Mandelhörnchen (German Almond Horns)
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Popular throughout Germany, these German Almond Horns feature the delicious flavor of almonds and marzipan and a wonderfully chewy texture. This traditional Mandelhörnchen recipe is sure to become a favorite!
What are Mandelhörnchen?
Mandelhörnchen, German for almond horns, are a naturally gluten-free sweet treat made out of marzipan, almond meal and sugar, then rolled in almond flakes and the two ends dipped in chocolate. Popular throughout Germany, you can find them in many bakeries. The ones sold in bakeries are usually larger than these, about double the size. We’re making cookie-sized ones today but you can make them any size you like.
Very easy to make, all you need is some some raw marzipan and the rest of the ingredients are a breeze to throw together. Store-bought marzipan is very expensive and I highly recommend making your own homemade marzipan, not only because it’s vastly cheaper, but also because it tastes much better!
With your marzipan on hand, you’re ready to roll!
You’re going to love both the chewy texture and wonderful flavor of these popular Marzipan Mandelhörnchen!
Mandelhörnchen Recipe
Let’s get started!
Place the marzipan, ground almonds, powdered sugar, almond extract, fresh lemon juice, and egg white in a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a food processor with the paddle attachment in place.
Knead the mixture until it comes together in a thick and tacky, but not overly sticky, dough. If it’s too sticky add a little more ground almonds and/or sugar to it.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. This can be made days in advance.
When you’re ready to make the almond horns, break the dough off into pieces and roll them into 1-inch balls. Then roll each ball into a small log, tapering it off so each end is a little thinner.
For my German readers and those familiar with Swabian cuisine, they will resemble Schupfnudeln.
Use a pastry brush to brush egg white all over the cookie dough.
Roll each cookie into the sliced almonds. They don’t have to be completely coated and keep in mind also that the ends will be dipped in chocolate.
Bend each cookie into the shape of a crescent and place them on a lined cookie sheet about an inch and a half apart.
The oven should be preheated to 350 degrees. Bake the marzipan almond horns on the middle shelf for 10-15 minutes or until the tips are just starting to turn golden.
Let the Mandelhörnchen cool completely.
Microwave some chocolate chips or chunks of chocolate until melted and then dip each end of the almond horns into the chocolate.
Place the almond horns back on the cookie sheet or other surface to let the chocolate harden.
Store in an airtight container for up to a couple of weeks.
Enjoy!
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Mandelhörnchen (German Almond Horns)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces marzipan
- (click here for easy homemade marzipan recipe!)
- 1 cup blanched finely ground almond flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar sifted
- 1 egg white
- 1/2 teaspoon quality almond extract
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 egg white for brushing
- 1 cup sliced almonds
Instructions
- Place the marzipan, ground almonds, powdered sugar, almond extract, fresh lemon juice, and egg white in a mixing bowl or in the bowl of a food processor with the paddle attachment in place. Knead the mixture until it comes together in a thick and tacky, but not overly sticky, dough. If it's too sticky add a little more ground almonds and/or sugar to it. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes (This can be made days in advance.)
- When you're ready to make the almond horns, break the dough off into pieces and roll them into 1-inch balls. Then roll each ball into a small log, tapering it off so each end is a little thinner.
- Use a pastry brush to brush egg white all over the cookie dough.
- Roll each cookie into the slivered almonds. They don't have to be completely coated and keep in mind also that the ends will be dipped in chocolate. Bend each cookie into the shape of a crescent and place them on a lined cookie sheet about an inch and a half apart.
- The oven should be preheated to 350 degrees. Bake the marzipan almond horns on the middle shelf for 10-15 minutes or until the tips are just starting to turn golden. Remove and let them cool completely.
- Microwave some chocolate chips or chunks of chocolate until melted and then dip each end of the almond horns into the chocolate. Place the almond horns back on the cookie sheet or other surface to let the chocolate harden.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a couple of weeks.
Nutrition
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Second time baking these and I had to leave a comment! My Oma came for a visit and these were a perfect treat to serve with tea and coffee. As she left she whispered to me how lecker (tasty) they were (compliments from her about baked goods are very rare, something about being a stoic German who ran her own bakery I suppose). GREAT recipe. I am already looking forward to making these a Christmas tradition. Thank you!!
That’s awesome, Sonja, coming from your Oma that is a compliment indeed! :) Thanks so much for the feedback, thrilled you both enjoyed them!
So Amazing and so easy. I didn’t dip in chocolate just out of sheer laziness but it was delicious nonetheless. Will be making these for Passover. Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Charcoals, thank you!
I was looking for a recipe after trying this dessert at one of my favorite bakeries. I’m so excited to try my homemade marzipan and Mandelhörnchen. My coworkers are going to be excited too!
Haven’t tried them yet but was thinking that it would be easier to mix the ingredients if one used the base ingredients for the marzipan instead of the already mixed product. You would have to calculate the exact amounts, but they would incorporate better than the finished marzipan. I did it with another recipe where I had been struggling to get a uniform consistency for years, before finding a recipe for homemade almond paste.
Can I use almond flour in place of the ground almonds?
Hi Heidi, yes you can use almond meal/almond flour.
The taste is amazing! But my cookies spread and flattened like pancakes. So disappointing. What did I do wrong?
Hi Vicki, did you make the homemade marzipan or use store-bought? Some brands of store-bought marzipan have a very high ratio of sugar-to-almonds which makes it unfit for baking because it melts too easily.
Hi. Thanks for responding. I made my own. The dough was quite sticky, couldn’t roll it well. Never tried making these before so maybe it needed more almond flour?
Hi Vicki, did you use the US cups or Metric measurements? And did you make the marzipan or use store-bought?
I’ve always liked these cookies from the German deli but they closed down so I found your recipe online, made them and boy they do not disappoint! Easy to make, even the marzipan. Unfortunately I didn’t have any rose water, but no worries I just substituted vanilla extract instead. I must say that I doubled the recipe to make 60 cookies but unfortunately I was only able to make 31. Possibly because my big meat hooks for hands couldn’t make them small enough lol! I’d love to send you a pic of the glorious results but I don’t think I can. Thanks!
Thank you, Jean-Yves, I’m so glad you enjoyed them and appreciate the feedback!
I had one of these cookies for the first time last week and knew I had to recreate them at home ASAP. These turned out exactly like the ones at the bakery! I used your marzipan recipe too. I think there is potential to streamline this if you are making the marzipan yourself, as I used half of the marzipan and then seemed to make more marzipan for these cookies. Anyway, these turned out wonderfully and I can’t recommend them enough!
Thank you, Jackie, I’m so glad you enjoyed them!