Jaarsma Bakery

I dreamed of this bakery’s Dutch letters for 50 years… and they were as delicious as I had hoped. When I was 8 I had part of the famous Dutch letter pastry from this bakery. and I had dreamed about it for over 50 years. On a recent trip from northern Wisconsin to southern Alabama, we detoured through Pella to fulfill my childhood dream to have another Jarsma pastery… That’s a high expectational standard to meet… but they were as wonderful as I remembered. (A Dutch letter is a S shaped pastry filled with sugared almond paste with crusted sugar on the outside. about 8 inches x 4 in x 1 in.)
We bought a huge box of treats and tried more than 20 of the bakery wonderful cookies. We had tiny little bundt cakes about 2 in in diameter and some of the best bread we have ever eaten. Their Napoleon’s are better than those from the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Our extra treats froze well to be enjoyed for many weeks.
The staff is happy, helpful, efficient and Iowa nice. This is an order at the bakery case and take it with you .so bring a car you can eat in : —)
If you live in Des Moines or Cedar Rapids… or you are travelling on I 80 in central Iowa… take a small detour to the Jarsma bakery on the town square in Pella… you deserve this wonderful treat.
Maybe the Presidential candidates in for the Iowa candidates would all be sweeter if they dropped by this wonderful place. : —)

Great little bakery in town. Just like another person commented on. Stick to the things made fresh that day, not the frozen. But very good. Very friendly people here. I keep going back more then I should.

This place is obscene. Do NOT stop if you have any trace of conscience or diabetes. If you don’t, you will want to try 1 (or 2) of every delectable item on display. It is famous for the Dutch Letters but that is just scratching the surface. Be Warned!

We stopped here quickly before heading to Des Moines for my co-worker/friend’s graduation. I remembered the Dutch letters. So, we decided to try out some other baked goods. I liked the apple ring and the macaroons. For dessert, we got the almond butter cake which was to die for. It looks like this bakery has expanded next door for antiques. Overall, I would recommend this place if you are passing through. Otherwise, you can pick up from Casey’s gas station nearby.

I feel like it may just be illegal not to stop here if you are in town. The variety is overwhelming and the bakery fragrance lifts you off your feet as soon as you walk in the door. I love almond, so my faves are the banket and andres cookies. If you are attending a get together and need to bring something to share, their coffee cakes melt in your mouth and suddenly you have new friends for bringing it. The line may seem long at times (not talking tulip time long), but they are well staffed with friendly people and get you through rather efficiently. Plus, you can hardly blame your fellow shoppers because I know I go there for 1 or 2 things on my mind, but get easily derailed when my eyes glance at the cases of delicious sweets, so they are probably taking longer for the same reason.

Dutch letters… so good that I ship them in as treats for the whole family. We always comment that they are so simple yet sooo good! I used to drive past pella many decades ago & still love them!

If in Pella, you must stop at the square to pick up some local treats. One place you must visit is Jaarsma. First off, get Dutch Letters. This is a must. After that, well, go crazy and try whatever you want. I’m sure it is all good. When we went, i picked up a random assortment of delicious looking treats. They all were great. They had a few things, the names of which I don’t know, that I will absolutely get on a return trim. There are these crispy figure 8 shaped things that are freaking great. I might have almost liked them more than the dutch letters…
If you are looking for some sweet treats and Dutch desserts, you can’t go wrong. The place has a TON of options for you.
Beyond that, there is a second half to the store that will take care of all your dutch themed gifts needs. There are trinkets and souvenirs of all sorts to choose from, should you be in the market for such things.
There are two bakeries, basically next door to each other. Both have great treats and are worth your time but Jaarsma is the larger of the two with a lot more options (Dutch letters from either though… can’t go wrong).

Yum! This bakery is the real deal– fresh daily and authentic Dutch pastries! Gotta go. Snack time is calling.

Unfortunately for other bakeries everywhere in the U.S., I always compare them to Jaarsma, and everybody else comes up short. I grew up just 17 miles from Pella, and this was our favorite place for pastries. As a baker myself, I revere Jaarsma goods.
Their bread flour is ground in an actual windmill right there in Pella which was built in the Netherlands and brought over. It is a replica of the mills used in the Netherlands in 1847 which was the founding year of Pella.
I don’t think I’ve ever been there when I didn’t have to stand in line, but that’s a good thing. First, the excellent breads, cookies, and pastries are the reason for the long line — the place is world famous and once people have been there, they keep coming back. Second, it gives you time to peruse what looks like 40 feet of bakery cases. It is a gastronomic delight! I stopped at a supposed traditional bakery in the Amanas to find only doughnuts, cinnamon rolls and a dozen different kinds of strudel. At Jaarsma, you won’t find any of the crap you can get at any donut shop or supermarket, this is authentic, old-​world pastry – cookies, almond cakes and many different kinds of almond pastry, and old world fruit and nut pastries.
This is not a café, no seating, no coffee or tea. You get your pastries and go, but they package them up beautifully if you ask and make excellent gifts or just a treat or dessert for you and yours.

