One of the most famous and beloved of all German Christmas cookies, Bethmännchen have been a favorite for almost 200 years. With a firm exterior and delightfully chewy interior, these almond-studded marzipan cookies will win your heart – or at least your palate. No German Christmas is complete without them.
And if you’re thinking, *groan* “Marzipan is hard to find and it’s so expensive!”, don’t worry – I’ve got you fully covered!
Today’s recipe originated in the city of Frankfurt, two hours north of where I grew up in Stuttgart. Let me tell you a little story of long ago.
Once upon a time in the village of Frankfurt, Germany lived the affluent Bethmann family. They had hired a Parisian pastry chef, Jean Jacques Gautenier, who held the position of head cook in their home. In 1838, their cook created a marzipan cookie with four almond halves decorating the sides of each cookie in honor of the family’s four sons, Karl, Moritz, Alexander and Heinrich (yes, very German names), and named them Bethmännchen (“little Bethmann’s”). The legend goes that Heinrich died a few years later and ever since then the cookies have been made with three almonds. Whether factual or not, one thing is certain: These wonderful cookies have stood the test of time for a reason and have remained unaltered for nearly two centuries.
Of course Frankfurt has changed quite a lot since 1838. Today it’s one of the most modern cities in Germany and a European financial mecca.
But many of the beautiful centuries-old structures still stand, mingled with the new.
Frankfurt is also home to one of the largest Christmas markets in Germany and the stats show that two years ago over 4.3 million tourists spent their holidays there.
All Frankfurt images courtesy Wikipedia, except Christmas market picture courtesy ©Tourismus+Congress GmbH Frankfurt am Main.
Bethmännchen marzipan cookies can be found in every bakery and in many homes throughout Frankfurt during the Christmas season and are popular throughout Germany. I grew up 2 hours south of Frankfurt in Stuttgart and every Christmas my mom and I would make these cookies. Simple, easy, delicious. Give them a try!
The central ingredient in Betmännchen is marzipan. It can be challenging to find and always comes with a hefty price tag, but you don’t have to worry about that because I’ll show you how to make your very own homemade marzipan that’s super easy and is much cheaper!
Check out my recipe for Easy Homemade Marzipan.
Okay, let’s get started!
How To Skin Almonds. First we’re going to blanch and skin the almonds.
In the meantime (or can be done well in advance), blanch the whole almonds. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the almonds. Boil for exactly one minute, no longer or the nuts will become soft.
Drain the nuts and rinse with cold water.
Remove the skins by squeezing the nuts – they’ll slip right out! Cut the almonds in half along their natural seam.
Okay, we’re ready to proceed with the cookies.
Break up the marzipan into small pieces and place them in a mixing bowl.
Sift the powdered sugar on top of the marzipan.
Separate the egg and add the egg white to the marzipan mixture and reserve the yolk for later.
Add the ground blanched almonds and rose water.
Use your fingers to combine the ingredients.
The cookie dough will be somewhat sticky. If it’s too sticky to work with add some more ground almonds and powdered sugar. Note: The dough will firm up after it’s been refrigerated so a little sticky is fine.
Wrap in plastic wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
Form the dough into 3/4 to 1-inch balls and place them on a lined cookie sheet, spaced at least an inch apart. Rub your hands with a little powdered sugar if the dough is still a little too sticky.
Evenly spaced, press three almond halves around the sides of each cookie, pointed sides up.
Brush the cookies with the egg yolk that’s been mixed with 1 teaspoon water.
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and bake the cookies on the middle rack for about 15 minutes until the egg wash begins to turn golden. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container. These cookies will keep for at least 2 weeks.
Enjoy!
Hungry for more German Christmas cookies? Try these Traditional German Heidesand (Browned Butter Shortbread Cookies)!
