Baked Marzipan Balls

Baked Marzipan Balls are small, tender, buttery cookies with a gentle almond flavor from marzipan worked right into the dough. Each ball is topped with a whole almond, brushed with an egg wash for a glossy golden finish, and baked for just 15 minutes. The dough is a simple, kneaded butter dough, so there’s no creaming, no mixer, and no special equipment. This recipe makes 60 cookies, which makes it a great choice for holiday cookie tins, gift boxes, parties, and any occasion where you want a big batch of something pretty and almond-scented.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Marzipan baked right into the dough for a soft, sweet almond flavor
• A tender, buttery crumb made with just flour, butter, powdered sugar, and egg yolks
• A whole almond pressed into each ball, with a glossy egg yolk glaze
• Makes 60 cookies, perfect for sharing, gifting, and cookie platters
• Only 15 minutes in the oven, with a simple 1-hour chill for the dough

Because the dough is kneaded together and chilled, then simply rolled into ropes and cut into equal pieces, the whole batch is easy to portion evenly, which means all 60 baked marzipan balls come out the same size and bake at the same rate.

What Does It Taste Like?

These cookies taste buttery, lightly sweet, and gently nutty. The marzipan melts into the dough as it bakes, giving the whole cookie a soft almond flavor without making it heavy. The crumb is tender and a little short, in the style of a classic butter cookie, and the whole almond on top adds a bit of crunch. The egg yolk glaze gives each ball a golden, bakery-style shine.

Recipe Overview

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Chill Time: 1 hour
• Bake Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: About 1 hour 45 minutes, including chilling
• Yield: 60 balls
• Oven Temperature: 175°C (347°F)

Ingredients

PIN IT

• 350 g (about 2¾ cups) all-purpose flour
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 200 g raw marzipan mixture
• 200 g butter
• 3 egg yolks, 2 for the dough and 1 for the egg wash
• 60 almonds, skinned
• A splash of water, for the egg wash

Ingredient Notes

Raw marzipan mixture: The flavor base of the cookie. The recipe calls for 200 g of raw marzipan, which is worked into the butter and flour so the almond flavor runs through the entire dough. Raw marzipan is the soft, uncolored marzipan paste you’d find in blocks or tubes.

Butter: Kneaded into the flour and marzipan to make a rich, short, tender dough. The recipe doesn’t specify salted or unsalted, so use whichever you normally bake with.

Powdered sugar: Sweetens the dough and keeps the crumb fine and delicate, since it dissolves more easily than granulated sugar.

Flour: Gives the dough its structure. At 350 g, it balances the generous amount of butter and marzipan so the dough can be rolled and shaped.

Egg yolks: Two go into the dough for richness and binding, and one is whisked with a splash of water to make the glossy egg wash.

Whole almonds: Skinned, then pressed into the top of each ball. They add a bit of crunch and signal the almond flavor inside.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need

• Large mixing bowl, or a clean work surface for kneading
• Kitchen scale, since the recipe is written in grams
• Baking tray lined with baking paper
• Pastry brush, for the egg wash
• Small bowl and fork, for whisking the egg yolk
• Plastic wrap, for chilling the dough
• Sharp knife, for cutting the rolls into pieces
• Wire cooling rack, optional

Substitutions and Variations

The recipe source doesn’t list substitutions, so these are optional ideas, not part of the original recipe:

• Add a pinch of lemon zest to the dough for a brighter flavor alongside the almond.
• Dust the cooled cookies with a little extra powdered sugar before serving.
• Use a half of a blanched almond on each ball if whole almonds are too large for a bite-sized cookie.

How to Make the Recipe

The method is straightforward. The almonds are skinned first. Then 2 egg yolks, the flour, the powdered sugar, the marzipan, and the butter are kneaded together into a dough, which chills for an hour. The chilled dough is divided into four long rolls, each roll is cut into 15 equal pieces, and each piece is shaped into a ball. A skinned almond is gently pressed into the top of each ball, the balls are brushed with egg yolk wash, and they bake for 15 minutes.

Step-by-Step Instructions

PIN IT

1. Skin the almonds. To do this, blanch them briefly in boiling water, then slip off the skins and let them dry.
2. In a large bowl or on a clean work surface, knead together 2 egg yolks, the flour, powdered sugar, marzipan, and butter until a dough forms.
3. Wrap the dough and chill it for 1 hour.
4. Shape the chilled dough into four rolls, each about 30 cm (about 12 inches) long. Divide each roll into 15 equal pieces and shape each piece into a ball.
5. Place the balls on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Gently press 1 almond into the top of each ball.
6. Whisk the remaining egg yolk with a splash of water. Brush it over each ball.
7. Preheat the oven to 175°C (347°F).
8. Bake for 15 minutes.

