This is a great recipe, I got a tip from a baker in my area, who refuses to give out thier recipe, to section the dough in balls and dip each ball lightly in a small bowl of water then pat it down, and definitely use lots of filling, Also I only baked about 12 minutes unitl edges turned golden. It did work and I didn't have to lightly flour or use a rolling pin, both of which I'm not fond of. Thanks for sharing this recipe,
These were wonderful and super easy to make with a simple substitution! I did not make the dough for these I used pre-made puff pastry sheets instead and everyone raved over them and have requested them often.
Dutch Letter Cookies??? My husband request these as he spent time out in Pella, Iowa freqently before we were married and discovered them in the Jaarsma Bakery on the square. I, however, had never heard of them so I found this recipe. He LOVED this recipe and said it was almost identical to the cookies he found in Pella. I found them easy to make; however, the only suggestion I would make is to make sure the almond paste/sugar/egg mixture is mixed very well and all the lumps are gone. Otherwise, you have trouble piping the mixture out onto the dough - very annoying.
These are delicious little cookies that kids can have fun making if there is a patient parent to help out. The almond paste is rich so use sparingly. (This will also keep the filling from seeping out of the cookie when baking.) Plan on taking some time for these...but they are worth it and make for a lovely tradition. Practice and patience are the key!
These are great but becareful with the filling or the pastry with blow out. If you think these are good If you ever get to Pella Iowa thry the ones from the bakery there. The shape of a big "S" and they are Awesome! I don't live there anymore so I have to make my own. But when ever I go back to visit a box comes home with me!
These tasted good but it was my first attempt and I sort of botched it up. Next time I will use more of the almond paste filling (yum!) and roll the dough out flatter. Also if you make the cookies the size indicated in the recipe it's too hard to shape into letters. Will make them skinnier next time.
growing up a friend of my family made these for us at christmastime and for the past couple years i had been looking to make my own. saw the great reviews and thought i'd try this one. i was excited to see the reference to a pella iowa bakery since i also grew up in iowa. this is a great recipe pretty close to the ones i remember. i did have some extra almond mix leftover (only used a 7oz pkg to begin with). also only used about 1/2 the water the recipe calls for. they can be made into any size you desire. when folding the pastry over the filling i didn't follow the instructions--i folded them over using the long end instead of folding in half starting at the short end. make sure to pinch the edges closed very carefully so you don't lose any filling! the pastry was nice and flaky but i will probably add some sugar next time around. will definitely be making these again and again!
I just made these. I loved them. followed the receipe word for word. I did make smaller ones easier to handle... Next time I will add about a 1/3 cup of chopped toasted almonds to my filling.... Wonderful and a KEEPER! Thank you.
I had these pastries as a child. My Dutch grandmother made them. As I read her recipe after she passed she didn't use measurements! Just "some butter some sugar". I was lost! I was so pleased to find this recipe & it is just as wonderful as I remembered from my childhood!
