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Borstplaat
Sugar fondant sweets
Borstplaat: Dutch fondant-like sugar sweets for Sinterklaas
Borstplaat is the sweet of Sinterklaas in the Netherlands: small, melt-in-the-mouth discs or hearts of boiled sugar and cream or milk with a little butter, flavoured with coffee, vanilla or strawberry. Children find them in their shoes on the morning of 5 December alongside pepernoten and a chocolate letter. They need only a few ingredients and a little care, and are gluten free. Chef's tip: stir the cooled syrup until it turns cloudy and starts to thicken, then pour at once; that stirring forms the fine crystals that make borstplaat creamy.
- Total time
- 35 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
- 14 oz granulated sugar
- ½ cup single cream or milk
- ½ oz butter
- 1 tsp neutral oilfor the moulds
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Lightly brush small metal cookie cutters or silicone moulds with 1 tsp neutral oil and set them on baking paper.
Step 2: Put 14 oz granulated sugar and ½ cup single cream or milk in a heavy pan and stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
5 minStep 3: Boil without stirring until it reaches 250°F on a sugar thermometer (soft ball), about 8–10 minutes.
10 minStep 4: Take off the heat, add ½ oz butter and 1 tbsp strong coffee, vanilla extract or strawberry syrup and leave for 3 minutes.
Step 5: Stir steadily with a wooden spoon for 2–4 minutes until the syrup turns opaque and starts to thicken. Pour at once into the moulds about 1 cm deep. A common mistake is stirring too long: it sets in the pan.
4 minStep 6: Leave for 1 hour to set, then push out of the moulds. Store in a tin.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 90 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does borstplaat take?
- About 35 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of granulated sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of single cream or milk?
- Oat, soy or almond milk, same amount (use unsweetened for savoury dishes).
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