Tips for Success

• Weigh the ingredients on a kitchen scale. The recipe is written in grams, and weighing gives the most accurate dough.
• Knead only until the dough comes together. A smooth, even dough is what you’re after, not a heavily worked one.
• Don’t skip the 1-hour chill. Chilled dough is firmer, easier to roll into ropes, and easier to cut into equal pieces.
• Divide each roll into 15 equal pieces so all 60 cookies are the same size and bake evenly.
• Press the almond in gently so it stays on top and doesn’t flatten the ball too much.
• Brush the egg wash on lightly and evenly, so the cookies come out an even golden color with a nice shine.
• Line the baking tray with baking paper so the cookies release cleanly.

How to Know It’s Done

The baked marzipan balls are done after 15 minutes at 175°C (347°F). They should look set and golden, with a glossy finish from the egg yolk wash. Because the dough is rich with butter, the cookies firm up as they cool, so let them rest briefly before moving them.

What to Serve With It

These cookies are lovely with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, and they’re a natural addition to a holiday cookie platter. For more almond-flavored cookies from Poulef, try our Almond Paste Cookies or our Italian Shortbread Cookies.

Storage Instructions

The recipe source doesn’t give storage instructions. As general guidance for a buttery baked cookie like this one: let the cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 week.

Freezing Instructions

The recipe source doesn’t give freezing instructions. As general guidance, baked cookies like these should freeze well in an airtight container with parchment between layers for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving. The shaped, unbaked balls can typically be frozen as well, then glazed and baked with a minute or two of extra baking time.

Common Mistakes

• Skipping the chill time, which makes the dough soft and hard to roll and cut into even pieces.
• Cutting uneven pieces, which causes some cookies to overbake while others stay pale.
• Leaving the skins on the almonds, when the recipe calls for skinned almonds.
• Using marzipan that’s very dry or hard, which can make the dough crumbly and harder to knead smoothly.
• Brushing on too much egg wash, which can pool around the base of the cookies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many cookies does this recipe make?

It makes 60 cookies: four rolls of dough, each cut into 15 pieces and shaped into balls.

Do I have to chill the dough?

Yes. The recipe calls for chilling the dough for 1 hour before shaping, which firms up the butter so the dough is easy to roll and divide.

What temperature do I bake them at?

Bake at 175°C (347°F) for 15 minutes.

What does “raw marzipan mixture” mean?

It refers to soft, uncolored raw marzipan paste, rather than finished, shaped, or decorated marzipan. It’s worked straight into the dough.

How do I skin the almonds?

Blanch them in boiling water for a minute or so, drain them, and slip the skins off with your fingers. Let them dry before pressing them into the dough.

How are the three eggs used?

Two yolks go into the dough and one yolk is whisked with a splash of water to make the egg wash that’s brushed over the cookies before baking.

Are these cookies gluten-free?

No. The recipe uses 350 g of wheat flour, so it isn’t gluten-free as written.

Recipe Background

Marzipan is a classic confection made from ground almonds and sugar, and it’s used across Europe in candies, cakes, and cookies, especially around the holidays. While marzipan is often shaped and eaten as candy, it’s also a popular ingredient in baking, where it adds almond flavor and a soft, tender texture. Marzipan cookies topped with a single almond are a familiar sight on European holiday cookie plates. This recipe works the marzipan right into a buttery dough, so the almond flavor is baked into every bite.

Conclusion

Baked Marzipan Balls are an easy, elegant way to turn a block of marzipan into a big batch of tender, buttery almond cookies. The dough is simple to knead, the shaping is straightforward, and the bake is quick, so you can have 60 pretty, golden cookies ready for gifting or sharing. Happy baking!

More Delicious Recipes You’ll Love

• Almond Paste Cookies
• Grandma’s Almond Paste Cookies
• Heavenly Greek Almond Cookies (Amigdalota)
• Italian Shortbread Cookies
• Sicilian Cucidati

Follow Poulef on Pinterest

Loved this recipe? Save it for later and follow @PoulefRecipe on Pinterest for more cozy, comforting bakes: https://www.pinterest.com/poulefrecipe/

Nutritional Information

The recipe source did not provide nutritional information for these cookies, so exact values are not available. As a general guide, a butter-and-marzipan cookie is a rich, sweet treat best enjoyed in small portions.

Print