My father-in-law is the youngest of seven children. His family immigrated from Holland to the United States before the last three children were born. My husband grew up loving Dutch treats from a local bakery, especially the bitterkoekjes, an almond macaroon.
When the bakery went out of business a few years ago, my husband decided he would make the bitterkoekjes for the family Christmas gathering. He started with a basic almond macaroon recipe on the almond paste package and tweaked it until it tasted like the bitterkoekjes he remembered.
So for week 11 of my 12 Weeks of Christmas I am posting my husband’s recipe for bitterkoekjes. He is the only one in his family to make these cookies because they can be a bit temperamental and others in his family have not been successful making them. They usually stick to the parchment paper. The recipe suggested wetting the paper on the bottom, but he prefers to let them cool on the tray and then put the tray in the freezer for a few minutes and then they’re much easier to remove from the paper.
Bitterkoekjes – Almond Macaroons
makes about 5 dozen cookies
2.3 lb. almond paste
7 egg whites
2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
Combined room temperature almond paste with egg whites in mixing bowl until mixed well. Add granulated sugar, mix well. Slowly add powdered sugar one cup at a time.
Drop the macaroons on to parchment paper using a #40 ice cream scoop and slightly flatten the tops of the cookies with a damp finger. Bake at 340º for 11 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom and the tops have set and stopped bubbling.
Cool on baking tray for five minutes. Slide parchment off of tray on to cooling rack, and then put cookies on the cooling rack in the freezer for five minutes before removing the cookies from the parchment.
For more delicious 12 weeks of Christmas cookies visit:
Megan from Megan’s Cookin
April from Abbys Sweets
Denise from Keeper Worthy Recipes
Megan’s from My Baking Adventures
Kim from Stirring the Pot
As part of our 12 weeks of Christmas cookies, we also did a Cookie Swap. Yesterday I received a fun package of Christmas gifts from Kim at Stirring the Pot. She sent me her delicious Andes Creme De Menthe Cookies, which I’m eating as I’m writing! She also included a cute wicker hat basket, a cookie plate kit, and bath soap and a Santa bath bomb from Lush. Thanks Kim!
Then today I received another great surprise in the mail. Lorraine, Not Quite Nigella, my adopted blogging daughter from Australia sent her “Mum” some fabulous treats from the Austrian Christmas Markets. Lorraine was in Austria on a media familiarization trip arranged by the Austrian National Tourist Office, which was sponsored by Emirates Airlines. You really should read her post on the Austrian Christmas Markets. They sound fabulous. It was so nice of her to think of me while she was there! Thanks Lorraine!
Cafe Rio Sweet Pork Barbacoa Salad
I love to bake, especially cookies, cakes, and pies.
{ 35 comments… read them below or add one }
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!Your cookies sound wonderful. I've never used almond paste but I did buy some not long ago.
Have a great weekend!
macarons and macaroons at your place!!! how wonderful.. sigh your house must smell delicious!! :)
These sound delicious!!
Wow. These bitterkoekjes look very interesting. I don't I've ever heard of them.
Oh I was so excited to see this post! My husband spent a few years in Holland and loved so many of the Dutch cookies. Too bad I can't ask him if he remembers these, but we'll put them out for Sinter Klaas. Great job!
Good for your husband to work at a recipe until he got it just perfect! YES!
With almonds they seem great!
My husband can only make roast potatoes, roast chicken, boiled stuff and sandwiches so I'm dead impressed your husband made some of these. I must confess starting to break into a cold sweat at the sight of almond related items after my disastrous macaron week this week but I will try to get my mac mojo back for next month!!
I like the iced cookies and goodies from NQN at the bottom.
yum! I love macarons. they look great :)
Your bitterkoekjes look absolutely perfect, just like the once I buy at the bakery here in The Netherlands!!
Only better :D
Being Dutch myself and growing up in west Michigan where everything is Dutch, I've had a lot of Dutch treats. These look so good. My grandma used to work in a Dutch bakery and she always made the best well….everything! Every Christmas my grandma and my mother (her MIL) would make a Dutch pastry "Banket" (pronounced with a short a) it's a rolled flakey pastry with almond paste filling. Seems like everyone had their family version of this. I'm going up to Michigan for Christmas this year and hope to capture Mom, my daughter and myself making it.
I would love to make these and bring them with us! I wonder how it would work on my stoneware, nothing sticks to that!
Nice crispy macaroons…
OMG, the Austrian Christmas markets are amazing. I've been to many in Germany and now Austria is on my list. Beautiful cookies, Barbara, I know I will like them. Thanks for the tip about getting them off the parchment.
oh my, those look fantastic! thank you!
Gorgeous cookies. Love that your hub has a hand in baking holiday delights, and has mastered the art of the fussy macaroon. Maybe he can begin a Macaroooooooooooooon Tweet??? LOL! Also love the goodie bacg Lorraines sent to you. Gosh she is ever so sweet, that girl! Happy Holidays Barbara! xoxo…have to get back on twitter fast. Am missing you!
Oh my goodness look at all that awesome stuff! The cookies look great too….yum!
Deliziosi questi biscottini.
Ciao Daniela.
Great cookies! And the package…truly wonderful. Saw some items there that I can get in my delis here and which I grew up with too!
Any goodie with almonds is my instant favorite :D
what a fun exchange, i love those cookies you made too, delicious!
I love European cookies. So different. These sound and look great.
The cookies sound so good! I love almond paste! What sweet packages!
great presents! I love macarons…
Happy Christmas and happy New Year!!!!
A kiss from Spain
The recipe sounds like amaretti, one of my favourite biscuits.
I love almonds in cookies, biscuits, cakes etc….
Your almond macarons are gorgeous!
Happy Holidays Barbara
OOooooh, I am fascinated by these macarons. I'd love to try one!
Hope you are having a fab weekend daaaaaaahling.
*kisses* HH
Barbara, I love to see a man cook, and when he makes something special for the ENTIRE family, well he's just something special himself.
Oooh, those cookies look and sound so good. Don't you just love the foods of our memories. Makes them even so much more.
Wonderful cookie swaps. Wow! Folks have really put a lot of effort into make them so beautiful.
These cookies are truly lovely and sound delicious. I am so impressed that your hubby is such a good baker. (My hubby can make eggs and spaghetti, lol!) The sweet treats from Lorraine look fantastic!
Beautiful cookies. I love that your husband wanted to create something from his childhood, how sweet is that? What a great tip to put the cookies in the freezer to release them. Thanks!
Aww what gorgeous cookies mum! It's so nice to do something from your heritage for Christmas :D
Aww you're more than welcome! And the jam is a speciality of Vienna apparently harvested just near the Danube Valley! It's the least I could do and I'm so glad that it got there safely and you like it! :) BTW I decorated that gingerbread bell in a bakery at St Wolfgang!
What a wonderful family holiday tradition. How sweet that your hubby makes these cookies and keeps the tradition alive!
You really scored with the gift packages. The cookies look mighty tasty too.
They look great!!
ah! These sound so good. I can almost smell the almond.
Holy Cow – your Mac recipes never cease to amaze me! Thanks for sharing these with the heritage behind them!
Have a wonderful holiday!
Donna