Dutch candy

Holland's Love Affair with Drop

If one sweet defines the Netherlands, it's drop. This uniquely Dutch category of licorice spans an astonishing range — from intensely salty zoute drop (made with salmiak) to soft, sweet, and honeyed varieties — and the Dutch consume it in quantities found nowhere else. For newcomers it's an acquired taste; for the Dutch, it's a national obsession.

Holland's sweet table doesn't stop at licorice, though. The stroopwafel — two thin waffle layers pressed around a caramel-syrup filling — is best warmed over a hot drink and has become a global favorite. Older classics still hold their place: Haagse Hopjes, hard coffee-caramel sweets from The Hague, and Wilhelmina Pepermunt, the crisp peppermint stamped with a Dutch queen. Come December, speculaas (spiced cookies) and chocoladeletters (chocolate letters) appear everywhere for the Sinterklaas holiday.

From salty drop to fresh stroopwafels, this is your one-stop shop for authentic Dutch sweets, shipped fresh across the US. New favorites land regularly, so it's worth checking back.