Enjoying a Frisian cookie and  coffee in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands! Left to right: Alexander Tuinhout, Pieter and Daria Valkenburg, Douwe Drijver.

May 11, 2020.  Note:  This posting has NOTHING to do with military research, but as we are still at home due to Covid-19, I thought you might find it of interest. 

Last fall, while in The Netherlands, we were in a restaurant in the province of Friesland with two men from the Missing Airmen Memorial Foundation.  In The Netherlands, when you order a cup of coffee or tea, it ALWAYS comes accompanied with a cookie.  In this restaurant it came with a traditional Frisian cookie.  After I raved about it, we went to a bakery near the restaurant, and the cookies were pointed out to me.  Naturally I bought a bag.

Once we came home, Pieter found a recipe, made these delicious treats, and translated the recipe into English.  In honour of the 75^th Anniversary of the Liberation of The Netherlands, here is the recipe, which you may wish to try for yourselves:

Fryse Dumkes

• 250 grams (1 1/4 cups) all-purpose flour
• 150 grams (3/4 cup) golden yellow sugar
• 150 grams (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 egg
• 100 grams (1/2 cup) finely chopped hazelnuts (not ground)
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp powdered ginger
• ¾ tsp anise seed
• Pinch of salt

Mix together flour, sugar, hazelnuts, spices, and salt in a large bowl.

Make a well in the centre and add the butter and egg.

Mix thoroughly until you get a ball of dough.

Cover dough with plastic or a plate and refrigerate for ½ hour.

After ½ hour, sprinkle some flour on a surface and roll out dough into a rectangular shape that is 1 cm (slightly less than ½ inch) thick.

Cut out shapes about the size of your thumb (such as in little sticks).

Prepare cookie tin with parchment paper and place cookies on tin.  Makes about 35 cookies.

Bake in a preheated 320^oF (160^oC) oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from oven.

Let cool, and then enjoy!  If any cookies are left, store in a tin.

Happy Baking!

Fryske Dumkes ready to be enjoyed.  (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Rest assured….Pieter is still busy with researching Canadian soldiers, so if you have information to share, please contact him at dariadv@yahoo.ca or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg