Queen's Day Treats!

The Dutch are overly modest about their culinary accomplishments, namely in the area of sweets. Pattisseries, bakeries, little cute shops brimming with cookies and cakes and tarts and breakfast buns are a dime a dozen in Amsterdam. It is an entire sub culture, and those in the know will buy their breakfast breads at the "bakerij," or baker, their small batch chocolates and cocoa at a "chocalatier," and their special occasion sweets at a "patisserie" or "confiserie."

The pattisserie Arnold Cornelis, pictured above, has several smart shops scattered around Amsterdam. It's very good, although my prejudice for the Van Muyden stroopwafels has colored my impression somewhat. However, certainly for eye candy the darling Arnold Cornelis shops really can't be beat. Many, like this one on tony Van Baerlestraat, have fancy glass panels decorating the overhang of their entrance.



Queen's Day will be upon us in a matter of weeks, and this patisserie has gone all out with the celebration of the royal House of Orange. I especially love the Barbie doll in the center of a cake and frosting orange skirt.



What a fun Queen's Day tray of treats! From left, Orange frosted pretzels, orange flower cookies, gold foil wrapped somethings with the crown on the paper, orange and chocolate crowns, white chocolate with tiny orange royal coaches stamped on it, chocolate hearts with little waving Dutch flags on them and tulip cookies. Eet smakelijk! Bon apetit!