Quaint bakery, featuring mostly danishes and cookies and bread (don’t expect donuts here although here were a few) and a few souveniers. Even the women in the Dutch caps were very quaint. I bought a carmel pastry and carmel kettlecorn.
This is located downtown, no place to park an RV. I drove here in a rental car.

Best. Bakery. Ever. I grew up in central Iowa but now live on the east coast, and I regularly long for a Dutch letter or lemon poppyseed cake or apple pastry or the almond horn… Need I go on?!? The pastries and breads are phenomenal! The cookies are just ok. A must-​stop if you’re ever in Pella (or central Iowa, for that matter!).

Worth the detour off I-​80. Had to get a Dutch Letter that Iowa is famous for. We were NOT disappointed.

Local Dutch bakery that serves up a variety of goodies for a great price.
They have great Dutch letters, a flakey/​almond butter pastry that is really good. Love them a lot. If your around try this item. I think this is the signature item from what I am told.
Donuts are very good nice texture and right amount if sweetness to it. Very good quality on the donuts.
Cookies were just okay. Very good bakery overall stop by and try a few items that you won’t see at many places.

If you ever find yourself in Pella, IA and in need of something sweet, Jaarsma is a nice option. Compared to my hometown of Chicago, the donuts and pastries are much more affordable. Two dozen assorted donuts and pastries came out to about $ 20. Around 7:30am on a weekday, Jaarsma’s selection was larger than Vander Ploeg Bakery (a couple doors down the block), and the baked goods seemed better executed and more fresh. I tried many items, and I would give Jaarsma a B/​B– grade. Everything was pretty good. Nothing was extraordinary. My favorite was the big cinnamon roll with maple frosting. I would get that again. I thought that Jaarsma’s products were better tasting than Vander Ploeg Bakery, but La Mie in Des Moines is much better than either. The raised and cake donuts, long johns, etc tasted on the same level as a chain store (think Dunkin Donuts). I do not find Jaarsma to be a destination bakery, but that being said, if I were in the area I wouldn’t mind stopping in for a treat.

Holy smokes! A neighbor brought us two letters and they are spec-​freaking-​tacular!!!

This place is awesome. Need one of these in Mpls! I could easily spend 50.00 here without thinking twice. everything looks awesome, and the items I did purchase were awesome! If you are driving on 163, take some time out of your drive and stop in downtown Pella and get some treats.

On my first stroll past this bakery, the line was nearly out the door. Hmmm… intrigued, I was able to get in the door with only about a half dozen folks in front of me the second time around.
The Dutch Letter was flaky and not overly sweet. The Peaches & Cream Strudel, wasn’t very studel like, more danish sprinkled with course ground sugar and oh so sweet. With so many treats to choose from, you should be able find something to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Quaint bakery in small Danish town of Pella, Iowa. Beautiful and visuslly pleasing display of delectable baked goods.
Packed with people and yet fast service. Baked goodies, soft drinks, souvenirs and danish memorabilia.
Delicious bite-​sized almond macaroons! Sweet indulgence but small enough that you don’t have to worry too much about the calories! I enjoyed one before dinner. Sugary chewiness made with almond essence made my body tingle and offered me a jolt of energy.
Will definitely visit this bakery if I am ever back in Pella, Iowa.

Pella is a wonderful Dutch town on my path between St Louis and family in Central Iowa. Ms T and I are planning a visit to the annual Tulip Festival in early May, but I could not resist stopping at Jaarsma Bakery, having seen it advertized along Hwy 163.
You will find it on the south side of the town square. There are not many of these places left and this is a good one. There is a large assortment of goodies. I was amazed. I bought some little apple pastries, some gotta-​have crispies and two Dutch letters.
All of it was excellent. The little apple pastries, called Apple Rings, were sweet and chewy with a good amount of apple filling. Delicious. The crispies were very crisp with cinnamon and some sliced almond. They were not quite as good as the ones that I remember as a kid in Hardin County, that were made in the now long gone bakery in Eldora. Those were more chewy and I loved that, but don’t get me wrong, these are worth buying. I managed to make it back home to Ms T with one and she loved it. They are great with coffee.
I had never had Dutch Letters. These are apparently a signature item for Jaarsma Bakery. If you don’t believe me, try Googling Dutch Letters. They are shaped like an S and are a puff pastry filled with a sweet, buttery and almond flavored filling. They were good, but I am a little averse to the almond flavoring.
I am really looking forward to my next stop through Pella because of Jaarsma. I have tried to find a bakery like this in St Louis and if there is one, I have not located it. Perhaps the difference is the Dutch in Pella focus on sweets (which appeals to me) rather than bread. It would be nice to also have some homemade breads (not sweet), but this is a great stop for the sweet stuff.

Downgrading… last two visits, I’ve found myself purchasing goods that had been previously FROZEN! I go to the bakery to buy fresh things… not ones that have been frozen. Boo :(
Never had that problem at Vander Ploeg, so that’s my new favorite.