The Melly's journal

The Melly's blog

Guides, history and a few opinions from our family bakery in the heart of Amsterdam. Everything you need to eat well in the city, starting with a warm stroopwafel.

Oliebollen with raisins, dusted with icing sugar, in a paper tray at a winter stall

Recipe6 min read

Oliebollen: The Dutch New Year's Doughnut and How to Make It

Every winter they appear on Dutch street corners: fist-sized doughnuts buried in icing sugar. What they are, and how to fry your own.

A stack of Melly's stroopwafels in a clear bag tied with a brown ribbon, on a marble counter

Recipe7 min read

Stroopwafel Cheesecake: Baked on a Stroopwafel Base with a Caramel Swirl

Crushed stroopwafels for the base, melted stroopwafels for the caramel and whole ones on top. The baked stroopwafel cheesecake, step by step.

Close-up of fresh stroopwafels topped with chocolate, coloured candy-coated chocolates, caramel pearls and chopped nuts

Recipe7 min read

Stroopwafel Cake: A Layered Caramel and Cinnamon Cake Built on Stroopwafels

Brown sugar sponges, a caramel made from the stroopwafels themselves and a cinnamon frosting. The baked stroopwafel cake, with the no-bake version too.

Two guests in Melly's aprons biting into decorated stroopwafels at the workshop in Amsterdam

Guide7 min read

Traditional Dutch Food: The Treats, Snacks and Dishes Worth Trying

Dutch food has a modest reputation and a very good snack game. The treats, fried snacks and winter dishes to try, explained by a bakery in Amsterdam.

Melly's red stroopwafel gift box, open, with twelve decorated stroopwafels

Guide7 min read

Christmas in the Netherlands: Sinterklaas, Two Christmas Days and the Sweets

Two celebrations, three weeks apart, and a different set of sweets for each. Here is how December works in the Netherlands.

Warm caramel syrup, the stroop in stroopwafel, spread over a waffle at the Melly's workshop

Guide4 min read

How to Pronounce Stroopwafel, and What the Word Means

Three syllables, the stress on the first, and a 'w' that is almost a 'v'. Here is how the Dutch say it.

Three fresh stroopwafels dipped in chocolate and finished with caramel pearls

Recipe5 min read

Stroopwafel Ice Cream: Five Ways to Put the Two Together

The caramel firms up against the cold and the waffle stays chewy. Here is how to make the most of that.

Several stroopwafels of different sizes and toppings side by side

Guide4 min read

How Many Calories Are in a Stroopwafel?

The honest answer is that it depends on weight, and the maths is simpler than you think.

Pressing a stroopwafel on a traditional iron at Melly's workshop in Amsterdam

Guide4 min read

Stroopwafel Iron Buyer's Guide: How to Choose Your Press

Thin plates, steady heat and a blade to split the wafer: what actually matters in a stroopwafel iron.

Two guests tasting the stroopwafels they just made at a workshop in Amsterdam

Amsterdam6 min read

The Best Stroopwafel Workshop in Amsterdam: An Honest Comparison

Two hands-on stroopwafel workshops, one honest side-by-side: prices, what you take home, and which one fits your visit.

Stacks of Melly's stroopwafels wrapped fresh and ready to ship

Guide4 min read

Supermarket Stroopwafels vs Fresh: Trader Joe's, Costco and the Real Thing

That Trader Joe's or Costco stroopwafel is a good start. Here is what makes the fresh, handmade version from Amsterdam different, and how to get it shipped to you.

A hand holding a candy-topped stroopwafel in front of a historic Amsterdam building

Guide5 min read

Stroopwafel vs Cookie: Which Amsterdam Treat Should You Try?

One is warm, chewy and Dutch to the core. The other is a buttery bakery classic. Here is how to pick, or have both.

The Melly's Stroopwafels shopfront in central Amsterdam

Amsterdam7 min read

Where to Buy Fresh Stroopwafels in Amsterdam

Not all stroopwafels are equal. A quick local guide to finding the fresh, warm kind in Amsterdam, plus tins that travel.

An overhead spread of decorated stroopwafels with chocolate, candy and marshmallow toppings

Amsterdam7 min read

The Best Desserts in Amsterdam (From a Local Bakery)

Tourist traps are easy to find. Here are the desserts in Amsterdam that locals actually queue for, and where to taste the real thing.

A classic Melly's stroopwafel next to a branded Amsterdam gift tin

Guide6 min read

What Is a Stroopwafel? The Dutch Caramel Waffle, Explained

Two thin waffles, a layer of warm caramel, and a tradition that goes back to 18th-century Gouda. Everything a first-timer needs to know.

A red Melly's stroopwafel gift tin with gold lettering

Gifts4 min read

Why Stroopwafels Make the Best Dutch Souvenir and Gift

A taste of the Netherlands that travels well and keeps for weeks. Why a tin of stroopwafels is the gift people actually remember.

Stroopwafel trifle glasses layered with custard, cream and berries, topped with a waffle

Recipe3 min read

Stroopwafel Trifle: An Easy Dutch-British Dessert

Layers of caramel waffle, custard, cream and berries. A no-bake trifle that turns stroopwafels into a centrepiece.

A Melly's stroopwafel topped with a thick layer of brownie fudge

Flavours5 min read

More Stroopwafel Flavours: Brownie Fudge, Biscoff, Hazelnut and Marshmallow

Four more toppings to fall for, from deep Brownie Fudge to fluffy Marshmallow. The second half of our flavour tour.

A brown Melly's stroopwafel tin used to keep stroopwafels fresh

Guide4 min read

How to Store Stroopwafels and Keep Them Fresh

Fridge, cupboard or freezer? How to keep stroopwafels soft and fresh, and how to warm them back to fresh-baked.

A layered stroopwafel tiramisu dusted with cocoa powder, with coffee beans

Recipe3 min read

Stroopwafel Tiramisu: A Dutch Twist on an Italian Classic

Mascarpone, coffee and stroopwafels instead of ladyfingers. A Dutch take on tiramisu that comes together in twenty minutes.

Close-up of Melly's stroopwafels topped with Oreo, fudge and Biscoff in the shop case

Flavours6 min read

The Different Flavours of Stroopwafels at Melly's

Original caramel, crunchy Oreo, colourful Smarties and more. A tour through the stroopwafel flavours we press fresh in Amsterdam.

Pressing a stroopwafel warm on the iron at Melly's in Amsterdam

Recipe5 min read

How to Make Traditional Dutch Stroopwafels at Home

Real butter, brown sugar and a warm syrup centre. Our full recipe for pressing traditional stroopwafels in your own kitchen.

A stroopwafel held on its side, warm caramel syrup stretching between the two waffle layers

Guide4 min read

How Are Stroopwafels Made?

Flour, butter, a hot iron and a caramel centre. A look at how a real stroopwafel is made, step by step.

A stroopwafel resting on a cappuccino to warm it, the classic cup trick

Guide3 min read

The Best Ways to Enjoy a Stroopwafel

The cup trick, a dessert upgrade, or simply fresh and warm. Our favourite ways to eat a stroopwafel.

Fresh stroopwafels cooling beside an old cast-iron press in a 19th-century Gouda bakery

Guide4 min read

The History of the Stroopwafel

Born in nineteenth-century Gouda, the stroopwafel went from a humble poor man's cookie to a global icon. Here is its story, myths and all.