Bethmännchen

SUNDAY DESSERT #97: Bethmännchen

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: Germany 🇩🇪

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Easy

INSPIRATION: Frankfurt, Germany is home to the famous Christkindlmarkt, or Christmas Market. Although this impressive market has many fun and festive things to do, your visit there would not be complete without trying the classic, and highly traditional, Bethmännchen Christmas cookie! Since I probably won't be visiting Frankfurt anytime too soon, I'll just have to settle with making them at home for now.

RECEPTION/COMMENTARY: Historical story time! So there once was this wealthy family in Frankfurt named Bethmann. To honor the family, their head chef invented a marzipan cookie that was surrounded by four blanched almonds; one for each of the four Bethmann sons. When one of the sons died, the cookie was altered so that it only had three almonds. The tradition is well and alive today and you will find the tri-almond Bethmännchen ("little Bethmann's") in every German home and bakery around Christmastime!

In my opinion, I think the fourth almond should have been kept on the cookie. However, I think three should be blanched as usual and the fourth one should be left with the skin intact to represent and remember the son that died...which is a little symbolic of another Son that died, yes?

Guys, it's an almond-flour marzipan cookie. Almond and marzipan! Yuuuuuuummmmm! The texture is amazingly soft and chewy and if you like almond flavoring, this is pretty much genius! These cookies are easy and fun to make, too, and would be perfect for kids to bake in the festivities! 10/10!

WOULD I MAKE IT AGAIN? Ja, absolut! (Yes, absolutely!) This is a MUST for almond lovers at Christmas! 🎄