Learn to make Gevulde Koeken: Dutch Almond Filled cookies, with homemade almond paste from scratch! Buttery goodness, slight savoriness, and a nice balanced sweetness, these large cookies have it all!! These pastries have been around since the 16th century; they used to go by names as “gevuld heertje” (filled little lord) or “gevulde herenkoek” (filled lord’s cookie) because almonds were (back then) a luxury that only the aristocracy or wealth people could afford. The almond flavor from the filling is great, and the buttery dough around it just compliments it!
The almond paste will take some time in the fridge to develop its flavor, so I recommend doing that a few days before. Also, it makes about twice as much as the gevulde koeken need, so you’ll be able to freeze the rest.
The Dutch are crazy about almonds, three of my previous recipes where we bake sweets have almonds in them, or it’s a common variation:
- Jan Hagel Cookies: Dutch Buttery Sand Cookie with Cinnamon and Almond
- Kletskoppen: Dutch Almond Lace Cookies / Florentines
- Boterkoek: Dutch Butter Cake
Gevulde Koeken: Almond Filled Cookies with Homemade Almond Paste
Learn to make Gevulde Koeken: Dutch Almond Filled cookies, with homemade almond paste from scratch! Buttery goodness, slight savoriness, and a nice balanced sweetness, these large cookies have it all!! These pastries have been around since the 16th century; they used to go by names as "gevuld heertje" (filled little lord) or "gevulde herenkoek" (filled lord's cookie) because almonds were (back then) a luxury that only the aristocracy or wealth people could afford. The almond flavor from the filling is great, and the buttery dough around it just compliments it!
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Making the almond paste
- This almond paste recipe yields approximately twice as much as you'll need for the gevulde koeken. You'll be able to freeze the leftovers.Zest the lemon.
- Add the almonds, sugar, and lemon zest into your food processor.Pulse until you see no more big pieces of almond; it should look like almond-meal. Do not over process it, it can turn into almond butter.
- Add the egg, and keep pulsing until everything is fully combined.
- Remove it from the food processor, and form it into a ball. Wrap it with cling film, and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour, but preferably a day or two; that way the flavor can really develop.If you do not have a day or two, you can also add a few drops of almond extract into the food processor when you add the egg, to intensify the flavor, without having to wait for it to happen in the fridge.
Making the dough
- Zest the lemon.
- With a mixer, cream the butter, sugar, lemon rind, and salt together until fully combined.
- Add the milk and egg, and mix it through thoroughly.
- Add the flour and baking powder, and knead until it's combined into a dough. You do not want to overwork it, which is why I do this by hand. You'll know it's done when the dough doesn't stick to your hands anymore.
- Wrap the dough in cling film, and store in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Making the filling
- Break the almond paste into small pieces, add the egg yolk, and water. Using a mixer, mix it until everything is fully incorporated. It will be sticky!
- Divide the filling into 12 even pieces.
Assembling
- When the dough is almost done resting, turn on the oven to 220ºC (430F) in non-convection mode.
- Cut the dough from the fridge into two equal pieces. Leave one of them in the fridge (covered), and knead it on your board, to soften it a little bit.
- Flour your surface, and roll out the dough until it's 3mm (1/8") thick.
- Using a 10cm (4") round cookie cutter, cut out circles. Put these on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.Roll the scraps back into a ball, and then roll it out, and cut out more circles.You should get between 10-12 circles out of this.Cover them and put them in the fridge.
- Repeat these steps for the second part of the dough.Leave the sheets in the fridge for 10 minutes or so.
- Take the sheets out of the fridge, and put the almond paste on half of the circles. Spread it out until it's 1.25cm (0.5") from the edge.I wet my fingers just a little bit to make it easier to spread the almond paste.
- Take the remaining circles without almond paste, and place them over the circles with the almond paste on it. Use a fork to crimp the edges.
- Push one blanched almond into the center of each cookie.
- Make an egg wash by beating egg together with water, and brush all the gevulde koeken, including the almonds with it.
Baking the gevulde koeken
- Since this is baked at a high temperature, if your oven heats from the bottom, I'd recommend putting an empty cookie sheet on the rack below the cookies, to prevent the bottom of the cookies to get too dark.
- Bake the gevulde koeken for 13-18 minutes.Rotate the cookie sheet after approximately 8 minutes, and start checking at 13 minutes. They are done when they're nice and golden-brown.
- Let them cool on a rack before eating.
Glad to find your recipe and appreciate the videos you have for each recipe. That totally helps! I have a question. Will your Frangipane Paste work in this cookie instead of the almond paste or will it be too soft to work with while assembling it?
I think the almond paste is a better fit, but frangipane paste will work as well.
Thank you! These turned out fabulous! I was in Holland for 2 weeks and these are my absolute favorite cookies ever. I’m so glad I can make my own now. Thanks again!