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13 Worst Rated Dutch Cookies

Last update: Sun Jul 20 2025
13 Worst Rated Dutch Cookies
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01

Cookie

NETHERLANDS
2.8
Taai-taai
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Taai-taai is a popular Dutch cookie with a hard, chewy texture. It consists of flour, sugar, baking powder, and eggs. The cookies are traditionally flavored with aniseed and honey. These treats are especially popular during the festive Sinterklaas season, when they are shaped into hearts, animals, or Sinterklaas himself.


The name taai-taai means tough-tough, referring to the texture of these popular cookies.

02

Cookie

NETHERLANDS
3.1
Pepernoot
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Pepernoten are traditional Dutch cookies that are closely associated with the Sinterklaas holiday. The cookies are usually prepared in the shape of squares and consist of flour, milk, butter, sugar, anise seed, cinnamon, and cloves. Pepernoten are especially beloved by children due to their spicy-sweet flavor and chewy texture.

03

Cookie

ARNHEM, Netherlands
3.2
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Arnhemse meisjes (lit. girls from Arnhem) are traditional Dutch cookies originating from the city of Arnhem. These crispy and buttery cookies are made with butter, flour, yeast, salt, sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. The dough is pressed into oval discs over coarse sugar, and they are then baked in the oven until golden and slightly puffy.


It is recommended to serve them with a cup of coffee or tea. The cookies were first made in 1829 by a baker named Hagdorn, who wanted to invent a new cookie for festive events. Interestingly, Arnhemse meisjes were one of the favorite cookies of Roald Dahl, the famous writer. 
04
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MAIN INGREDIENTS

Bitterkoekjes are traditional Dutch almond cookies with a flavor that is reminiscent of the Italian amaretti, although bitterkoekjes have a chewier interior. The cookies consist of almond paste, sugar, and eggs, similar to macarons, so making them takes a bit of practice and knowledge as they can be quite tricky to prepare.


Even though they can be made throughout the year, bitterkoekjes are especially popular during the festive Christmas season in the Netherlands.

05

Cookie

NETHERLANDS
3.4
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Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, bokkepootjes are traditional Dutch cookies consisting of a light meringue that is dipped in chocolate. The meringue is filled with butter cream or other ingredients such as almond paste or apricot jam.


The name bokkepootjes means goat's feet, referring to the visual resemblance between the cookies and the hooves of a small goat.

06

Cookie

NETHERLANDS
3.4
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Jodenkoeken or Jewish cookies are large, round, and flat shortbread cookies dating back to the 17th century. These cookies have a sandy texture and a wonderful buttery flavor. They consist of flour, salt, cinnamon, sugar, milk, and butter.


It is believed that the cookies were first made by a retiring Jewish baker in the early 1920s, who then sold his bakery to a cookie baker named Davelaar, and he continued to sell them in metal cookie cans with a yellow wrapper. Today, jodenkoeken are still packed in tin boxes in order to remain crunchy and as fresh as possible. 
07

Snack

NETHERLANDS
3.5
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Kaasstengel is a savory cookie that is popular throughout the Netherlands and Indonesia. It consists of flour, margarine, baking powder, egg yolks, and Dutch cheeses such as Edam or Gouda. Cream, powdered milk, or cornstarch are sometimes added to the combination in order to develop a richer and crispier texture.


In the past, kaasstengels were often used as an accompaniment to soups or salads, but today they are mostly consumed as a snack, especially during Ramadan in Indonesia and during Christmas in the Netherlands.

08

Cookie

NETHERLANDS
3.5
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Jan Hagel are traditional Dutch cookies that are a part of the Feast of St. Nicholas and the Christmas tradition in the Netherlands. They consist of a flaky, buttery shortbread crust, a variety of crunchy nuts such as almonds or walnuts, and crystallized sugar.


Due to the fact that the word janhagel denotes an unruly mob or a swarm, it is believed that the unusual name is quite fitting for these cookies made with a variety of nuts. The inventor of janhagels is still unknown, but apart from the Netherlands, there are many sources linking the cookies to France and Belgium. 
09

Cookie

NETHERLANDS
3.6
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Krakeling is a Dutch variety of a sweet kringle, which is itself a variety of a pretzel due to its shape. It is typically topped with sugar or cinnamon. When made in a larger shape, krakeling is traditionally consumed with coffee at funerals and cremations because its shape symbolizes the beginning and the end of life.

10

Cookie

NETHERLANDS
3.7
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Kruidnoten are popular Dutch cookies consisting of flour, sugar, butter, and milk. They are heavily spiced with a variety of ingredients such as ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, white pepper, cloves, and nutmeg. The cookies are traditionally baked in a round shape, unlike pepernoten, which are shaped into squares.


There is also a chocolate-covered variety of kruidnoten called chocolade-kruidnoten.

11
Cookie
LEIDEN, Netherlands
3.7
12
Cookie
FRIESLAND, Netherlands
3.7
13

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “13 Worst Rated Dutch Cookies” list until July 20, 2025, 1,434 ratings were recorded, of which 1,272 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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