Reviewed: May 10, 2009

I make these all the time for my mom. A friend of hers goes to Pella once a year (we live in Iowa) to the tulip festival and brings a bag home for her. When I found the recipe I immediately went to the store for almond paste and made them. I personally dont like them (I dont like the almond filling) but this deserves 5 stars just for the look I got when she took a bite and realized what they were! I am also in the process of making some for her for Mother's Day! THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS RECIPE! My mom's an expert baker and its nice to be able to suprise her :)

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Reviewer:

AnaAH

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Belle Plaine, Iowa, USA

Living In: Blairstown, Iowa, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 1, 2009

Dutch Letter Cookies??? My husband request these as he spent time out in Pella, Iowa freqently before we were married and discovered them in the Jaarsma Bakery on the square. I, however, had never heard of them so I found this recipe. He LOVED this recipe and said it was almost identical to the cookies he found in Pella. I found them easy to make; however, the only suggestion I would make is to make sure the almond paste/sugar/egg mixture is mixed very well and all the lumps are gone. Otherwise, you have trouble piping the mixture out onto the dough - very annoying.

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Rena

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 15, 2008

growing up, a friend of my family made these for us at christmastime, and for the past couple years i had been looking to make my own. saw the great reviews and thought i'd try this one. i was excited to see the reference to a pella, iowa bakery, since i also grew up in iowa. this is a great recipe, pretty close to the ones i remember. i did have some extra almond mix leftover (only used a 7oz pkg to begin with). also only used about 1/2 the water the recipe calls for. they can be made into any size you desire. when folding the pastry over the filling, i didn't follow the instructions--i folded them over using the long end, instead of folding in half starting at the short end. make sure to pinch the edges closed very carefully so you don't lose any filling! the pastry was nice and flaky, but i will probably add some sugar next time around. will definitely be making these again and again!

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kellebelle

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: Stanton, Iowa, USA

Living In: Austin, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 16, 2007

These are great, but becareful with the filling or the pastry with blow out. If you think these are good, If you ever get to Pella Iowa, thry the ones from the bakery there. The shape of a big "S" and they are Awesome! I don't live there anymore, so I have to make my own. But when ever I go back to visit a box comes home with me!

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Reviewer:

Sue

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Newton, Iowa, USA

Living In: Spanaway, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 10, 2006

These were wonderful and super easy to make with a simple substitution! I did not make the dough for these, I used pre-made puff pastry sheets instead and everyone raved over them and have requested them often.

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Reviewer:

ENCHANTEDWRITER

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Reviewed: Oct. 29, 2004

I just made these. I loved them. followed the receipe word for word. I did make smaller ones easier to handle... Next time I will add about a 1/3 cup of chopped toasted almonds to my filling.... Wonderful and a KEEPER! Thank you.

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TENACITY44

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Chariton, Iowa, USA

Living In: Temple, Texas, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 20, 2004

This is a great recipe, I got a tip from a baker in my area, who refuses to give out thier recipe, to section the dough in balls and dip each ball lightly in a small bowl of water then pat it down, and definitely use lots of filling, Also I only baked about 12 minutes unitl edges turned golden. It did work and I didn't have to lightly flour or use a rolling pin, both of which I'm not fond of. Thanks for sharing this recipe,

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Reviewer:

LOVE2COOK2

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: Des Moines, Iowa, USA

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Reviewed: Dec. 22, 2003

I had these pastries as a child. My Dutch grandmother made them. As I read her recipe after she passed, she didn't use measurements! Just "some butter, some sugar". I was lost! I was so pleased to find this recipe & it is just as wonderful as I remembered from my childhood!

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ELKINATOR

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Reviewed: Feb. 16, 2003

These were very good. When i was baking them i thought i had messed them up because they never really turned brown, but i took them out at the specified time they tasted perfect. I had left over filling so next time i will double the flour mixture.

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LAURIEANN03

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Reviewed: Aug. 5, 2002

These tasted good, but it was my first attempt and I sort of botched it up. Next time I will use more of the almond paste filling (yum!) and roll the dough out flatter. Also, if you make the cookies the size indicated in the recipe, it's too hard to shape into letters. Will make them skinnier next time.

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DANIELLE BEATTY

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Davenport, Iowa, USA

Living In: Ankeny, Iowa, USA

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Reviewed: Jan. 10, 2002

These are definately worth the work! We were pleasantly surprised and so were our friends!

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JOHANNA JOY

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Reviewed: Apr. 23, 2000

These are delicious little cookies that kids can have fun making if there is a patient parent to help out. The almond paste is rich, so use sparingly. (This will also keep the filling from seeping out of the cookie when baking.) Plan on taking some time for these...but they are worth it and make for a lovely tradition. Practice and patience are the key!

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