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Bethmännchen
Marzipan almond balls
Frankfurt's marzipan balls with three almond halves
Frankfurt am Main claims these little domes as its own Christmas sweet, sold by the bag at the Römerberg Christmas market and in the city's cafés through Advent. The story goes that they were made for the banking family Bethmann, with four almonds for the four sons, and one was dropped when a son died; whatever the truth, they now carry three. The marzipan is mixed with a little rosewater and powdered sugar, then glazed with egg yolk so the tops bake golden while the inside stays soft. Serve them with tea or a mug of hot spiced apple juice. For an egg-free glaze, brush with a little cream or milk instead; the colour is paler but still pretty. Chef's tip: bake them on the middle shelf and watch from the 10-minute mark, because the almond tips scorch before the marzipan is golden if your oven runs hot.
- Total time
- 39 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the marzipan balls
- 7 oz marzipan (raw almond paste)at room temperature
- 1 ¾ oz ground almonds
- 1 ¾ oz icing sugar
- 1 tsp rosewater
- 1 egg whitelightly beaten
To decorate
- 2 ⅛ oz blanched almondssplit into halves (about 60 halves)
- 1 egg yolkfor glazing (or 2 tbsp cream for an egg-free glaze)
- 1 tbsp milk
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 325°F (275°F fan) and line a tray with baking paper.
Step 2: Knead 7 oz marzipan (raw almond paste), 1 ¾ oz ground almonds, 1 ¾ oz icing sugar and 1 tsp rosewater with half of ½ egg white until smooth. Add the rest only if the paste is too dry to roll.
Step 3: Roll into about 20 walnut-sized balls (around 15 g each) and set them on the tray.
Step 4: Press three of 2 ⅛ oz blanched almonds upright into the sides of each ball, points meeting at the top, so they stand like petals around a dome.
Step 6: Bake for 12–14 minutes, until the tops are golden and the almonds lightly toasted; the balls should still give a little when pressed.
14 minStep 7: Cool on the tray, then store in a tin with baking paper between the layers. They keep for two to three weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 190 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bethmännchen take?
- About 39 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 14 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
- What can I use instead of icing sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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