Traditional German Bethmännchen (Marzipan Cookies)
Ingredients
- 8 oz Easy Homemade Marzipan (click link for recipe) SEE NOTE
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup ground blanched almonds/almond meal (for the sake of consistency and ensuring the almonds are dry and compact enough, I recommend using store-bought almond meal)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium egg white
- 2 teaspoons rose water
- 1 medium egg yolk , mixed with 1 teaspoon water
- 3/4 cup blanched whole almonds split in half (see post for pictured instructions on how to blanch and skin almonds)
Instructions
- Preheat to 300 degrees F
- Break marzipan into small pieces in a mixing bowl. Sift the powdered sugar over the marzipan and add the ground almonds, flour, rose water and egg white. Use your hands to combine the ingredients in to a dough. The dough will be somewhat sticky but it will get firm after it's sat in the fridge. If too sticky, add some more ground almonds and powdered sugar.
- Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Roll the dough into small balls, no more than 1-inch in diameter. Sprinkle your hands with a little flour or powdered sugar if the dough is too sticky. Place the balls on a lined cookie sheet and press 3 almond halves evenly around each cookie, pointed side up. Brush each cookie with the egg yolk mixture and bake for about 15 minutes until the egg wash turns golden in color.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to several weeks.
Polly says
These turned out really nice but did need to change a few things.
Firstly I grated the marzipan, that way you don’t need to overwork the dough and it comes together easily!
Secondary, I rolled the dough out to about a £2 thickness and then cut the cookies out with a fluted circle, put the half almond on each then painted the tops with yolk. Took about 12 mins to cook to a nice Rich caramel brown …. really good flavour with the rose water!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m happy you enjoyed them, Polly, thanks so much for the feedback!
Tatiana Kuzma says
Just wonderful. Been baking these cookies since I’ve learned from Kimberly home made marzipan for a fruit cake. Leftover marzipan goes in these cookies which are amazing. Everyone loves them and reminds us the beautiful Europe. Thank you Kimberly
Tatiana Kuzma says
Just wonderful… And I meant to give 5 star rating – which is what Kimberley recipe deserves. (4 star rating above was a typo :-)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much, Tatiana, I’m so happy you enjoyed them! :)
Mara says
Greetings Daring Gourmet,
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
I had the following issues while making it.
1. It took 3 times as long to bake them if not longer and they still didn’t turn golden. I basically went by how they looked on the bottom to pull them out. After over 40 minutes of baking these cookies still didn’t not bake all the way through. The middle is still a bit raw. I used the homemade marzipan recipe from this website. Why do you think that is?
2. While making these cookies I did wonder if the amount of sugar in the recipe is just way too much because Marzipan itself (from this website) was already very very sweet. Cookies turned out unpalatable do to so much sugar in them. It’s so much it makes my teeth ache immediately as I start chewing them. I even tried reducing sugar by 1/4 cup on my second try and it barely made any difference in taste. I wonder if not adding any sugar, but the one that’s already in the Marzipan would work as far as baking the cookies?
Anonymous says
I had the same problem and fond the culprit to be insufficient temperature. Raised the oven to 350 convection (375 standard) after the initial 15 minutes at 300 and they got the nice golden tops.
Elaine Bertville says
I adore marzipan, and decided to make these little buggers as another cookie choice among this year’s Christmas cookies. They look so cute and nicely golden brown in your photos, but despite me following your directions to the “T”, the end colors of mine were not so appealing. A while beyond the recommended time for baking (at 300 F), they looked more raw dough than golden brown, despite the yolk wash. I turned up the heat to try to brown them quickly more, and they looked more yellow than golden brown. I didn’t want to bake them further, so gave up. I ended up dusting them with confectioner’s sugar. That really helped their appearance a lot, but I’m assuming that’s not traditional to do.
