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Home Taai-taai

Taai-taai

Name: Taai-taai
Prep time: 21 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 39 min
Yield: approx. 12 figures
Cuisine: Dutch
Ingredients: 250 g honey; 50 ml water; 200 g rye flour; 150 g wheat flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp anise seeds, crushed; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 tsp ground cloves; 1/2 tsp nutmeg; 2 tbsp milk for brushing; 25 g halved almonds or currants to decorate

Gepubliceerd op 6 november 2026

Sinterklaas Taai-taai Cookies Baking Oven Kids Old-fashioned Dutch Easy

Taai-taai is one of the oldest Sinterklaas treats. They are soft, chewy cookies made from honey and rye flour, with the characteristic flavour of anise. In the past they were made in the shape of a suitor or maiden as a declaration of love. Now you can just as easily cut out Sinterklaas, Piet, a horse or a letter. The dough is very suitable to make with children, and decorating with almonds or currants makes it extra fun.

Recipe

Taai-taai

Homemade Taai-taai with honey, rye flour and anise. Cut out as Sinterklaas, Piet or a suitor.

Course	Pastry
Kitchen	Dutch
Servings	approx. 12 figures

Preparation time

Preparation time	1 hr 20 min
Time in oven	18 min
Total	1 hr 38 min

Equipment

Saucepan
Mixing bowl
Rolling pin
Cookie cutters
Baking Tray
Baking mat
Pastry brush

Ingredients

250 g honey
50 ml water
200 g rye flour
150 g wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp anise seeds, crushed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp milk for brushing
25 g halved almonds or currants to decorate

Prepare

Heat the honey with the water in a saucepan until the mixture is fluid. Let cool to lukewarm.
Mix the rye flour, wheat flour, baking powder and spices in a bowl. Pour in the honey mixture and knead into a smooth, firm dough.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. This is what makes the taai-taai truly chewy.
Preheat the oven to 170 °C and line a baking tray with a baking mat. Roll the dough out to 6 mm thick and cut out figures.
Place the figures on the tray, brush them with milk and decorate with almonds or currants as eyes and buttons.
Bake the taai-taai for 15 to 18 minutes at 170 °C. Let cool and store them for a day in a tin; then they will become soft and chewy.

Cooking mode Prevents your screen from going to sleep

Why is it called taai-taai? The name comes from the chewy, pliable texture of the cookie. That develops from the honey and the rye flour, and from letting the dough rest for a long time. Right after baking the cookies are still fairly hard. If you store them for a day in a closed tin, the moisture from the honey moves through the cookie and they become soft and chewy. You can optionally place a slice of apple in the tin; that will make them even softer.

Decorating and gifting: make the taai-taai extra festive with white icing made from powdered sugar and a few drops of water. Pipe a mitre, a beard or a name on with a small piping bag. A taai-taai figure with a name on it makes a lovely surprise or a treat for school. In a well-sealed tin they stay good for two to three weeks. Don't like anise? Leave it out and use extra speculaas spice mix.

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