Name: German Almond Horn Cookies
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 200 g almond paste or marzipan (best homemade, check link in the notes - it's cheap and easy); 100 g powdered sugar; 1 egg white; 25 grams of flour; 25 g cornstarch; 1 level tsp baking powder; a few drops of almond flavoring; Sliced almonds for rolling

Dieser Beitrag ist auch verfügbar auf: Deutsch (German)

German Almond Horn Cookies are a traditional German nut pastry or Christmas Cookie that is quick and easy to make at home using simple ingredients. Soft and chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and dipped into melted dark chocolate. Jump to Recipe

As the days are getting colder, I am super excited to share this Almond Horn Cookies recipe with you! In German, they are called Mandelhoernchen and you can find this German nut pastry in most bakeries all year long.

Think of them as soft and chewy Chocolate-Dipped Marzipan Crescent Cookies with a crunchy almond coating.

Along with my marzipan cookies or these almond paste cookies, this is another delicious cookie recipe for Marzipan lovers!

What are German Almond Horn Cookies?

Mandelhoernchen, aka almond horn cookies are a sweet German pastry made out of marzipan or almond paste, egg whites, sometimes almond flour or almond meal and icing sugar, then rolled in sliced almonds and baked. After baking the two ends are dipped in melted chocolate.

The almond horns sold in bakeries are usually larger than these almond crescents, about double the size. But as we’re approaching the holiday season, we are making smaller ones so that we can put our almond cookies on our Christmas cookie platter. However, you can make them bigger, if you want.

Almond horn cookies are easy to make, all you need for the cookie dough is some good-quality marzipan or almond paste.

Marzipan vs Almond Paste

While they look similar, they are not exactly the same. In Europe this baking ingredient is widely referred to as marzipan – in North America, the term almond paste is more common.

However, there’s also a difference in the ratio of almonds to sugar as well as consistency. Almond paste is quite a bit softer and more often used in baked goods like these almond horns. Marzipan is firmer and is used in decoration for cakes.

Store-bought marzipan and also almond paste is very expensive and often not even that good so I highly recommend making your own using this recipe for homemade marzipan.

It’s so much cheaper, juicier and tastes delicious. You just need some almond flour, icing sugar, and water.

The rest of the main ingredients are pantry staples like eggs, icing sugar flour and baking powder.

Make German Mandelhoernchen as a gift

Another great thing about these German Christmas cookies is that they last for a couple of weeks. So if you want to send cookies in the mail this is your recipe.

Place them in a cute cookie tin along with more homemade treats like my tiramisu truffles and a little recipe card! Chocolate-dipped almond horns also make for a fantastic portable cookie to bring to your office Christmas Party or any holiday celebration!

Ingredients:

Homemade marzipan or pure almond paste for that chewy interior
icing sugar
egg whites
flour and cornstarch
baking powder
a few drops of natural almond extract
almond flakes for rolling

How to make German Almond Horn Cookies

Mix flour, baking powder and cornstarch. Place the marzipan in a bowl together with the sugar, egg whites, and the almond extract and add the dry ingredients. Knead the dough with the dough hook of a mixer or with your hands. Yes, this will be a bit messy.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 F / 175°C top/bottom heat.

Roll the dough into a rope with wet hands and divide dough into 3-4 equal pieces. Divide again until you have similar-sized small chunks.

Prep some water in a cup to moisten your fingers in between rolling. Roll the batter in the sliced almonds and shape cookies of approx. 5-7 cm long from the strands of cookie dough, then shape into half-moons, pinching the ends so that they look like little croissants. When rolling, keep moistening your fingers to prevent the dough from sticking and to allow for the almonds to stick to the croissants

While shaping, make sure to really turn and roll the rolls in the flaked almonds and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

For a perfect result, I let the baking sheet stand for about an hour so that they dry a bit and don’t spread so much during the baking time.

Bake in a preheated oven at 175 C – 350 F for about 15 minutes until golden brown.

Let the croissants cool down first, otherwise, they will still be very brittle.

Chop chocolate into small pieces and melt in a hot water bath. Dip the ends of the almond horns in the liquid chocolate and place on a cooling rack or back on the baking tray.

Let the chocolate set well and enjoy any time of year.

Storage

Store in a cool place in an airtight container for up to a couple of weeks.

Tips:

Dark chocolate is best here as the slight bitterness contrasts the sweetness of the marzipan and it also looks so pretty
If you are not huge on the taste of almonds, skip the almond essence and add some rum essence or a bit of vanilla extract, coconut, lemon or orange essence
This is a sticky dough! Wet your fingers in between rolling the dough to make your life easier.

For more delicious German Christmas Recipes, try my:

German Vanilla Crescent Cookies

Authentic Linzer Cookies Recipe

German Hazelnut Cookies