German Almond Paste Cookies

When I was looking for holiday recipes this year, I found quite a few cookies that were from different European countries. Most of them sounded fantastic so I have included a number of those recipes to this year’s baking. This recipe, for Almond Paste Cookies, is German in origin. I love anything with almond paste, but you might not be all that familiar with it. It is common in Europe, but less so here.

This recipe called for marzipan originally, and if you were in Germany that would be what you’d want to use. In the States, marzipan is a little different, and almond paste is a better choice. It is also softer and easier to work with. There is a difference in the quantities of sugar between almond paste and marzipan, but American grocery stores seem to ignore this. I have even seen marzipan in the almond paste display box! Yes, they are close, but they are not the same.

Grating the almond paste is a bit tricky, I used my food processor, but it was still a challenge. Other than that, these come together very easily. The dough is sticky, and I wasn’t quite sure how big to shape the cookies, so each cookie weighed 20 grams. I baked them for 12 minutes and they looked great. They wanted to stick to the silicone mat when they were warm, but I had no problems removing them once they cooled a couple of minutes. These have a wonderful almond flavor, with the subtle addition of cinnamon. These aren’t as sweet as some other holiday cookies, but sometimes you just want a little less sugar.

German Almond Paste Cookies
200 grams almond paste or marzipan
80 grams powdered sugar
110 grams flour
100 grams ground almonds
1 egg, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons amaretto
1/4 teaspoon salt
Slivered/sliced almonds

Place the almond paste in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and grate the almond paste.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a nonstick baking pan with a silicone mat.

In a large mixer bowl, combine the grated almond paste, powdered sugar, flour, ground almonds, egg white, cinnamon, amaretto, and salt. Mix the ingredients on low until a dough forms. Shape the dough into small balls, about the size of a walnut, 1-1/2 inches. Press down each ball of dough with a fork or the palm of your hand.

Whisk the egg yolk with a small amount of water and brush over the dough. Sprinkle with slivered almonds.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until golden. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Recipe from Cinnamon and Coriander