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Bethmännchen Cookies

November 15, 2013 by Helene Dsouza 23 Comments

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Helene Dsouza
Easy Marzipan Based Gluten free Bethmännchen Cookies. One of the easiest Christmas Cookies out there.
Total Time: 20 minutes
5 from 3 votes
Jump to Recipe
Bethmännchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe

We have a massive collection of Christmas Cookie recipes in Central Europe.

Seriously, you would be surprised by the amount of different cookies our ancestors were able to create in time.

From spiced Lebkuchen, to soft Coconut Cookies and Sugar Baiser, the choice is endless!

Coming from a rich Christmas Cookie tradition, I am still surprised at time by new cookie discoveries.

This is because many cookie types and variations are typical regional traditions but the Internet revolutionized everything and we get to discover new cookie recipe ideas and so it came that I stumbled upon a German cookie variation known as Bethmännchen.

Bethmännchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe

Bethmännchen are sweetened marzipan based cookies decorated with 2 almond halves and finished with a bright appetizing layer of Egg yolk. 

The name Bethmännchen comes from the family of Bethmann and apparently these cookies originated in Frankfurt Germany.

Once upon a time there was a city counselors wife and her 4 sons.

She would make these Cookies and decorate 4 sides of the cookie with halved & peeled Almonds.

One son diseased and from that day onwards she would only decorate 3 sides of the marzipan cookie and that is the way they are still decorated.

The name Bethmännchen comes from the family of Bethmann and apparently these cookies originated in Frankfurt Germany.

Once upon a time there was a city counselors wife and her 4 sons.

She would make these Cookies and decorate 4 sides of the cookie with halved & peeled Almonds.

One son diseased and from that day onwards she would only decorate 3 sides of the marzipan cookie and that is the way they are still decorated.

Since we always make big amounts of different cookie variations just before Christmas, we end up a bit tight in time.

In that case quick but great tasting cookies can save my pre Christmas preparations enormously.

Bethmännchen are super easy to make if you have marzipan, honey and peeled almonds waiting for you in the kitchen.

Raw marzipan can be commonly bought in stores in Europe but if that is not the case in your area then you always have the option to make your own easily at home and for that I will be sharing here a step by step guide on how to make homemade marzipan.

Bethmännchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe

I hope you will enjoy the recipe as much as we do.

You can’t go wrong with the preparation so if you have kids then this is a great fun activity to celebrate the merry time of the year.

Even if the kids nibble the cookie dough before it is baked, it’s alright because marzipan can be safely eaten raw.

Dear Reader, did you try the Recipe?

Please feel free to share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comment section further below!

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Bethmännchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe
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Bethmännchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe

Bethmännchen Cookies

Easy Marzipan Based Gluten free Bethmännchen Cookies. One of the easiest Christmas Cookies out there.
5 from 3 votes
Print Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: German
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 30 cookies
Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

Ingredients

  • 400 grams raw Marzipan
  • 3 Tablespoons Honey
  • 90 peeled Almond half’s
  • 2 Egg Yolks

Instructions

  • First peel your almonds by keeping them soaked in water over night or you prepare a small pot with boiling water and drop them into the boiling water for minimum 30 seconds or until you can see the skin is detaching from the nuts. Half your almonds and keep aside.
    Gluten-free Elisenlebkuchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe
  • Chop your Marzipan paste into smaller bits and add the honey. Mix it all well to a smooth dough.
    Bethmännchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe
  • Form the dough into a smooth long and lean roll and cut off one inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and form them all into cone like shapes with 3 sides.
    Bethmännchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe
  • Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius!
  • Keep your almonds ready and the mixed egg yolks.
    Bethmännchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe
  • Carefully push on each marzipan piece on all the three sides 3 halved almonds but so that the almond peaks are on top. Brush your Bethmännchen with the egg yolks.
    Bethmännchen Cookies www.masalaherb.com #stepbystep #recipe
  • Bake for about 10-13 minutes in the oven or until the peak of the cookies are changing light brown.
  • Let cool and store in a cool and dry place. In a cool climate store in a metal box + Apple skin to keep them moist. In a tropical climate store in a airtight container.

