Making your Mergpijpjes, a Dutch Marzipan Pastry, is a challenge? These delicious cakes with a cream layer and strawberry jam, a marzipan casing, and chocolate are high on the list of Dutch delicacies. And for good reason, because every bite is pure enjoyment. Fruity, creamy, airy, and chocolate. And with this step-by-step plan, a sweet cookie that you bake yourself in the oven!
Jump to:
What are mergpijpjes?
Mergpijpjes are small Dutch pastries (or cookies): a bar of sponge with cream and jam, wrapped in a thin layer of marzipan and dipped at both ends in chocolate. The name means "little marrow pipes," after their shape, which looks like a piece of marrowbone. In the Netherlands you eat them with coffee or tea. They're not the same as Dutch banketstaaf, which is puff pastry around an almond paste filling.
Mergpijpjes - Dutch Marzipan Pastry
Had I ever thought about making mergpijpjes myself? Certainly. We used to have these delicious filled cakes with marzipan and chocolate at home. My father loves it. But it seemed to me to be quite a comprehensive recipe. Nevertheless, when exploring Dutch favorites, this recipe should be on this blog.
The basic recipe came from Laura's Bakery (A Dutch blogger), but I decided to do some more research. Because what I think is important is to make the recipe as easy and tasty as possible. That meant that I worked with a square baking pan, which I halved (so that I almost already had the right shape) and I used ready-made rolled-out marzipan. Well, convenience serves people after all ;-).
What do you need for Dutch Mergpijpjes?
To prepare Dutch Marzipan Pastries called Mergpijpjes you require the following ingredients (you can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog):
- Cornstarch - mixing flour and cornstarch makes the sponge lighter. A reader, Ingrid, pointed out that cornstarch and cornflour "are 2 different things" in her country, so to be clear: use cornstarch, the fine white powder. In the UK and the Netherlands that same powder is sold as cornflour. It is not cornmeal.
- Marzipan - This is a roll of Marzipan that you can buy ready-made at baking shops. You can then cut it well and make mergpijpjes with it. You could also use cubes of Marzipan and roll them very thin or you can make your own marzipan following this recipe.
- Chocolate - For these Dutch Marzipan Pastries, use dark chocolate. Use a good chocolate, because the cheaper version contains too much fat.
- Strawberry Jam - The strawberry jam is the fruity layer between the buttercream and cake. You can also replace this with raspberry jam or red currant jam.
- Flour - Use regular Plain flour for baking the biscuit.
- Vanilla sugar - Sugar with a vanilla flavor. You can substitute it with 1 ½ teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
How to make Dutch Marzipan Pastries
A recipe with extensive steps, the right amount of ingredients, and which you can also easily print can be found at the bottom of the blog.
- Biscuit liquids - Mix the liquid ingredients for the biscuit until foamy.
- Sifting - Sift the solid ingredients for the biscuit over the egg mixture. This prevents lumps, and by gently stirring it into the egg mixture with a spatula, the biscuit remains airy. Pour into the baking pan and place in the oven.
- Custard - The basis of buttercream is eggs, sugar, and custard, which you beat and then carefully warm milk is added. Keep stirring or you will get lumps! Pour everything back into the pan and heat over medium heat until the cream thickens. Keep stirring.
- Cooling quickly - By spreading the custard over a plate, you divide the surface and cool the custard quickly. Put a plastic film over it so that you don't get a skin formed.
- Check - Remove the biscuit from the oven and check if it is done. You do this by gently pressing the top with a finger. If it springs back, the biscuit is ready.
- Buttercream - Mix the cooled custard with confectioner's sugar and butter to a light mixture. Place in a piping bag and set aside at room temperature (this will keep it soft and make it easier to spread over the jam immediately.
- Filling - Cut the biscuit in half and spread the jam over the bottom. Pipe about ⅔ of the buttercream over it and spread it out with the back of a spoon.
- Cover - Cover the biscuit with the top part. Cut off the irregular sides and divide the mergpijpjes into smaller pieces. You can make 2 rows of 4 for large cookies or 3 rows of 5 for the smaller variety.
- Buttercream and Marzipan - Smear the rest of the buttercream over the marzipan (one side only) and smooth with a palette knife.
- Wrapping - Make bars of the marzipan and make them 1 inch (1 ½ cm) larger than the cake on each side. Start with a horizontal piece and wrap the cake in it.
- Folding - Now fold the sides as well, just like you would wrap a present. Then push the bottom and top inwards.
- Dipping - Melt the chocolate and place in a small bowl. Dip the ends of the Marzipan Pastries in the chocolate and place on a rack. Let this harden.
Andrea's Tips
- Keep the buttercream at room temperature in the piping bag. You don't need a nozzle; just snip off the tip.
- Finding the marzipan hard to roll, or prefer less of it? Leave the bottom uncovered. Nobody sees it once they're on the plate.
- Want smaller ones? Cut the cake into thirds and each bar into 5 pieces for 15 mergpijpjes.
- Convection oven: bake the sponge at 320 °F (160 °C) instead of 350 °F (180 °C).
