Chef Joost
Amsterdamse Koggetjes (Amsterdam Nougatine Cookies)
A thin Amsterdam cookie carrying a cog ship in its name: caramelized butter dough, almond nougatine, and a 1934 contest that turned municipal pride into something for coffee.
Culinary Explorer
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Kozak (Twentse Chocolate Marzipan Pastry)
Created by
The kozak is Overijssel's quiet answer to the mergpijp: soft cake, cream, marzipan, and chocolate, with no jam smuggled in under another name.
Pastries & Cookies
Dutch
Comfort Food
Celebration
Dinner Party
1 hr
Active Time
12 min cook•3 hr 15 min total
Yield8 kozakken
The name kozak sounds as if it rode into the Dutch pastry case on horseback, and in a way it did. A kozak is a Cossack, one of those eastern cavalrymen who became part of Dutch memory after the fall of Napoleon. Whether this little round pastry was named for the soldier, the fur hat, or simply the pleasure bakers take in giving sweets martial names, the honest answer is: we don't know with certainty. A forced etymology is worse than none. The name already tells you enough to be careful.
But let me tell you a secret. The kozak is easy to confuse with the mergpijp, that more famous marzipan-covered cousin with jam inside. In Twente, in Overijssel, the kozak keeps its own counsel: soft biscuit, cream, marzipan, chocolate, and no red stripe of jam announcing itself like a brass band. This is regional pastry in the Dutch way, modest until you cut it open.
What matters here is softness against snap. The sponge must stay tender, the cream must be firm enough to hold its round shape, the marzipan rolled thin enough to embrace rather than bully, and the chocolate should set with a clean bite. Hou het altijd simpel, always keep it simple. Make the parts neatly, chill when the pastry asks for patience, and don't decorate what already has the good manners to be itself.
The kozak is associated especially with Twente in Overijssel, where regional bakeries distinguish it from the mergpijp by its round shape and its filling of cream without jam. Its name means Cossack in Dutch, a word that entered popular European imagination strongly after Cossack troops helped drive French forces from the Netherlands in 1813, though the pastry's exact naming history is not securely documented. The useful table fact is the distinction: a kozak is round, cream-filled, marzipan-wrapped, and chocolate-coated; add jam and you have wandered toward the mergpijp.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
large eggs
Quantity
4
caster sugar
Quantity
120g
vanilla sugar or vanilla extract
Quantity
1 teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon
plain flour
Quantity
100g
cornstarch
Quantity
25g
fine salt
Quantity
1 pinch
whole milk
Quantity
250ml
caster sugar
Quantity
60g
for pastry cream
egg yolks
Quantity
2
cornstarch
Quantity
25g
for pastry cream
butter
Quantity
25g
cold whipping cream
Quantity
200ml
icing sugar
Quantity
1 tablespoon
almond marzipan
Quantity
350g
icing sugar
Quantity
as needed
for rolling
dark chocolate
Quantity
250g
chopped
neutral oil or cocoa butter
Quantity
1 tablespoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| large eggs | 4 |
| caster sugar | 120g |
| vanilla sugar or vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon or 1/2 teaspoon |
| plain flour | 100g |
| cornstarch | 25g |
| fine salt | 1 pinch |
| whole milk | 250ml |
| caster sugarfor pastry cream | 60g |
| egg yolks | 2 |
| cornstarchfor pastry cream | 25g |
| butter | 25g |
| cold whipping cream | 200ml |
| icing sugar | 1 tablespoon |
| almond marzipan | 350g |
| icing sugarfor rolling | as needed |
| dark chocolatechopped | 250g |
| neutral oil or cocoa butter | 1 tablespoon |
Equipment Needed
- •30 by 40cm rimmed baking tray
- •6cm round cutter
- •Rolling pin
- •Small offset spatula or piping bag
Instructions
- 1
Bake the sponge
Heat the oven to 190C. Beat the eggs, 120g caster sugar, vanilla, and salt for 6 to 8 minutes, until thick, pale, and ribboning from the whisk. Sift over the flour and 25g cornstarch, then fold gently so you keep the air you just worked for. Spread in a lined 30 by 40cm baking tray and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until springy and lightly golden.
- 2
Make the cream
Warm the milk in a small pan. In a bowl, whisk the yolks, 60g sugar, and 25g cornstarch until smooth, then whisk in the hot milk. Return everything to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until thick and glossy. Beat in the butter, cover the surface directly, and chill completely. When cold, whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft firm peaks and fold it through the pastry cream.
- 3
Cut and fill
Cut 16 rounds from the sponge, about 6cm wide. Pipe or spoon a generous mound of cream onto 8 rounds, then cap each with a second round and press lightly so the filling reaches the edge without spilling. Chill for 30 minutes. This rest is not fussiness; a soft pastry behaves better when cold.
- 4
Wrap in marzipan
Dust the counter lightly with icing sugar and roll the marzipan to about 2mm thick. Cut strips wide enough to cover the side of each pastry and wrap them neatly around the rounds, sealing the join with a little pressure. Trim the top and bottom cleanly. The marzipan should be a coat, not armour.
- 5
Coat with chocolate
Melt the chocolate gently with the oil or cocoa butter, then let it cool until fluid but no longer hot. Dip the top and sides of each chilled kozak, leaving the base clean if you like the bakery look, or coating it fully if you like a firmer shell. Set on baking paper until the chocolate has a satin finish and a clean touch.
- 6
Chill and serve
Refrigerate the kozakken for at least 1 hour before serving. Cut with a thin sharp knife so the chocolate gives way cleanly and the cream stays in place. Serve small plates, coffee, and no apology for the richness. Twente has done the arguing for you.
Chef Tips
- •Do not add jam. That is the useful border between a kozak and a mergpijp, and borders matter in pastry as much as in old maps.
- •Use real almond marzipan, not fondant with almond flavouring. The pastry is simple enough that poor marzipan has nowhere to hide.
- •Chill before dipping. Warm cream softens, soft pastry sags, and suddenly your neat Twentse kozak becomes an argument on baking paper.
- •A slightly darker chocolate is best here. Milk chocolate makes the whole pastry too sweet; dark chocolate gives the marzipan and cream something to lean against.
Advance Preparation
- •The sponge can be baked one day ahead, wrapped well, and kept at room temperature.
- •The pastry cream can be made one day ahead and refrigerated; fold in the whipped cream on the day you assemble.
- •Finished kozakken keep 2 days in the refrigerator, covered. Bring them out 10 minutes before serving so the marzipan softens slightly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 200g)
Calories
750 calories
Total Fat
39 g
Saturated Fat
18 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
20 g
Cholesterol
180 mg
Sodium
105 mg
Total Carbohydrates
90 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
67 g
Protein
13 g
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