Suikerbonen are colorful sugar-coated almonds and chocolates popular in Belgium and the Netherlands, often given as gifts for celebrations such as childbirth or christenings. They are similar to Jordan Almonds and Beschuit met muisjes, and can be presented in various containers such as paper bags or fabric sachets. They can be purchased at pastry shops or online retailers.
In Dutch, suikerboon means grain of sugar, and this pastry, called suikerbonen in the plural, is made by enclosing uniformly shaped almonds and dark chocolates in a thin, hard, colorful sugar coating. Suikerbonen are very popular in Belgium and the Netherlands and traditionally these colorful pastries are presented in small bags or packets to all guests and best wishes from parents after the birth of a child or godparents at the time of the child’s christening. Suikerboon sweets are also eaten simply as a gift or as a digestif on daily occasions.
Suikerboon is very similar to other confections like Jordan Almond and Beschuit met muisjes. Jordan almonds have no actual connection to Jordan but, in fact, may have originated from Sulmona, Italy, or Malaga, Spain. They consist of almonds encased in sugar colored coatings of various pastel shades such as pink, white, yellow, green, blue, lilac, and so on; Sugar-coated almonds of different colors are handed out to visitors during different celebrations. Beschuit met muisjes, in Dutch, stands for biscuits with mice and consists of round and crunchy rusks covered in butter and aniseed seeds covered in white, pink, orange or blue sugar. Like the suikerbonen and almonds of Jordan, the beschuit met muijes are distributed for luck at childbirth or baptism.
The number of suikerboons presented to visitors can be 12, 16, 24 or more, depending on the size of the gift box or package. Many people buy or make small paper bag containers for suikerboon; ready-made bags or colored papers for making them are usually available at most gift or craft stores. Paper bags are often embellished with colorful ribbons and flowers. In addition to paper bags, beribbon sachet-shaped fabric bags are also a popular choice for these sugar bean bakeries. Other choices for suikerboon holders include tiny socks, tea glasses, clear plastic bags, porcelain ornaments, and tiny teddy bears with suikerbonen bags attached to neck ribbons. Whichever you choose, it is common to attach a card with the child’s name to the pastry package.
You can buy suikerboon in pastry shops or at various online retailers. Some sellers offer suikerbonen in ready-made and attractive packaging, or offer to fill pastry shops of the customer’s choice. This can be quite convenient if the family doesn’t have the time to prepare the packages themselves.
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