Dutch Banketstaaf
Banketstaaf is a traditional Dutch pastry, puff pastry with almond paste filling. I realized I didn’t have a Dutch banketstaaf recipe on my blog yet, it’s such an easy treat to make it’s about time I put a banketstaaf recipe on my blog. All you need is almond paste, egg and puff pastry. If almond paste is hard to find you can check my almond paste recipe and make it yourself.
Traditional Dutch Banket Pastry
Banketstaaf is traditionally made around Saint Nicholas Day and Christmas. They’re always made in the shape of a log and around Saint Nicholas day you can also find them in the shape of an S or an M (that’s why the pastry is also called Banketletter). Around Christmas you usually see them in an O shape resembling a Christmas wreath with some edible decoration on it.
An Easy Dutch Banketstaaf Recipe
You’ll need puff pastry, an egg and almond paste. (A full list of ingredients including measurements can be found in the recipe card below.)
First, put your almond paste into a bowl.
Lightly whisk your egg and add a little over half to the almond paste.
Mix it up till all of the egg is incorporated.
Pour the paste onto your work surface.
Divide it into two equal pieces.
Shape it into a roll of a little under 8 inches / 20 cm long.
Next, get your puff pastry. I’ve got small squares, which fitted together makes a puff pastry sheet of 8 inch x 4 inch (20 cm x 10 cm)
Place almond paste roll onto the puff pastry at the side.
Dampen the edges of the pastry with a little bit of water.
Roll the pastry onto, and all around the almond paste.
Tuck in the sides of the banketstaaf.
Take a rolling pin and lightly roll the top of the banketstaaf to make it a little flat on the top.
Lay the banketstaaf onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper, make sure the seam is on the bottom. Brush the banketstaaf with the rest of the egg and bake in the oven till golden.
The finished banketstaaf should look nice and golden like this.
You serve the banketstaaf in small pieces of approximately 1 inch / 3 cm. They’re decadent little pieces so a small piece goes a long way.
You can serve the dutch banket pastry cold or warm. I prefer them warmed up, just pop them back into the oven for a few minutes just before serving.
Unless you don’t like almonds I can’t see how you won’t be loving this pastry. Why not make this Dutch banketstaaf recipe for Christmas? It’s a real treat!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Servings |
banket slices |
- 1 cup almond paste 300 g
- puff pastry squares ( 4 inch x 4 inch / 10 cm x 10 cm) or two long puff pastry sheets of 8 inch x 4 inch 20 cm x 10 cm
- 1 egg
Ingredients
| |
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C / 350 °F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Lightly whisk an egg. Mix a little over half of the egg with the almond paste. Mix together well till all of the egg is incorporated into the almond paste.
- Divide the almond paste into two and shape both pieces into a little under 8 inch rolls. (The almond paste rolls will need to fit onto the puff pastry with a little room left on the sides to seal the pastry.)
- Place two squares on your work surface and stick them together at the sides. Do the same with the other two pieces. You should end up with two puff pastry sheets of 8 inch x 4 inch / 10 cm x 20 cm.
- Place the almond paste rolls onto the puff pastry sheets. Make sure you put them at the edge of the long side of the pastry, leave a little room at the sides. Lightly brush the sides of the puff pastry with a little bit of water.
- Roll the pastry around the almond paste roll and tuck in the sides.
- Place on a baking tray with the seam on the bottom and brush with the remaining egg.
- Bake in the oven for roughly 20 - 25 minutes, till golden.
Please note that the cup measurements in this recipe are approximate. I have added cups for those that prefer using cups.
Thank you for this recipe! Mom would buy a banketstaff every year for Christmas and she left us a month before a few years ago. By that time it was too late to get any because the Dutch Import store only buys what is pre-ordered. The next year I missed the deadline so I decided to try making my own. That year, and the following years I never had luck. No matter what recipe I tried every single one leaked out the almond filling. This recipe was the first time I had success! So thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping to continue the tradition and keep those memories alive.
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe. Hopefully you’ll enjoy it for many years to come 🙂
What brand of puff pastry should I look for? Thank you!
