Mandelhoernchen: Chocolate-Dipped Almond Horns

First things first: MAKE THESE. Just do it. Put it on your list. You won't be sorry. 

Now to clarify, I am not German. I don't think we have any German heritage. I do like beer and pretzels, but that's about it. I mention that to clarify that I really don't know what I'm talking about here as far as these being authentically German.

Mandelhoernchen. Almond Horn Cookies. My first encounter with these was in Chapel Hill, NC when my aunt and uncle took us to this wonderful German Cafe and Bakery. I'm not kidding when I say that I wanted one of everything in that place. (It's called Guglhupf....it's actually in Durham.)

As we were gazing into the bakery case, I was texting my German friend, Claudia, asking her all sorts of (probably ridiculous) questions about all of the treats and if she knew what they were.

{Let me add here, that Claudia is really FROM Germany. I'm so happy she lives in Texas now so that I get to be friends with her. She's beautiful, sweet, patient, and funny...has 5 gorgeous children...and I could listen to her say "yah, yah" all day, every day.}


At the bakery, I decided on the Mandelhoernchen...and it was love at first bite. I love all things almond, and those chocolate-dipped ends? Well, that just puts these over the top.

For Claudia's birthday, I really wanted to make her a traditional German treat. I looked online and in cookbooks, and kept coming back to those almond horns.

The cookies are made with marzipan and almond meal. The texture is chewy and light...a bit like a macaron.

Once the dough is made, the cookies are rolled in slivered almonds (I could only find sliced almonds with the skins...use either) and formed into crescents, or horns.

I eat a lot of cookies, and these are some of my very favorites. I said on Instagram that I tested a cookie before giving them to Claudia. I lied. I "tested" two. (Sorry, Claudia. I really didn't want to give you sub-par cookies. It took two to be sure.) ;)

I followed the recipe from Serious Eats to the letter.  My only notes:

• the recipe calls for the cookies sitting on the baking sheet for 10 minutes after coming out of the oven. If your pans are thin, you might want to take them off earlier.
• for the chocolate, I used Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate (the bar). The amount called for makes just enough to cover the cookies, so don't be tempted to swipe a few spoonfuls prior to dipping. 

Here's the recipe from Serious Eats. I am seriously making these again SOON. Maybe I'll run two over to Claudia.