Antwerp's official hand-shaped butter biscuit, created in 1934 by pastry chef Jos Hakker after winning a city-wide competition. Made from butter, sugar, eggs, flour, and almond slivers, the hand shape references the founding legend of Brabo, who slew the giant Antigoon and cast his severed hand into the Scheldt. Recognized as a Flemish regional product in 2006.
In 1934, the Antwerp pastry chefs' association held a competition to create a specialty for the city; 43 members entered. Jos Hakker, a Jewish pastry chef from Amsterdam, won with a hand-shaped almond butter biscuit and it was officially unveiled on 15 December 1934. The hand shape references the city's founding legend: the Roman soldier Brabo slew the giant Druon Antigoon—who had extorted heavy tolls on the Scheldt and amputated the hands of those who refused to pay—and cast the severed hand into the river; the Dutch 'hand-werpen' (throwing a hand) became 'Antwerpen.' Chocolate hand variants appeared from 1971; in 1982, chocolatier René Goossens created a version filled with marzipan and local herbal liqueur Elixir d'Anvers. In May 2006, Antwerpse handjes were officially recognized as a Flemish regional product by VLAM.
A thin, crisp snap yields to buttery richness; almond slivers add crunch and warm nuttiness. Delicate and moreish, ideal alongside a strong Belgian espresso or a glass of abbey ale.
Creaming butter and sugar traps air, establishing the biscuit's light, crumbly structure. At 170–180°C, the butter's short-chain fatty acids volatilize, releasing characteristic dairy aromas. Maillard reactions between flour amino acids and reducing sugars produce golden color and toasty notes. Almond slivers toast simultaneously, releasing roasted nut volatiles from their lipid-rich flesh. On cooling, gelatinized starch retrogrades and locks in the brittle snap.
Variations
Chocolate handjes in dark, milk, or white chocolate, produced since 1971; marzipan and Elixir d'Anvers–filled chocolate variant by René Goossens (1982); half-chocolate-dipped butter biscuit hybrid introduced in 2024 for the biscuit's 90th anniversary.
On the Palate
Where Antwerpse handjes sits in the Belgian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 30How it's made
7 steps · 30 min
- 15 min
Beat softened butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Watch outCream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy — that trapped air sets the light, crumbly texture; under-beaten and the biscuit bakes dense.
- 25 min
Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- 325 min
Sift in flour and mix until a soft, uniform dough forms; wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- 45 min
Roll chilled dough to 4mm thickness on a lightly floured surface.
- 55 min
Cut out hand shapes using a hand-shaped cookie cutter and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- 63 min
Press almond slivers gently onto each biscuit surface.
- 714 min
Bake at 175°C for 12–14 minutes until golden at the edges; transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
Watch outPull them when the edges are just golden — bake past that and the thin biscuit dries hard and loses its clean snap.
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