I have been eating banket ever since I was a little girl; it just isn’t Christmas without a stick of the almond-filled pastry. Since the area where I grew up is heavily populated with Dutch immigrants, it wasn’t until later in life that I discovered that there are people who have no idea what banket is!
Although my husband doesn’t like it (I’ll forgive him, his ancestors were German), I always try to get a piece from or help my mom bake some around the holidays. This year I took photos as my mom made a batch so I can share her secrets.
FOR A PRINTABLE VERSION CLICK HERE: Banket
Filling Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups sugar; 10 ounces almond paste; 3 eggs
Note: You can make your own almond paste but we usually just buy it ready made.
Filling Directions:
Break up the almond paste into chunks and add in a bowl to sugar. Set aside.
Crack eggs, reserving one of the egg whites (put the lone egg white in the refrigerator). Beat with electric beaters for about a minute until foamy and add to almond paste and sugar mixture. Knead with hands until mixed well. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
Pastry Ingredients: 4 C flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 lb butter (sliced); 1 cup cold water
Pastry Directions:
Stir flour, salt, and baking powder together in a bowl. Cut in half of the butter; then cut in the other half.
Add a cup of cold, cold water and mix well with hands.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or 8 hours.
Assembly:
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Roll out pastry dough on floured surface, forming a rectangle about 1/8″ thick (larger than a 9×13). Fold into quarters and roll out again. Sprinkle with water, gather into a ball, and roll out again. Gather again, may need to add more flour to prevent sticking to the counter, and roll out a third time, about 19″x20″.
2. Make a log of filling about an inch thick on top of one end of the pastry dough; put a little water down to make the pastry stick; roll into a log once and a half and use a pizza cutter to trim the log from the rest of the sheet of pastry. Place on cookie sheet, seam side down, and repeat until all logs are done (will make about 4 logs).
3. Brush with the egg white that you saved earlier, sprinkle with sugar, and make slits about every inch or so.
4. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes; then reduce heat to 400F for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
The Verdict: Flaky, almondy sweetness.
This post also shared at Ultimate Recipe Swap
I do not have one drop of Dutch blood – but I LOVE banket!!
I love it!!! Your mom is a great recipe model! 🙂 If my kids would leave me alone for two seconds, I might just have to lock myself in the kitchen and try my hand at making some! As Dutch as my family is, I never in my life made banket. But I sure do love to eat it! Thanks for sharing-and thank your mom too! 🙂
I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of it, either…but AAAAAHHHHH! Now that I have, I MUST have some. Almond paste is my total weakness…I eat it from the can! Thanks for the link on how to make your own, as well…gonna check it out. Thanks so much for sharing this w/ the hearth and soul hop this week 🙂
I’ve never even heard of this, but I must try!
OMGosh.. just stumbled on your website from tammysrecipes.com (I just love her and her site to pieces). I was born and raised in GR but now live in NE Alabama. Getting homesick for a Michigan Christmas this year. I love banket but can’t get it down here. I found a can of almond paste in our church’s food pantry and grabbed it to make banket this year. Never made it before… I’m gonna use your recipe. I’ll tell you how it turned out.
God bless you and your family this Christmas!!
Oh my, I can’t imagine not having a white Christmas . . . although after the New Year I would totally trade you for Alabama weather! Thanks for stopping by, I do hope you let me know how it turns out.
I’ve never heard of this. I will have to ask my good friend Jannetje who is from Holland about this. Come on over and join me for Merry, Merry Munchies 2010. There’s a giveaway going on:)
Thank you for posting this! My mother made banket every Christmas growing up. I made it a few times with my mom, but she passed away last year and now I am carrying on the tradition solo. I am at my in-laws this Christmas, and wanted to make banket for my husband’s family, but I left my recipe at home! So I’m thrilled to see that your mother makes it almost exactly the same way! I will be following your steps exactly and can’t wait to enjoy banket again this year. Thank you!
I’m so glad I could help!
It turned out fabulously, and everyone loves it! Thanks again.
Clarification on what TYPE of sugar? ie., White granulated sugar? Brown Sugar? or Powdered sugar for the filling?
Do the eggs need to be at room temperature?
LOVE THE PICS!- Very helpful. THANK YOU!
Hi Wendi! Just regular old white granulated sugar, and the eggs don’t need to be at room temperature.