Easy Marzipan Cookies

4.55 from 24 votes

Easy Marzipan Cookies

These German German Marzipan cookies are quick and easy to make. The dough is so soft, that you can just pipe them with a piping bag.

Course Cookies/ Biscuits, Dessert

Cuisine German

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Servings cookies

Calories 112kcal

Author Marita

Equipment

hand mixer or stand mixer
Piping Bag or Cookie Press
baking trays
baking parchment

Ingredients

200 g marzipan 7 oz - at least 50% almond content
100 g butter at room temperature ( ¼ cup + 3 tablespoon or 3.5 oz)
75 g caster sugar ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon or 2.6 oz
1 teaspoon almond extract if available bitter almond
16 gr vanilla sugar 2 packs or 4 teaspoon
2 eggs medium size
75 g corn starch / corn flour 2.6 oz
150 g plain flour 1 cups + ¼ cup or 7 oz . ( I used German 405 flour, the nearest equivalent in the US is pastry flour, UK plain flour).

To decorate

1 teaspoon icing sugar optional
dark chocolate glaze optional

Instructions

Preheat your oven to around 180°C or 356°F. Prepare two baking trays with baking parchment. You might want to warm the marzipan for 30 seconds in the microwave to make it smoother to work it. This avoids lumps in the dough.
Using a hand or stand mixer, combine the butter and marzipan to a smooth mass.
One by one add in the sugar, vanilla sugar and almond essence. Mix until everything is combined.
Now add the eggs one by one into the mass. The mixer should be on its highest setting for 30 seconds while you add them.
Combine the flour and corn starch/corn flour. Sieve the flour mixture. Add the dry ingredients to the dough in two separate portions. Mix after adding each portion. The mixer should be set at medium speed.
Now add the dough in little amounts to the piping bag or cookie press (whichever you are using)
Pipe the cookies in circles onto the prepared baking tray. They should be around 5 cm in diameter. Bake for around 10-15 minutes until the cookies are firm.
Pull them (with the baking parchment) off the hot tray.
Once the cookies cooled down you can dust them with icing sugar. Another alternative is to dip them into some melted dark chocolate.

Video

Notes

Please note that I have improved the recipe slightly on 11/21 to make the cookie texture more stable and prevent it from losing shape in the oven. This cookie has been made with German marzipan which has about 50% almond content.

Difference between German marzipan and UK/US marzipan

In Germany, marzipan has at least 50% almond content. In the UK and US, most major brands have only 22% almond content. You will find the almond percentage of your marzipan in the ingredients.

This will affect the stability of the cookies. Please use marzipan with at least 50% almond content.

Where to find high almond content marzipan in the UK and US?

UK: Wholefoods High Quality Marzipan or Koro Marzipan Paste (Made in Germany)
US: Almond Percent 50%, Mandelin Natural Almond Paste, (affiliate links)

Storage Instructions

You can start making these marzipan cookies around four weeks before Christmas. They can last a long time.

In Germany, we store them in biscuit tins. Make sure you store them in an airtight container and at room temperature. You can store different kinds of cookies in one cookie tin. If you store different kinds of cookies in one tin, you can separate them with a sheet of baking parchment, so the flavours do not mix.

Can you freeze marzipan cookies?

Some Christmas cookies can be frozen, and this recipe is one of them. Place them in portions in plastic bags and seal them airtight. The cookies can be frozen for up to a month, so it is best to write down the date on a label.

You can defrost the cookies at room temperature. It is important to note, that they may lose a bit of their texture and even flavour when being frozen.

You can also defrost the frozen cookies in the oven, but ensure that they are being baked further, as this may result in them getting too hard.

Nutrition