These delightful little Marzipan Kränze are German wreath cookies with a butter cookie base, a marzipan wreath, and a filling of tart raspberry jelly - two bites of marzipan heaven. They are a special German Christmas cookie, but I tell you, they are delicious any time of year! (And they turn out beautifully with my gluten-free flour blend❤️)
It's that time of year again . . . when the wonderful aromas of holiday baking fill the air. And this year, my cookies of choice have been these adorable Marzipan Kränze - a German cookie that is a favourite around here. The buttery base is topped with a ring of sweet marzipan just baked to a delicate gold. In the center, a pool of tart raspberry jelly - my own from our raspberry patch this summer - that shimmers like a ruby jewel.
What could be more festive? The cookies take a little bit of extra effort - but that is the secret ingredient of 'love' that makes them so special. They're a wonderful choice for gifting any time.
Put on your favourite holiday playlist, tie on a fancy apron, and treat yourself to some time in the kitchen! Your family and friends will thank you. ❤️
A Few More German Christmas Cookies to Try . . .
- Zimtsterne - the classic German 'Cinnamon Stars' (gluten-free)
- Elisenlebkuchen - a beloved version of Lebkuchen made with ground nuts, candied peel, and honey (gluten-free)
- Bethmännchen - an easy version of marzipan cookies, delightfully chewy, from the Frankfurt area of Germany (gluten-free)
- Magenbrot - a soft, chewy chocolate-gingerbread cookie popular at Christmas markets - quick and easy to make (easily made gluten-free)
- Basler Leckerli - chewy, fruity Swiss spice cookies also popular in Germany (easily made gluten-free)
What Ingredients You'll Need
Ingredients and Substitutions
- flour - I've used both regular flour and gluten-free flour. I've only used my own gluten-free flour blend, and it works beautifully (people can't even tell they are gluten-free when I use it)
- sugar
- eggs - you'll need 4 large ones (1 whole egg for the base dough, 3 egg whites for the marzipan wreaths
- butter - I use salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add ½ teaspoon salt to the dough
- vanilla and almond extracts - use pure ones for better flavour
- almond paste - almond paste is slightly coarser than marzipan and contains more almonds and less sugar. Use it if you can find it. Marzipan is finer and sweeter, generally used for covering cakes or moulding into fruit shapes, etc., but can be used in this recipe, too.
- raspberry jelly - or any other tart red jelly, like red currant jelly. You can also use raspberry jam that has been pushed through a sieve to remove the seeds.
How to Make the Marzipan Kränze Cookies
First you'll need to make the easy butter cookie dough (cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla, then beat in flour). Chill the dough for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days - isn't that handy?
Then roll out the dough about 5 mm thick and cut out rounds with a scalloped round cookie cutter (or plain round one, too).
Make the Dough to Pipe the Wreaths
Fill the Marzipan Kränze
Heat the jelly until it simmers, and cook it until it is syrupy and all the jelled bits have dissolved.
As the cookies cool, the jelly sets and becomes firm, making a shiny pool of tangy deliciousness.
What Beautiful Cookies!
Are you coming for tea?
Happy Holidays
🌲Wishing you a wonderful holiday season with time to rejuvenate your soul and many joyful gatherings of friends and family. 🌲
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Guten Appetit!
Marzipan Kränze (German Marzipan Wreath Cookies)
Equipment
- piping bag with a fluted star tip (like #22)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (225 g) salted butter
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2½ cups (350 g) gluten-free flour blend or regular all-purpose flour for non-gluten-free
- 14 oz (400 g) prepared almond paste or marzipan
- 3 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1¼ cups (350 g) raspberry jelly or other tart red seedless jam or jelly
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat until combined.
- Add the flour and beat until it is all incorporated and a soft dough is formed.
- Divide the dough in two and shape each into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic food wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour (or up to 3 days). If it's longer than 1 hour, remove the dough discs from the refrigerator 30 minutes before rolling out so they soften a bit.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃). Line several cookie sheets with parchment paper or grease them with cooking oil spray.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to 5 mm thick (a little less than ¼"). (If the dough is too firm, beat it lightly with a rolling pin first to flatten it slightly. Cut out circles with a crinkle-edged cookie cutter about 2¼-2½ inches (6 cm) in diameter and lay them, ½-inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Make the Marzipan Wreath Dough: Pinch the almond paste into small bits and put them into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the almond extract and the egg whites, one at a time, beating well after each addition, until you have a smooth dough with no lumps. Scoop the marzipan into a piping bag fitted with a fluted star tip (#22 works well).
- Pipe a neat circle on top of each cookie, all around the outer edge.
- Bake the cookies until they are just starting to turn golden at the edges, 15-18 minutes for gluten-free flour (12-15 minutes if using regular wheat flour).
- While the cookies are baking, heat the raspberry jelly or jam in a saucepan over medium heat until it comes to a boil and all the jelly is dissolved (no small blobs of jelly remain).
- When the cookies are baked, let them cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then remove them to a cooling rack. While they are still warm, gently pour 1 teaspoon of hot, melted jelly into the center of each cookie (make sure to use a metal teaspoon or 1-teaspoon measuring spoon), gently pushing it to flow and touch the inside of the marzipan wreath on all sides. Cool completely before eating.
- Makes ~4½ dozen cookies.
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