Move over oliebollen: this year we’re eating knieperties on New Year’s Eve!
If you’ve ever been to Drenthe, Groningen, the Achterhoek or Twente, then you’re definitely familiar with them: knieperties. This thin cookie not only sounds hilarious, but is also incredibly delicious. Why don’t we see these divine cookies everywhere? We say: more knieperties!
Knieperwhat?
Knieperties! A kind of stroopwafel without the syrup, but with a delicious vanilla flavor. This thin, hard, sweet wafer goes by many names. In Drenthe they’re called kniepertie or iezerkoekie, in Groningen kniepertjes and in Twente knieperkes. They’re very easy to make: the recipe consists of butter, sugar, flour, water, egg and vanilla sugar. In the past, they were baked in a pair of wafer tongs – hence the name – which had to be held over the fire to heat up. Fortunately, an electric waffle iron does the job these days.
Happy New Kniepertie!
Knieperties are eaten most often during the month of December. Traditionally, you eat the wafers flat in December and on New Year’s Eve. From New Year’s Day onward, you eat them rolled up, also known as a rollechie. In December, the entire year has unfolded, which is why the cookie is flat; the new, still unknown year that you roll into is symbolized by the roll (often filled with whipped cream).
Besides the symbolism, making knieperties for New Year’s Eve is simply much more relaxing. Have you ever tried making oliebollen? What a job! What a smell! Knieperties are easy to make, require few ingredients and are hard to mess up. They’re also much less greasy and heavy than oliebollen, and your house won’t smell like a deep fryer as you enter the new year.
It seems clear to us: this New Year’s Eve, we’re all going for knieperties. You can roll them straight into your mouth!
Read also:
