That’s a nice tradition! In the Netherlands children find their gifts in their shoes (although not at Christmas). I love how all those old traditions are intertwined but also a bit different everywhere. Tomten are a bit similar like our kabouters but we don’t associate them with Christmas.
The best stroopwafels are those made fresh at a market stall. They are massive and you eat them hot. Nothing compares to that! I don’t think there’s anything particularly wrong with Daelmans, but we can’t buy them in the grocery store as far as I know. You get them with your coffee/tea in a cafe. I usually send Kanjers because it’s the only brand that comes in a flat pack instead of a roll. But honestly I haven’t come across a stroopwafel I didn’t like yet!!
I think maple syrup is probably a very good alternative to stroop. Or maybe golden syrup if you can get that where you live. I know Americans make apple butter with similar ingredients as stroop but in pictures it doesn’t look the same. When cold, stroop is much thicker than maple syrup, but it’s definitely syrup and doesn’t look like jam or peanut butter.
If you want to try other Dutch foods, I posted a recipe for Dutch apple pie a while back! Oma’s Dutch apple pie