Dutch brittle cookies a.k.a. knapkoek

Name: Dutch brittle cookies a.k.a. knapkoek
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 16 persons
Cuisine: Dutch
Ingredients: 500 gram all-purpose flour; 250 gram butter; 250 gram sugar + extra; 1 sachet of baking powder (15 gram); 2 eggs; 2 sachets of vanilla sugar

Dutch brittle cookies, also known as knapkoek here in the South of the Netherlands is a cookie that reminds me of my grandmother. Crunchy goodness!

Dutch brittle cookies a.k.a. knapkoek ingredients

Recipe dutch brittle cookies a.k.a. knapkoek

Made by Véronique

Published at 2016-10-20, this recipe is for 16 persons and takes 30 minutes.

Founder of Ohmydish (since 2014), she prefers to spend all day in the kitchen. Once working in the hospitality industry as an independent chef, she loves helping you gain confidence in the kitchen. With her easy-to-follow recipes, handy tips, and cooking knowledge, you'll make the most delicious dishes yourself! The recipes are accessible to everyone, from beginners to advanced home cooks.

Updated at: 2025-07-19

Let's get started

Preparation time

5 minutes

Time cooking

25 minutes

Total time

30 minutes

Preparation - 5 minutes + waiting time (optional)

Combine butter and 250 grams of sugar until it's fluffy, to get the best result it's recommended to use an electric mixer. Add the eggs one by one and keep on mixing until it's smooth.

Add the baking powder, vanilla sugar and then gradually add the all-purpose flour. Wrap the dough with cling film and refrigerate for about half an hour. It's not necessary to place it in the fridge, but it makes the dough easier to handle.

Meanwhile, line a baking tray with parchment paper and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius or 350 degrees fahrenheit.

Finishing the Dutch brittle cookies - 25 minutes

Dust your work surface and rolling-pin with flour and roll out the dough. It should be quite thick, about 0,5 cm (0,20 inches). Sprinkle with a layer of sugar and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and use a chef's knife to immediately cut the desired shape of the cookies. The dough is still soft at this point, so cutting it will be very easy.

Bake it for another 5 minutes, or until the cookies are beautifully golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack, you'll notice they will become crunchier during cooling. Enjoy!