This recipe is my personal favorite. The potatoes make this recipe so moist and chewy.
Vet Bollen
- 3 good-sized potatoes, mashed
- 1 1/4 c. white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 t. salt
- 1 c. milk
- 2 3/4 c. flour
- 2 T. baking powder
- 1 c. raisins
Stir together all the ingredients. Drop off teaspoon into hot oil. Fry until golden brown. Toss in bag with sugar.
This year, I’m going to try to make these without frying them…baking them instead. I’ll let you know how these turn out.
Barb
Your vet bollen recipe has reminded me of a popular South African Afrikaans (ie of Dutch origin) recipe, which can be savoury or sweet, depending on your whims.
Vetkoek (“fat cakes”)
250ml cake flour
5ml baking powder
Large pinch of salt
1 large egg, well beaten
125ml milk
Oil for frying
Mix the egg with the dry ingredients; blend with the milk to make a batter. Drop the batter by the spoonful into the hot oil and brown on both sides.
Serve with butter and honey or cut open and fill with curried mince. We also like to have bovril or marmite on them if you’re familiar with those.
Liz, thanks for the recipe! Man, Dutch recipes made their way all over the world!
Barb
Yes I believe they were quite the Imperial power at one time with settlements all over the world.
I am interested in your recipe because I have 3 out of 4 granparents that are full blood Dutch. My grandmother still lives in Pella Iowa where they have a traditional celebration every year called Tulip Time. We get vetbollen, Poffergies, and Dutch letters (S shaped pastry with almond fillng- very sweet and delicious).
Thanks for the recipe!
Mmmm….Dutch letters from Pella’s Jaarsma bakery…oh man! I live in California, now, but grew up in Eddyville, IA. Jaarsma is one of those places I try to stop whenever I’m back home.
Love your website. My grandmother used to make vet bollen for New Years and I just got her recipe, so will start my own tradition this year.
Krista, check out our recipe for Banket (do a search on the right side of the screen)–that’s the same thing as Dutch letters. If you are 75% Dutch, then we think it’s probably the LAW that you must learn how to make your own Banket for Christmas!
When I was in my teens I worked in a Dutch bakery…the same one your mother and grandma worked in when they were teenagers.
The fat balls that we sold were a raised yeast dough…a lot like the raised donuts of today, but they were more dense and had raisins in them. He also made something called ‘lunch sticks’..the dough of a cake donut but just a straight stick with icing on it. Have any of your readers found a recipe for this kind of oliebollen?