Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Topper Bakery in Ogden is offering its Christmastime specialties, including speculaas cookies, for the first time in five years.
- The bakery closed after a fire on Aug. 31, 2021, and reopened last June, but hasn't offered its Dutch Christmas treats since 2020.
- Topper's other Christmastime offerings include pfeffernusse spice cookies and butter letter pastries.
OGDEN — A distinctive Christmas offering in Ogden is once again available for the first time since 2020 — Topper Bakery's speculaas cookies and other Dutch treats.
"That time of year," said Valeen DeRyke, who operates the locale with son Lance DeRyke.
Pent-up demand brought on by the five-year absence has meant long days for Lance DeRyke to keep the oven going to maintain the cookie supply. Aside from speculaas cookies, shaped with wooden molds brought to the United States from the Netherlands by the DeRyke's forebears, Topper's Christmastime offerings include pfeffernusse spice cookies and, until supplies last, butter letter pastries.
The huge rush this time of year has its pros and cons, says Lance DeRyke. The uptick in business is good, but by the end of the workday, 14 to 18 hours, he's usually wiped out.
Whatever the case, Valeen DeRyke said customers are elated. Topper closed after a devastating fire on Aug. 31, 2021, and reopened last June after rebuilding the site at 2516 Monroe Blvd. The 2020 holiday season was the last one, until now, that the bakery had publicly offered its popular Christmastime treats.
"They love it. They're so glad," Valeen said.
She wasn't sure what to expect as December approached, but she said she's been hearing a common refrain from customers this month, allaying concerns that demand would dip. "We've been going five years without this stuff. We're dying for it," some have said.
Harry DeRyke, Lance's grandfather and Valeen's father-in-law, opened Topper in 1939, and it's become something of an institution for many in the Ogden area who have a hankering for sugar. Its year-round offerings included donuts, brownies and cookies, though it also makes hamburger buns, pita bread and more for commercial clients. Since reopening last June, the locale has been gradually expanding its operational hours as staffing has allowed, and it's now open five days a week, in time for the Christmas rush.
To the uninitiated, speculaas cookies may seem like gingerbread cookies, but don't say that around Valeen DeRyke. The Dutch specialty is "10 times better," she said, with a more expansive mix of spices. One of the distinctive spices of pfeffernusse cookies is anise, while butter letters are pastries characterized by an almond filling and buttery, flaky crust.
While demand may make for long hours, business is typically slow in January, allowing for a break in a couple of weeks. Either way, Valeen DeRyke said it feels good to have the bakery up and running again, to get reacquainted with customers.
"Everybody's been so gracious, happy to see us back," Valeen DeRyke said.
