A few weeks ago, I wrote about my complicated relationship with Aldi and my very uncomplicated relationship with stroopwafels. The gist of that column was: stroopwafels rock and Aldi is growing on me.

A few days after publication, I received this very interesting email from a lady named Cindy Miller:

“I saw your recent story where you unveiled your search for stroopwafels! As luck would have it – I have Google alert set up for ‘stroopwafel,’ which is how your story came to my attention! I work with Daelman’s Stroopwafel (the original bakery from the Netherlands) and I shared with them your story and they’d like to send you some stroopwafels! Would you provide a good mailing address and perhaps the Stroopwafel Santas could send you a holiday gift!”

I read the email, then whooped and laughed, and sent it to my friend Jessica, who was the one who introduced me to stroopwafels in the first place.

If you can’t imagine the amount of exclamation points Jessica and I then exchanged as we discussed this incredible development, let me assure you: it was a whole lot.

I proceeded with my Christmas plans, which included a nightly stroopwafel treat. Then William and I traveled to Winnipeg to see my parents and brother for a few days, which was definitely another treat. When we returned, our lovely dogsitter Meg had collected the mail and packages that had been delivered in our absence.

That included one giant — and I do mean giantbox from Daelman’s Stroopwafel, which, like a delivery truck, advertised its product on the side.

I tore it open and, behold, it was a Christmas miracle. Inside was every kind of stroopwafel imaginable. Yes, there was a box of the waffle-style sandwich cookies filled with caramel. But that’s not all. Turns out, stroopwafels come in a whole bunch of flavors, including maple, honey, chocolate and coffee, and I was now the sole owner of all of them. There were also mini stroopwafels in bags. And stroopwafels in a pretty decorative tin.

In short, Daelman’s had sent me their full product line, along with a little note that said:

 
“We were so happy to read about your affinity for stroopwafels that we wanted to make sure you had the authentic (and in our opinion, the best) Dutch stroopwafel from Daelman’s.
Our favorite way to enjoy a stroopwafel is to warm it up over a steaming hot cup of coffee or tea. Simply rest it on top of your cup, and in about two minutes, the gentle heat from the cup will warm the stroopwafel to perfection.”

Great tip!

Anyways, it might just be the coolest thing that has happened to me and it’s definitely the coolest thing that has come out of this little, 16-year-old column.

Moreover, Jessica Crockett says I am now officially an influencer.

I’m not sure about that, but the interesting thing is I actually went to Aldi shortly after my first column came out (I was buying ripple potato chips for a French onion soup dip) and I’ll tell you, there were two people in front of me in line and they both had stroopwafels in their carts. I’m not saying it’s because of me, but wouldn’t it be funny if it were?

The more important question, though, is deciding what flavor of stroopwafel is the best. To arrive at that conclusion, I plan to conduct a deadly serious taste test with Jessica. Given how strict a leader she was when it came to wine club, I imagine we’ll be taking notes and assessing nose, mouth feel and flavor profile. I may even get a history lesson when it comes to the stroopwaffel, during which she will invariably find a way to mention her travel hero Rick Steves (she’s a serious Ricknik).

We get together in a couple of days, so I’ll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, my full-time job is to avoid eating all of the product before we arrive at our findings. Wish me luck, dear readers, and merry Christmas!