Oma's Bethmännchen Cookie

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

Published: December 13, 2011, Updated: May 23, 2025

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Bethmännchen -- traditional German cookies made with marzipan. Made just like Oma.

Bethmännchen cookies are among the traditional German Christmas cookie recipes.  These cookies were originally created to honor the Bethmann family. 

Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg was the Chancellor of the German Empire in the early 1900's. Why three almonds on top of these cookies?  

Because the Chancellor had three sons.

If you love marzipan, you'll love these Bethmännchen, because that's one of the main ingredients.

You need to purchase marzipan for this. It can be found in the baking sections of most grocery stores and, of course, at German delis. With its high sugar content, marzipan will keep almost indefinitely. 

(Not in our house, though. We so enjoy it, it keeps disappearing!)

Here is one of my most favorite recipes using Marzipan. Be sure to try it out! It's a great recipe for the holidays.

Make Your own Marzipan ...

It is possible to make your own marzipan. It really is just a mixture of ground almonds, powdered sugar, and rosewater.

My Mutti had a recipe she made that also included mashed potatoes. It helped to decrease the cost, since almonds were very expensive. 

However, because it's not a real marzipan, I wouldn't use it to bake with. It works fine for decorating or just eating. It was made with mashed potatoes, almond extract, and powdered sugar. 

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Oma says,

There's one hint that you'll definitely need when making these cookies. When you are rolling the dough into little balls, keep moistening your hands with water so that the dough won't stick.

Ready to bake the Bethmännchen?

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Oma's Bethmännchen Cookies

If you love marzipan, you'll love these Bethmännchen, because that's one of the main ingredients. Bethmännchen cookies are among the traditional German Christmas cookie recipes.  These cookies were originally created to honor the Bethmann family. 

With their three sons, these cookies are topped with three almonds. 

Prep Time 20 minutes

Bake Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings:

Makes about 3 dozen

Ingredients:

• about 3 ounces almonds, skinless, halved 
• 8 ounces marzipan, coarsely grated
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Separate egg.
3. Mix powdered sugar and flour together. Add egg white and marzipan.
4. Mix with a dough hook in mixer until you have a smooth dough. (Or knead with your hands.)
5. Roll dough into balls the size of walnuts. You may need to add 1 - 2 tablespoons flour extra so the dough isn't too sticky.
6. Place cookies onto cookie sheet. Mix egg yolk and milk together. Brush mixture on cookies.
7. Press three almond halves into each cookie with the tips pointing upward.
8. Bake for about 15 - 20 minutes or until pale golden.
9. Place on a cookie rack until cold.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.