you have tasted the rolled version? Rolled up they are officially called new year’s rolls. If you want to try those, you can easily use the same recipe below. To make the flat version into a roll you use a wooden stick (like the handle of a wooden spoon) while the cookies are still warm and pliable.

When they have cooled and the cookie sets, you can fill them with whipped cream or butter cream. You could probably also use an ice cream cone maker for making the Dutch kniepertjes but I have not tried this myself.

Fun fact: according to tradition, flat wafers are eaten until New Year’s Eve, representing the old year that has already passed (like an open book). The New Years eve rolls symbolizes the upcoming year that has just arrived (the book had to be opened and unfold) and is eaten on the first day of the New Year.

More New Year’s Eve recipes

As well as kniepertjes, there are other recipes that are typical of New Year’s Eve and are delicious to make. Do you bake different things on New Year’s Eve, or do you always make the same recipe?

• Dutch oliebollen
• Appelflappen (Apple turnovers)