The cookie center was perfectly done, but I think the rose water flavor was more dominant than I like. I definitely had culinary rose water (from Lebanon) purchased in Whole Foods market’s baking section. If I were to make them again with the same rose water, I’d cut the amounts by 50% in both your marzipan recipe and the Marzipan cookies recipe here. I’m not very experienced using rose water, so don’t know if different brands have different potencies.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Elaine, thanks for your feedback. I’m a little stumped on the challenge with the color. Just to confirm, you did brush them with egg yolk, not egg white, correct? Also, were you by chance using the convection setting, i.e., was your oven fan on while baking? That could impact it as well. If so, I’d recommend turning the fan off. Alternatively try placing the cookies on the top rack for the final few minutes. Rose water: Yes, the strength absolutely varies from brand to brand.
Elaine Bertville says
Hi Kimberly. I definitely used egg yolk with the little bit of water beaten in, as directed. I don’t have a convection oven, and there’s no fan involved. I have a typical gas oven range. I baked some at the 300 F, as directed, and the next batch at 325 F hoping that might brown them better.
Unlike some of the previous commentors, my marzipan balls were perfectly shaped after baking (looking exactly like yours), and the cookies’ insides were perfect. Perhaps because I used the marzipan recipe you recommended? It was easy to make. I used a product called Bob’s Red Mill very fine almond meal. I recommend it. The only issue I had was the outside color. As stated, my personal preference would be to cut down on the rose water a bit, but my native Czech husband totally disagreed with me. He thought the amount was perfect. I guess it’s just a matter of taste. I gave the recipe 4 stars, but think it can definitely be 5, in my book, with less rose water and solving the color issue. Really, they are quite pretty dusted with confectioner’s sugar. That solved my batchs’ color issue. I wonder if my egg yolk itself was a factor. Their colors do vary slightly. Maybe due to diet?
I do think this is a lovely little cookie. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Elaine, thanks for the feedback. I doubt the egg yolk itself is the issue. The mystery remains unsolved! :) I’m so glad you and your husband enjoyed the cookies, thanks again and Merry Christmas!
Chrissie Stevens says
My cookies baked up either flat or puffed but hollow. I was having issues getting 3 almonds to fit & stick onto the balls of dough. I rolled it into 1” balls & pressed an almond on top of each then brushed with yolk wash. I don’t know why the cookies were so airy? They taste fantastic though & im going to make another batch.
Dana says
I love your recipes — they remind me of my German grandma! May I substitute a package of almond paste for the marzipan? thank you — and Merry Christmas!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Dana, thank you! The consistency is a bit softer but it should work just fine. Happy baking!
David & Sally Zerr says
I am thinking about trying this recipe this weekend at the Christmas cookie baking weekend at our daughters farm, but what i find very interesting is the story behind the recipe. Here in the United States, I went to grade school with several Bethmann’s who live in St Peters Missouri. Like myself, most of them have a farming background.
Schatzi Beckman says
Hi Kimberley – my husband and I have been sugar and gluten free for three years and I’ve been learning to adapt many recipes for us. I’m going to try these using Lakanto monkfruit blend powdered sugar (superior to Swerve), and corn starch for the flour (reduce to half). I may have to adapt a little more for texture.
In my former life I was a cook, now I’m a scientist! I know there’s little difference but I really have to rework recipes for our needs.
I’m so glad to find your blog, there’s so much here to explore!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Schatzi, I admire your dedication to reworking recipes to fit your lifestyle. Please let us know how these cookies turn out with those substitutions!
Michelle says
Hi tried these yesterday and they turned out quite flat but taste lovely. Think the problem was the shop bought marzipan which only has 25% almonds so I think if you make your own marzipan or buy a 50/50 one they probably won’t go flat . Thanks for a lovely recipe though.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Michelle, yes that is exactly the reason. They will hold their shape with the higher almond content.
Anna Beta says
Hi, I just finished making these last night, and they turned out nice and round like the photos. 2tsp of rosewater is a bit too much for my taste, though. I’ll reduce it to 1 next time. Delightful the next day, too!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Anna, I’m so glad you enjoyed them, thank you!