Description
Authentic German Marzipan Cookies featuring a buttery, tender dough combined with sweet almond marzipan, perfect for the holidays. These delightful cookies from the Black Forest region are aromatic with almond and vanilla, melt in your mouth, and are beautifully finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 200 g Marzipan, room temperature
- 120 g Butter, room temperature
- 75 g Granulated sugar, fine granules preferred
- 5 ml Almond extract, pure extract recommended
- 10 ml Vanilla extract, real vanilla preferred
- 2 Large eggs, room temperature
- 75 g Cornstarch
- 150 g All-purpose flour, sifted
- 50 g Powdered sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 356°F (180°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prepare for baking.
- Cream Marzipan and Butter: Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the marzipan and butter together until the mixture becomes smooth, which should take about 3-4 minutes.
- Add Sugar and Extracts: Incorporate the granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract into the creamed mixture. Beat until the batter is fluffy and aromatic.
- Incorporate Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time to the mixture, beating for about 30 seconds after each addition to maximize air incorporation and create a light texture.
- Sift and Fold Dry Ingredients: Sift together the all-purpose flour and cornstarch to ensure a tender texture. Gently fold them into the wet mixture in two parts until just combined.
- Chill Dough: Cover the dough and chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to make it easier to pipe and enhance flavor development.
- Pipe Cookies: Using a piping bag fitted with a star tip, pipe 2-inch diameter circles of dough onto the prepared baking sheets, placing them about 2 inches apart to allow room for spreading.
- Chill Piped Cookies: Chill the piped cookies for another 30 minutes in the refrigerator to help them hold their shape during baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden while the tops remain pale.
- Cool and Dust: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets before dusting generously with powdered sugar for a festive finish.
Notes
- For variations, you can dip the cookies in chocolate, add orange zest to the dough, or roll them in crushed pistachios for extra flavor and texture.
- Store the cookies in airtight containers; their flavor improves after resting one day.