Denise' Pinda Cookies - Another Adaption of American Cookie Styles to Dutch Ingredients

Pindas are peanuts and they are one of the many snacks the Dutch love to have with a borrelje (a social drink.) Pindas and pindakaas, literally translated as peanut cheese but you probably know it better as peanut butter and they are staples in any Dutch cupboard. These are oatmeal chocolate peanut butter cookies. This recipe uses vlokken which looks something like chocolate noodles. It is eaten in the Netherlands for breakfast on bread with some spread to make it stick - this can be butter, peanut butter or other substances that can help the vlokken stick on the bread. One more bit of trivia, adults eat it as well. Most homes have several varieties in their cupboard.

Dutch pindakaas tastes a bit different from other peanut butters. Calve pinderkaas is one of the most popular brands. I personally like the Dutch version better. I eat it on brown bread with sambal for breakfast. This is not a Dutch habit, but reflects my culinary jetlag.

A quick cultural note for those thinking of trying this at home, vlokken is only one of many types of breakfast toppings for bread. There is also hagel - translates as hail like the stuff that fall out of the sky and breaks stuff but this is more like flavoured jimmies; 100 & 1000s for English readers. It comes in many flavours including various fruits, different types of chocolate. Another are muisjes in pink or blue. It literally translates as mice. These are generally smaller than hagel and are apart of the celebration for the birth of a child.

This recipe for cookies is named for Dutch friend of mine who is very fond of these. If you share this recipe please use "Denise' Pinda Cookies." I think she would be very pleased if the recipe showed up in other places with her name. ;-)

Step 1: Raw Ingredients

Wet Ingredients - to be creamed together

125 gr unsalted butter
125 ml raw brown sugar
4 ml Vanilla
125 gr Peanut butter (Pindakaas)
1 medium egg

Dry ingredients grouped in containers to make the process easier.

Set 1
250 ml of rolled oats (I used a very roughly processed haver with lots of extra fiber)

Set 2 - these ingredients need to be sifted together
125 ml Flour
8 gr baking powder (half a packet)
4 gr of fine salt

Set 3
300 gr Extra Puur Royle Vlokken (40% chocolate content )
250 gr Salted peanuts ( you can use unsalted if you are watching your sodium intake, but the results taste a bit blander)

Step 2: Cream the Wet Ingredients Until Smooth

This can be done by hand or with a mixer. I use my 20 year old kitchen aide with the batter attachment. If you use a mixer use a low speed. It improves the texture of the result.

Step 3: Add the Sifted Flour / Baking Power/ Salt Mixture

The batter should begin to look smoother an more like cookie dough.

Step 4: Add the Oats (haver)

The batter should look more like and oatmeal cookie batter at this point in the process.

Step 5: Add the Puur Chocolate Vlokken and Salted Peanuts to the Mix ( Be Gentle )

Do not over mix at this stage. You want the vlokken to remain as unbroken as possible. It improves the appearance of the baked cookies. Your goal is to make sure the vlokken and peanuts are mixed in thoroughly.

Step 6: Transfer the Batter to a Bowl and Let It Rest in the Refridgerator

Cookies are a form of short crust and benefit from a rest of at at least 30 minutes, but for best results leave the dough in a covered bowl in the refrigerator overnight. You can freeze the dough.

If you review other recipes for short crusts online you will see that almost all of the better recipes suggest letting the dough rest. Patience improves the result. Resting the dough improves the texture and I think improves the flavour. If you have your doubts about this you can divide the dough in half; bake one half of the cookies immediately and the second half after 24 hours. Let your mouth be the judge of the results!

Add your results to the comments if you have tested this. My results have been better with a longer wait.

Step 7: Go Do Something Else While the Dough Rests!

I usually take the dog for a walk. I usually take Troost and sometimes her friend Djoema somewhere muddy to add a bit of extra fun. Amsterdam is filled with muddy places to take your dog. It also reduces the temptation to eat the cookie dough before I can bake it.

Step 8: Preheat the Oven to 175C (350F) and Form the Cookies

The texture of the cookie dough is a bit crumbly before baking. Use a light pressure in forming the cookies. I find a small scoop or large serving spoon makes this job easier. Don't be afraid to use your hands. The slight pressure in forming improves the result when they are baked. I also recommend using baking paper to make it easier to remove the cookies and clean up later.

Step 9: Bake Cookies for 10-13 Minutes

Bake at 175C (350F) for 10-13 minutes.

The cookies smell great out of the oven, but I think they taste better when they have cooled a bit.

Eet smakelijk!