Recipe onlinefamilyhomerecipes.com/recipe/bethmannchen-marzipan-almond-cookies/Scan the code to open the recipe on your phone

Cakes and baking

Golden marzipan almond cookies: Frankfurt Bethmännchen that stay soft inside

Name: Golden marzipan almond cookies
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 30 cookies
Cuisine: German
Ingredients: 200 g Marzipan (almond confection); 70 g Powdered sugar; 70 g Ground almonds; 1 Egg white; 45 Whole almonds (for decorating); 1 Egg yolk; 1 tbsp Milk

Bethmännchen are Frankfurt marzipan cookies with powdered sugar, ground almonds, and egg white, topped with almonds and egg wash. Makes 30.

German cuisine · Vegetarian · Gluten-free · Christmas cookies and baking · Fancy Christmas cookies · Translated from Slovak · November 4, 2026 · Rate the recipe

Save on Pinterest

Recipe at a glance

Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 hr 5 min
Temperature: 160 °C (325 °F)
Servings: 30 cookies
Difficulty: Easy

Jump to recipe Add to plan

Marzipan almond cookies, called Bethmännchen in German, are Christmas cookies from Frankfurt am Main. Knead marzipan with powdered sugar, ground almonds, and egg white, shape the mixture into balls, and press three blanched almond halves onto each one. Brushed with egg yolk, they bake until golden while staying soft inside.

Ingredients

Units

Marzipan (almond confection) 200 g
Powdered sugar 70 g
Ground almonds 70 g
Egg white 1
Whole almonds (for decorating) 45

For the egg wash

Egg yolk 1
Milk 1 tbsp

Gluten-free. If you have celiac disease, buy icings, sprinkles and candy labeled gluten-free.

Tick off what you already have at home. Send the rest as a shopping list.

Instructions

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

Peel the almonds
15 min
Pour boiling water over the whole almonds, drain after 2 minutes, and slip off the skins with your fingers. Pat dry and use a sharp knife to split them lengthwise into 90 halves. If using store-bought blanched almonds, simply split them in half.
Make the dough
10 min
Crumble the marzipan into a bowl, add the powdered sugar, ground almonds, and egg white, and knead until smooth. If the mixture is sticky, refrigerate it briefly.
Shape the cookies
20 min
Preheat the oven to 160 °C (325 °F). Shape the mixture into 30 walnut-sized balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press three almond halves onto the sides of each ball, with the pointed ends facing up.
Brush and bake
20 min
Whisk the egg yolk with the milk and brush over the cookies. Bake for 12–15 minutes, until golden, then let cool on the baking sheet.

Tip: In Frankfurt, a tablespoon of rose water is also added to the marzipan, giving the cookies a delicate floral aroma. They keep in a cookie tin for about 2 weeks.

Nutrition facts

Approximate values per piece, calculated from the ingredients

Energy: 66 kcal
Protein: 1.7 g
Carbohydrates: 6.5 g
of which sugars: 4.9 g
Fat: 4.1 g
of which saturates: 0.4 g
Fiber: 0.8 g
Salt: 0.0 g

Calculated from the raw ingredients, without frying oil. Where an amount is “to taste”, typical amounts are used. Food composition: USDA FoodData Central and product labels.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Zlatisté marcipánové guľky s mandľami: frankfurtské Bethmännchen, ktoré vnútri ostanú mäkké

Free and ad-free – thanks to you

Enjoyed the recipe? Rate it and share it. You will help others find a good recipe and help us keep going.