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Gevulde koek
Gevulde koek: a big, buttery round cookie filled with soft almond paste and topped with an almond
A gevulde koek is two discs of short, buttery dough sandwiching a thick layer of almond paste (spijs), glazed with egg and crowned with half an almond. Every Amsterdam bakery has a stack of them, and they are the classic koffie snack at about eleven in the morning, or something to eat on the bike home from the Noordermarkt. The pastry is crumbly and the middle soft, fragrant and lemony. It contains wheat, egg, milk and almonds. Chef's tip: make the almond paste a day ahead; it firms up and is much easier to shape into neat discs.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the almond paste
- 5 ½ oz ground almonds
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 eggbeaten
- 1 tsp lemon zestfinely grated
For the dough
- 9 oz plain flour
- 6 oz cold butterdiced
- 4 ½ oz caster sugar
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 1 tbsp cold milk
To finish
- 1 eggbeaten
- 4 blanched almondshalved
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 5 ½ oz ground almonds, 5 ½ oz caster sugar, 1 egg and 1 tsp lemon zest into a soft, thick paste. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour, ideally overnight.
5 minStep 2: Rub 6 oz cold butter into 9 oz plain flour, 4 ½ oz caster sugar and ¼ tsp fine salt until it looks like breadcrumbs, then add 1 tbsp cold milk and press into a dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two trays. Roll the dough to 4 mm and cut 16 rounds of 8 cm.
10 minStep 4: Shape the almond paste into 8 flat discs of 6 cm. Place on 8 dough rounds, brush the edges with ⅓ egg, top with the remaining rounds and press the edges together with your fingertips.
10 minStep 5: Brush the tops with ⅔ egg and press half of one of the 4 blanched almonds into the centre of each.
2 minStep 6: Bake for 25–30 minutes, until golden brown. Common mistake: overbaking; the almond paste dries out and loses its soft, moist centre. Take them out when the edges are golden and the middle still feels slightly soft.
28 minStep 7: Cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then on a rack. They keep for 4–5 days in a tin.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 470 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 27 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does gevulde koek take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- 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 ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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