Crumbly, warm, and still fresh in the oven: “the best cookies in Amsterdam” are often said to be those from Van Stapele Koekmakerij. Located down a little cobbled alley off Spui and close to Amsterdam’s main Begijnhof, you’ll smell this nostalgic sweet shop before you even see it. Often having a long line out of the door and decorated in traditional wooden furniture, this really is one bakery you won’t wish to miss off your Amsterdam bucket list…
A brief good reputation for Van Stapele
With an identity for serving up the ‘best cookie in Amsterdam,’ it may well surprise you to learn that the bakery actually only opened in 2020! There's only one variety of cookie on the market: a crunchy Valrhona dark chocolate base having a soft white chocolate centre.
The story goes that when the founders were deciding on a recipe, they all sat down to try their various creations. As soon as they bit into what's since end up being the iconic Van Stapele cookie, all of them looked at one another with pure delight: the bakers had found ‘the one’. Fast forward to today, so that as imaginable, cookies virtually fly off the shelves, with 46 baked every Ten minutes!
How to visit Van Stapele (and buy a cookie on your own!)
You should know that if you’re likely to purchase a cookie for yourself (and that i highly recommend that you do), then your queue can frequently be on your way. As a result, I recommend visiting mid-week so that as early in the day as you possibly can. Wait ’til no more the day, and sometimes the cookies have proven so popular that they’ll often sell out early!
Cookies cost EUR2, meaning that they’re a little on the pricier side of things, however this is a once in a lifetime cookie experience! If you’re planning to share, or wish to consume the cookies over the period of a few days (it’s recommended the cookies could keep for approximately three or four days), you'll be able to purchase a box of 6 for EUR10. Although the white chocolate centre is fairly rich, the cookie itself isn’t too sweet!
Wander in to the Van Stapele cookie shop at No. 4 Heisteeg at any given moment, and you may expect to be able to buy a freshly baked biscuit. The store is filled with hints of historical features; the vintage check out, golden chandeliers, and mirror-backed panelling are lovely touches.
Though you are able to pay to get your cookies wrapped in gift packaging, the biscuits can be purchased in grease-proof paper, ensuring you are able to pack them to bring back out of your travels, or just head to a secret and secluded park to enjoy your treat! Alternatively, if you head back to Spui, you'll be able to take a seat on the benches close to the Athenaeum Boekhandel.