Notes

Recipe based from “Weihnachtsbäckerei” Neumann & Göbel
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Comments

  1. Bintu @ Recipes From A Pantry says

    November 28, 2013 at 2:25 pm

    I absolutely adore marzipan esp niederegger. So these cookies are a must make for me.

    Reply
  2. Kim Beaulieu says

    November 20, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    These are so gorgeous Helene. I just love these cookies. Thanks so much for being such a great part of Cookie Week. xx

    Reply
  3. Laura @ Family Spice says

    November 19, 2013 at 8:24 pm

    What a delicious cookie. I love marzipan and all things almonds, so I will definitely try these beauties!

    Reply
  4. Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says

    November 18, 2013 at 3:27 am

    These cookies are so cute! I have never heard of them before, very cool!

    Reply
  5. [email protected]'s Recipes says

    November 17, 2013 at 11:16 pm

    These are very delicious!!! I baked a batch last year, but didn’t come out as good as yours.

    Reply
  6. Christine says

    November 17, 2013 at 11:10 pm

    I’ve never heard of these before, but the recipe sounds delicious! And I love the story behind them.

    Reply
  7. Ramona says

    November 17, 2013 at 5:10 am

    5 stars
    Lovely little cookies… the only problem… I would eat the whole plateful. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Ann Low says

    November 16, 2013 at 7:40 pm

    Hi Helene, Those are cute cookies and are so easy to make. Thank you for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  9. mjskit says

    November 17, 2013 at 12:36 am

    What interesting little cookies! I love marzipan and almonds so I bet these cookies would disappear very fast in house!

    Reply
  10. Stacy says

    November 17, 2013 at 12:13 am

    These look just perfect for popping straight in my mouth, Helene! I was just recently researching how to make homemade marzipan and it looks quite straightforward. I look forward to your instructions.

    Reply
  11. Holiday Baker Man says

    November 16, 2013 at 10:19 pm

    Love it!

    Reply
  12. kebhari says

    November 16, 2013 at 7:39 pm

    I liked this recipe so much, its so easy and so much tasty as well, thanks for sharing such a nice recipes.Nice photography,intresting.

    Reply
  13. Krikit says

    November 16, 2013 at 1:46 pm

    I didn’t see the recipe for homemade Marzipan anywhere, as stated would be. Did I miss it?

    Reply
    • Helene Dsouza says

      November 29, 2013 at 9:06 pm

      no you didn’t. It will be live in the next days.

      Reply
  14. Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says

    November 16, 2013 at 1:30 pm

    5 stars
    Helene, I love this idea! How easy to make and they look elegant on your plate!

    Reply
  15. Joanne T Ferguson says

    November 16, 2013 at 7:47 am

    G’day Helene, your cookies looks great, true!
    Thank you for today allowing me to learn something new!
    Cheers! Joanne

    Reply
  16. Betsy @ Desserts Required says

    November 16, 2013 at 8:48 am

    My daughter is going to flip for these. She, and I, love marzipan!

    Reply
  17. Choc Chip Uru says

    November 16, 2013 at 2:43 am

    These are such delicious and cute cookies, I could eat one batch in a second 😀

    Cheers
    CCU

    Reply
  18. [email protected] says

    November 15, 2013 at 10:18 pm

    Great tip on how to peel almonds! And a great cookie. You really do come from a heritage of excellent cookies – we want more, more! 😉 (Kidding – you share quite a lot of cookie recipes.) Anyway, really like these – thanks.

    Reply
  19. Finla says

    November 15, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    Didn’t know aobout this but it sounds so good and looks cute with almonds presed to the marzipaan like that, we hav esomething like this made with almonds but in balls and we call it potato 🙂 planning t do that for my blog in christmas time.

    Reply
  20. Ruthy @ Omeletta says

    November 15, 2013 at 9:17 pm

    These cookies are so cute!! I love the story behind them, even if it is a little bittersweet. I don’t work with marzipan very often, is it really pretty simple to make from scratch? (Did you say you had a recipe for it and I just missed it here?)

    Reply
  21. Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says

    November 15, 2013 at 8:58 pm

    5 stars
    oooooh!!! such pretty little cookies!

    Reply
  22. Rosa says

    November 15, 2013 at 6:25 pm

    Cute cookies! I’m sure they are addictive.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply

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