I don’t have a brand outside of the Netherlands on the top of my mind at the moment. But any brand will usually do. I do try to find one that uses real butter in the puff pastry but I’ve also used puff pastry without real butter and it turned out fine.
No, it spoils the texture of the filling and the pastry. Make it the night before, just keep it covered.
This was so good. I had one many years ago, while visiting Holland, Michigan and it became a favorite. This brought back the memories. I did sprinkle a bit of coarse sugar on the top and it added just a touch of sweetness. Easy, pretty quick and ooh so good.
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
I have made Banket for many years and this recipe is as good, if not better, than the original recipe I have been using but it is so much easier. Thank you, Rachel!
You’re welcome 🙂
Hi, just wondering if they can be made ahead of time and frozen?
I haven’t tried that before, but you could try it. This is best fresh out of the oven though.
My husband’s family has made the traditional Banket for many years. It freezes well and is just as good when thawed as the day it was first made.
Many of the recipes I see online add sugar to the almond paste. Are you recommending no added sugar or was that an accidental omission?
Most recipes add sugar to the almond paste. Is sugar necessary or advisable?
My almond paste is sweet enough so it doesn’t need any sugar. A proper Almond paste already contains 50% sugar and 50% almonds. But perhaps there are almond pastes available that contain less sugar that I’m not aware of.
I always make my own (https://cakieshq.com/recipe/homemade-almond-paste/) or buy a Dutch almond paste in the Netherlands.
You are correct. This is sweet and delicious and there is no need to drown out the taste with too much sugar.
How long will the homemade Banketstaaf keep? I know store bought seems to keep for quite awhile in my bread box?
Hi Michelle,
It’ll keep for a couple of days if you wrap it in aluminum foil. I would put it in the oven again before serving to get some of the crispness back. The store bought ones contain preservatives so they’ll keep longer than a homemade Banketstaaf.
Thank you for your awesome recipes
You’re welcome, I’m glad you like them 🙂
been making it from scratch every year since 1960s good for holidays and its a dutch tradition, i buy the almond paste bulk from a dutch store on line. buy the chubb. , make the pastry as well , over night in fridge helps then next morning handle it and remold it and fridg again makes for a nicer flakier pastry
. you can make the marzipin ahead as well teaching younger generation the baking now.
love it
…”and around Saint Nicholas day you can also find them in the shape of an S or an M (that’s why the pastry is also called Banketletter)”
do you mean in the shape of an S or an N ?? for Saint Nicholas?
No, I actually do mean ‘M’. However, I don’t know why an ‘M’ is made. I’ll have to look into the history of that. 🙂
The idea is a letter for a name. M would be for Mina. Many would be an A
This is an amazing recipe my dad is from the Netherlands and I am first generation born here I make this every year I find that it is easy after you mix the almond paste with the ingredients to put it in some wax paper roll it into a log and put it in the refrigerator for a couple of hours hope this helps with some who have problems with the paste being too runny
How do I prevent it from splitting open! I make this every Christmas, but I make my own pastry dough ( my mother-in-law recipe).
If you mean your pastry cracks, it could be that your dough is too dry. You can keep your dough covered with plastic wrap before baking.
No matter how well I seal the dough, some of the paste leaks out. I seal the edges of the dough with a bit of watter, and brush the seam and ends with egg white to help seal. I prick the tops with a fork several times and this sometimes helps.
I always make my own dough for this recipe too, and it splits. I now let it split. I have found that we actually like the split. When the almond paste splits while baking, it gets crunchy, yummy ☺️
Could you share your pastry recipe please?
My recipe is for 8 sticks. I use 1#butter, 4 cups sifted flour and 1 cup ice water(or less). Cut butter into flour adding small amounts of water at a time. Bring it together and place on floured surface. Make 8 balls refrigerate over night. Roll out into rectangle about 12” long. (My filling always has sugar in it. I use plain almond paste not marzipan with additional ingredients)
Sounds like you make it the way I do. I always have paste bubble out. But my husband doesn’t mind that.
My mom made this every year at Christmas and I have kept up the tradition.
Do you put slits in the top? I was told to do that so air has a place to escape from. I put three to four small diagonal slits on the top of each log.