A real typical Dutch recipe is a so called Dutch banketstaaf or almond paste filled pastry log. It’s the thing we make during Sinterklaas and it’s a favorite of mine. It’s pretty easy to make, but you can also make all the components yourself. It’s a pretty traditional Dutch pastry that is also quite popular at Christmas time.
A tempting slice of banketstaaf is delicious with a hot chocolate, a nice cup of coffee or a mug of hot tea.
Some recipes are so simple that I wonder if I should share the recipe. This recipe for making your own pastry log is one of those. In total, you only need three ingredients to make a pastry log, Dutch banketstaaf, or almond letter (whatever you want to call it):
You can make it as hard or easy as you like. For example, I used a large puff pastry sheet from the refrigerated section of the grocery store, but you can also make your own. The same goes for the almond paste, although it really is incredibly quick and easy to make it yourself. Keep in mind that homemade almond paste needs to “age” in the refrigerator for a while. The full list of ingredients is in the recipe card.
A homemade banketstaaf is really incredibly delicious. Of course you will have to taste it fresh out of the oven, when it has just turned golden brown and smells absolutely intoxicating. Nothing beats a slice of warm pastry log.
Now for making this you will need a bit of parchment paper, a prepared baking sheet and a large roll of puff pastry. You cut the sheet in half lengthwise. It’s easiest to do this on a lightly floured surface. The almond paste is mixed with one beaten egg and you keep the other egg for the egg wash. You can mix it by hand or in the bowl of a food processor.
Now you might not be able to find this particular kind of almond paste everywhere in the world, but the good news is; making your own almond paste is incredibly easy.
You divide the almond paste into two equal parts and roll it into a sausage shape. You place each sausage in the center of each long strip of dough. Brush the ends of the dough with a little bit of water. Now fold and press the dough into the shape of a log. Press to seal the log and place it on the baking sheet (seam side down). You can sprinkle some sliced almonds over the top if you want after having used the egg wash. Bake in the oven in about 25 to 30 minutes.
You will find people that love to eat a Dutch banketstaaf cold and you will find people who love to eat it warm. In my opinion you should really be eating it warm. That’s when the flavor is at its very best. I reheat the banketstaaf in the oven as that will also make the puff pastry crispy again. Just like it was when you first baked it.
When reheating puff pastry snacks, I usually stick to about 5 minutes in the oven at 225˚C (440˚F) (conventional oven), depending on the size of the snack. If you are reheating the entire almond log at once, it will take a little longer.
You can also use an air fryer, but be aware that this will be even faster because of the hot air feature.
Over the years, I have come to appreciate almond paste more and more. While 15 years ago I preferred gevulde speculaas with just a little almond paste, I now prefer a well-filled variety. You can also vary the filling for this banketstaaf, more on that below in the tips section.
The function of the egg in this recipe is to bind the almond paste and keep it creamy during baking. It also gives a nice shine to the pastry. I have sometimes read that you can replace the almond paste with apple sauce or (vegetable) milk, but I have not tested this.
To brush the pastry you can also use milk, although it does not give the same shine as egg. Another option is to brush a little apricot jam on top. Also quite good!
Absolutely! You can use as much or as little almond paste as you like. My tasting panel and I found the almond paste log to be rich with this amount of almond paste. So I can imagine that if you like more puff pastry in proportion, you might use 300 grams of almond paste (150 grams per bar). I recommend using a maximum of 250 grams of almond paste per bar, otherwise it will be difficult to seal the pastry properly.
No there is a difference between almond paste and marzipan. Marzipan contains more sugar.
This recipe is really about almond paste, but if you have an allergy or intolerance to almond paste, you can substitute coconut paste. I developed it specifically for this purpose and it can be substituted 1:1. I will soon share the recipe for this as well (it’s here in Dutch if you can’t wait). You can also make a paste of any other kind of nut but there are no recipes online for that just yet.
You most certainly can! A few years ago, I made a savory pastry log with puff pastry and a sausage stuffing. Absolutely delicious! I’ve also made a savory pastry bar with a smoked sausage (rookworst) filling, mm!
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