The Dutch abroad - Sinterclaas
Preparing for Sinterklaas – Keeping Dutch Traditions Alive
For Dutch families living abroad, early December always brings a hint of nostalgia. While others are just beginning to think about Christmas, we remember the old songs of Sinterklaas Kapoentje and the rustle of paper parcels left mysteriously by the door. Many of us still keep the tradition alive with our children and grandchildren — setting out shoes by the fireplace or windowsill, filling them with drawings, carrots, or hay for the good saint’s white horse, and waking to find small gifts and spicy biscuits tucked inside.
Celebrating Sinterklaasavond on the 5th of December isn’t just about presents — it’s about keeping alive the stories, laughter, and gentle mischief that mark the start of the Dutch festive season.
And of course, no Sinterklaas celebration is complete without food and drink. The kitchen fills with the scent of cinnamon, cloves, and anise as trays of biscuits bake. There’s rich banketstaaf — puff pastry filled with almond paste — and mugs of hot chocolate, mulled wine, or coffee spiked with a dash of Dutch advocaat. Even far from home, these flavours bring back the warmth of candlelight, wooden shoes by the door, and the comforting promise that Sinterklaas has found his way to us once again.
Away from the Netherlands, we might have to improvise: finding almond paste or speculaas spice in a local shop, using honey instead of syrup, or baking our own taai-taai, pepernoten, and gevulde speculaas. This page will give you some of the of the recipes that we can make at home anywhere in the world. These small food rituals link us to our families and our past.
Recipes
Some of these recipes are foods that we would eat all the year round, in the case of peperkoek, possibly every single day, not just for Sinterklaasavond! Likewise Speculaas. However, I roll these out every year as part of the preparations for Sinterclaasavond.
Ingredients
There is no need to buy mixed spices, you can easily make your own. As for Marzipan, I promise you that this recipe is better than any you will buy.
Cookie Cutters
These pictures are all Amazon links. Click the image. If you are not in the UK then you will certainly find these same products on your Amazon website.
The first St Nicolas mould has a slightly better shape. It is more expensive and it is the one that I chose. The second one really has to be iced to be able to recognise ‘de sint’.
Chocolate letters
Mould from Amazon or AliExpress
Fill with tempered melted chocolate. White chocolate, Milk chocolate or dark
And don't forget the music
Essential Sinterklaasliedjes on YouTube and Spotify
From the shops
- Lebkuchen: Lidl (filled or larger ones not filled)
- Stroop wafels: Daelmans from Costco, Sainsbury’s and online
Warming the Traditional Dutch Way
Put the stroopwafel on top of a hot cup of coffee or tea.
Leave it 1–2 minutes.
The steam warms the syrup gently.
The wafer becomes slightly soft, but not floppy.
The centre goes molten and fragrant.
German traditions
Other coutries celebrate St Nicholas, and Germany shares many of the tastes enjoyed by their neighbours: cinnamon and winter spices, marzipan. I have read but not seen for myself that in border areas, recipes cross the border, however I thought the Weckmänner would be fun to make
