Nieuwjaarsrolletjes

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Kniepertjesijzer, pizzelle iron, or waffle-cone iron
• •Wooden dowel or round wooden spoon handle
• •Palette knife
• •Cooling rack
• •Piping bag for the cream

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the batter

   Whisk the melted butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Add the flour, salt, and cinnamon if using, then whisk in the lukewarm water until you have a smooth, thickly pourable batter, something between pancake batter and cream. Let it rest for 30 minutes. The flour needs that time to drink, and a rested batter spreads more evenly in the iron.

2. 2

   Prepare the iron

   Heat a kniepertjesijzer, pizzelle iron, or waffle-cone iron until a small spoonful of batter sizzles gently and sets in about a minute. Brush the plates lightly with butter for the first wafer only, unless your iron asks for more. Set a wooden dowel, wooden spoon handle, clean tea towel, and cooling rack beside you before you begin; this is not the moment to discover the drawer is stuck.

   A Belgian waffle iron is too deep for this job. You need shallow patterned plates that press the batter thin, because a thick waffle will never roll neatly.
3. 3

   Bake thin wafers

   Spoon about 1 tablespoon of batter just off the centre of the iron, close it, and bake for 45 to 75 seconds, depending on your iron. The wafer should be golden with slightly darker edges and a dry, lacy surface. If it is pale, it will soften; if it is dark brown, the sugar has gone bitter. Adjust the batter with a spoonful of water if it sits too thickly instead of spreading.

4. 4

   Roll immediately

   Lift the wafer out with a palette knife and roll it at once around the dowel or spoon handle, using the tea towel to protect your fingers from the hot sugar. Hold the seam down for a few seconds until the roll sets, then slide it onto the rack. Work one wafer at a time. If one hardens before you can roll it, eat it flat as a kniepertje; not every mistake requires rescue.

5. 5

   Whip the cream

   When all the rolls are cool, whip the cold cream with the icing sugar and vanilla until it holds soft, clean peaks. Do not beat it into butter; this is New Year, not a dairy punishment. Spoon the cream into a piping bag or a small plastic bag with the corner cut off.

6. 6

   Fill and serve

   Fill the rolls from both ends just before serving, so the cream meets in the middle without splitting the wafer. Serve at once, with some left unfilled if your table has purists. The filled rolls soften as they stand, which is no tragedy, but it is no longer the same biscuit.

Chef Tips

• •Use witte basterdsuiker if you can find it. It dissolves beautifully and gives the wafer a fine, tender snap; caster sugar is a perfectly honest substitute.
• •Set up your rolling station before the first spoonful of batter hits the iron. These wafers are obedient for only a few seconds, then they become history.
• •Fill only what you plan to eat soon. Cream-filled rolletjes should be kept cool and served within a couple of hours; unfilled shells keep their crisp bite for days in a tight tin.
• •Cinnamon is common in some homes, aniseed in others, and plain vanilla in many. Family tradition is not a court case. Choose one and keep the batter simple.

Advance Preparation

• •The batter can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Bring it back to room temperature and loosen with a little water before baking.
• •Unfilled rolls can be baked 2 to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight tin. Fill them shortly before serving, never the night before.
• •The cream can be whipped a few hours ahead and kept chilled, then briefly whisked back to shape before piping.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 45g)