What to serve with mergpijpjes
Serve them with coffee or tea, the way they're eaten in the Netherlands. They also fit a December table next to other treats from my Sinterklaas recipes. If you're baking a Dutch coffee spread, add something lighter like eierkoeken (Dutch sponge cookies) or crunchy krakelingen, Dutch sweet pretzel cookies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are mergpijpjes made of? Sponge, vanilla custard buttercream, strawberry jam, marzipan and dark chocolate.
Cornstarch or cornflour? Cornstarch. In the UK and the Netherlands the same powder is called cornflour.
Can I freeze mergpijpjes? Yes, wrapped for up to 3 months. In the fridge keep for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
How many does this make? 8 large or 15 small.
My grandmother always said:
Eat well, never too much. The only "too much" that's allowed is being too happy at the table.
Did you make this recipe?
So, how did it turn out? Tell me all about it (and a star rating would make my day.)
📖 Recipe
RECIPE CARD
Recipe Help
Two easy tools to make cooking even easier. Cooking mode keeps the screen on. The easy-step recipe displays the recipe step by step, including the ingredients needed. And you can adjust servings easily
Ingredients
Biscuit
- 3 eggs, size M
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
- ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
Custard
- 1 egg yolk , size M
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
- 2 teaspoons custard powder
- ½ cup milk
Buttercream
- 1 portion custard, made above
- 1 stick butter, unsalted
- ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar
Filling
- ⅔ portion buttercream, made above
- ⅓ cup strawberry jam
Decoration
- 2 pounds Marzipan, equals 2 rolls
- ⅓ portion buttercream, made above
- ½ pound dark chocolate, chopped finely
All my recipes are written both in Metric (gram / ml) and US Customary (cups / pounds). Here you can select which type of amount you would like to see.
Instructions
Making biscuit
- Preheat the oven to 350 ℉.
- Line the baking pan (10 x 10 inches (24 x 24 cm)) with baking paper.
- Mix the eggs, sugar, and vanilla sugar very lightly for 10 minutes.3 eggs, ½ cup sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
- Place a sieve over the bowl with the egg mixture and sift the flour and cornstarch. Fold this very carefully into the batter with a spatula, so that it remains as airy as possible, until the flour mixture is incorporated.⅔ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ cup cornstarch
- Carefully pour this into the baking tin and bake for 25 minutes. Check if it's done by pressing your finger on the top of the biscuit. It should spring back.
- Let it cool, but make sure you cover it with a tea towel so it doesn't dry out
Custard
- While the biscuit is in the oven, make the custard. Mix the egg yolk with the custard, sugar, and vanilla sugar until it is creamy.1 egg yolk , 3 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons custard powder, 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
- Heat the milk in a saucepan over high heat until hot.½ cup milk
- Pour the milk drop by drop into the egg mixture while continuing to stir. When all the milk has been added, pour everything back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring continuously.
- When the custard starts to thicken, remove it from the heat and continue whisking for another minute.
- Spread the custard on a plate and cover it with plastic wrap.
Buttercream
- Mix the custard with the butter and confectioner's sugar and mix on high for 10 minutes.1 portion custard, 1 stick butter, ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar
- Place the buttercream in a piping bag and set it aside at room temperature. The piping bag does not need to have a nozzle, you can just cut a small piece off the bottom.
Filling mergpijpjes
- Remove the cooled biscuit from the baking tin and cut it in half horizontally with a knife.
- Divide the strawberry jam over the biscuit and then pipe ⅔th of the buttercream on top. Spread it out with a spoon.⅓ cup strawberry jam, ⅔ portion buttercream
- Place the second biscuit on top of the first and press down. Cut the unevenness of the sides with a knife, so that you are left with a square.
- Then cut the biscuit in half and divide each half into 4 equal pieces. *
Decorating Marzipan Pastries
- Roll out the marzipan and spread the buttercream over it.2 pounds Marzipan, ⅓ portion buttercream
- Divide the marzipan into bars that are 1 inch (2 cm) wider on the sides than the cake. Also cut a piece from the bottom, so that you start with a straight piece.
- Place it against the cake and roll it around the cookies. Fold the sides in at both ends and then the bottom and top in.
- Melt ⅔ of the chocolate au bain-Marie. This means that you hang a heat-resistant bowl over boiling water. Melt the chocolate in this bowl.½ pound dark chocolate
- When the chocolate has melted, mix in the rest of the chocolate.
- Pour the chocolate into a small bowl and dip both ends of each mergpijpje in it.
- Place the mergpijpjes on a rack and let the chocolate harden.
Notes
Bake the biscuit at 350 °F (180 °C) in a conventional oven. If you use a convection oven, bake the biscuit at 320 °F (160°C). 8. Storage
- Refrigerator: Store the mergpijpjes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Wrap the Dutch cookies in plastic wrap and then in a freezer box or bag. This way they stay good for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Ingrid says
I want to try this recipe, but it's it corn starch or corn flour? These are 2 different things and you use them interchangeably in your recipe.
Andréa says
Thank you for your comment. That was indeed a typo, it's cornstarch you'll need. I adjusted the recipe, so it's clear for everybody.
Seeta says
Hi Andréa,
These look so good. Looking forward to making them.
Where I live, cornstarch and cornflour are the same!