I conducted a poll on Instagram: Do you want another cookie recipe before Christmas or wait until January? I fully expected y'all to be cookied-out, but I was wrong. Overwhelmingly, you want MORE COOKIES! And you want them NOW.
German Chocolate-Dipped Almond Horn Cookies, or Mandelhörnchen, are cookies that have everything. Cripsy (exterior), crunchy (almonds), chewy (interior), and silky (chocolate)! Truly, these cookies are a dream.
They're also naturally gluten-free.
I spent the weekend making these for a party tonight and to ship to loved ones. And while I've made them before, I tweaked the recipe a bit after reading through the new German Cookbook from Jürgen Krauss from the Great British Baking Show.
More on Jürgen's cookbook soon (spoiler: it's beautiful). Unfortunately, he didn't have a recipe for these cookies, but with his book, I made my own marzipan (yay!) and felt like I was right back in Germany.
Tips for Making Chocolate-Dipped Almond Horn Cookies
- You can use homemade or store-bought marzipan. I made a few batches over the weekend with both. I'll share a homemade marzipan recipe soon, but know these are delicious, and quicker to make, with store-bought.
- Almond paste is not the same as marzipan.
- Use blanched ground almonds (almond flour), as the ground almonds with skins can lead to dry cookies.
- Rose water can be found in most grocery stores' "international" section. It is not the same as "rose extract." Rose extract will be much too potent.
- You'll need a digital scale for this recipe. Once you buy one, I promise you'll be happy to have it. They're small and easy to store. This is the digital scale I have.
- Use a piece of waxed paper on top of your scale when weighing.
How to Make Chocolate-Dipped Almond Horn Cookies
Measure out the marzipan, then the ground almonds, and add sugar.
Mix until combined and crumbly.
Add egg white, almond extract, and rose water. Mix until the dough is cohesive. It will be sticky.
Weigh the dough, then divide that number by 12. Portion the dough accordingly.
Roll into a ball, then use your palms to shape into a 4.5-inch "finger." Gently roll this in sliced almonds. It helps to have a ruler on your countertop. If the finger shape is too long, tap in the sides to compress.
Place the rolled dough in a U-shape on cookie sheet.
Bake.
Once cooled, melt bittersweet chocolate. Dip the ends of each cookie into the chocolate and let set before storing.
Store in an airtight container for one week or more!
German Chocolate-Dipped Almond Horn Cookies (Mandelhörnchen)
YIELD: 12 cookies
PREP TIME: 45 minutes
BAKE TIME: 14 minutes per tray
10 ounces marzipan, homemade or store-bought
4 ounces blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 egg white
1 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 teaspoon rose water
3/4 cup sliced, blanched almonds
10 ounces Ghirardelli 60% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate Chips
Preheat oven to 375. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Break marzipan into chunks as you weigh it in a bowl. Add ground almond flour and sugar. Mix using the paddle attachment until combined and crumbly. Mix in egg white, almond extract, and rose water. The dough will be sticky.
Sprinkle almonds onto the countertop, lightly breaking up with your fingers.
Weigh dough, then divide the weight by 12. Portion cookies using the divided weight. Roll dough portions into a ball, then use your palms to form a finger shape measuring 4.5 inches long.
Gently roll each "finger" in blanched almonds. A ruler on the counter helps. If the dough shape gets too long, tap the ends to compress back.
Place dough in U-shapes onto lined cookie sheets. Bake 6 per sheet for 14 minutes, until golden. Let sit on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes, then use a thin cookie spatula to carefully remove to a wire cooling rack.
Once cooled, melt the chocolate. Melt it all at once or use the "seeding method." Place 2/3 of the chocolate in a bowl and microwave in 30-second intervals at 50% power. Once melted, add the remaining 1/3 chocolate and stir until melted.
Dip the ends of each cookie into the melted chocolate, placing onto a parchment or waxed paper-lined cookie sheet to set up. Once the chocolate has set, store in an airtight container for a week or more!
*recipe adapted from Serious Eats
German Chocolate-Dipped Almond Horn Cookies (Mandelhörnchen)...I wonder if I'll eat them all before the party tonight?
