Van Stapele Koekmakerij: Hard on the outside and soft on the inside...

With the recipe (top secret, of course!), Vera van Stapele seems to have hit on a broad taste. Word quickly spread that these cookies were addictive - the Internet and old-fashioned printed travel guides contributed equally to the spread of knowledge. Very soon it was no longer an insider tip, as long queues outside the small store were the norm. The neighbors - also all small stores - were not amused, because the queue at the end of the street, formed by van Stapele folders, was for the cookies. This went on until the day's production was exhausted: the dough is only prepared once a day and is then baked throughout the day - if all, then all.

We walked past the small store several times during our visits to Amsterdam because of the long queues, even though the smell of freshly baked cookies was very tempting. It wasn't until two years ago that we found the time and of course didn't regret the wait. Our visit to the old location in April was also very timely, as a week later the cookie maker moved to its current location at Rokin 17, where there is much more space, both in the store and in front of it. Inside, the architects have created a successful mix of the solidity of an old merchant's store (also known as a Kauffrauladen...) and a modern semi-automated factory. Behind glass, you can see employees (less often: employees) shaping the cookies, and behind a long glass wall, cookie trays roll along.