Hand-shaped butter cookies topped with sliced almonds, in three sizes and an optional chocolate-shell variant. The official biscuit of Antwerp since 1934.
Pastry chef Jos Hakker created the Antwerpse handje in 1934 as a tribute to the Brabo legend. The Roman soldier Silvius Brabo cut off the giant Druon Antigoon's hand and threw it into the Schelde; the act of hand-throwing in Dutch, hand werpen, gave the city its name. The biscuit was declared Antwerp's official cookie. Hakker's granddaughter still endorses Philip's Biscuits as closest to the original recipe.
2 editor picks for Antwerpse Handjes in Antwerp, ranked by editorial score. All Antwerp signature dishes · Antwerpse Handjes across every city.
DelRey ★ 4.6
diamantwijk · Appelmansstraat 5, 2018 Antwerp
DelRey in Antwerp on Appelmansstraat is a family-owned chocolatier and patisserie since before World War II. The case runs across handmade pralines and pastries.
Philip's Biscuits ★ 4.5
theaterbuurt · Korte Gasthuisstraat 39, 2000 Antwerp
Philip's Biscuits in Antwerp bakes the city's official biscuit on Korte Gasthuisstraat. The recipe traces to Jos Hakker's 1934 tribute to the Brabo legend.