German Marzipan Cookies – Soft Almond Biscuits

These German marzipan cookies are soft almond biscuits made with homemade marzipan for a rich, nutty flavour. Inspired by a bake from the Great British Baking Show, this easy almond paste cookie recipe creates delicate, soft and chewy marzipan cookies with lightly crisp edges.

Why I Made This Recipe

As a longtime fan of the Great British Bake Off (also known as the Great British Baking Show in North America), I’ve recreated several bakes from the show for my YouTube channel, adapting them to be allergy-friendly. During German week, one contestant made marzipan biscuits, and the almond flavour immediately caught my attention.

Since I love baking with marzipan, I created my own version of these German marzipan cookies with a soft almond texture and simple ingredients. After testing the recipe a few times, it quickly became a favourite, so I knew it deserved a full post so you can try it too. You can find the inspiration recipe on the Bake Off website.

Why You Need These

If you love almond desserts, these German marzipan cookies are a must-bake. They’re soft and chewy in the centre with lightly crisp edges and a rich almond flavour in every bite. Simple to make with basic pantry ingredients, this recipe is perfect for marzipan lovers.

Ingredients and Substitutions

These marzipan biscuits contain several elements that are easy to make and adapt to suit different allergy requirements. Read on for my substitution guide and my FAQ for some common questions about this bake.

For the Marzipan

This marzipan recipe is dairy-free and gluten-free.

Almond Flour: the main ingredient is almond flour (also known as ground almonds). This gives the marzipan its true flavour and colour.

Icing Sugar: for sweetness and consistency.

Egg: to bind the ingredients. I have not experimented with an egg alternative but I recommend using a flax egg if you need egg-free marzipan.

White Sugar: for sweetness.

Vanilla Bean Paste: to enhance the flavour. Sub with vanilla extract if you prefer.

For the Biscuit Dough

The biscuit dough is dairy-free with an easy gluten-free option.

All Purpose Flour: sub with gluten-free 1-to-1 blend if required.

Eggs: Ensure the eggs are at room temperature. I have not tried an egg-free version of this recipe. However, I recommend using 3 flax eggs, if required.

Cornflour: this lightens the consistency.

Icing Sugar: for sweetness and consistency.

Vanilla Bean Paste: sub with vanilla extract if preferred.

Plant-Based Butter: I am using room-temperature unsalted butter. Sub with dairy butter if preferred.

Salt: (not pictured) to balance the flavours.

How to Make Marzipan Biscuits

Before making the biscuits, preheat your oven to 340F / 170C and line some baking trays with parchment paper. Make sure your eggs and butter are at room temperature as well.

To start, we need to make marzipan. In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour, white sugar, icing sugar, vanilla bean paste and one egg. Mix until it forms a sticky paste.

Don’t worry that it will not look like traditional marzipan that you find in the store. It’s going to be added into the dough so it does not need to be as firm.

Once the marzipan comes together, add some icing sugar to your work surface and knead it into the marzipan. This will help reduce the stickiness.

Don’t be afraid to add more icing sugar if you need to, especially if you feel that it is still a little bit too sticky.

Once it becomes smoother and you can form it into a log shape, wrap it in plastic wrap (cling film) and pop it in the fridge.

Making the Biscuits

Moving on to making the biscuits, add the butter and icing sugar to the mixing bowl. Mix on a medium speed for three to five minutes until it’s pale and creamy.

Whilst the butter and icing sugar is creaming, in a separate bowl beat together the eggs and extra egg yolk. Set aside.

Take your marzipan out of the fridge. We are going to start adding it to our biscuit dough in small pieces. This will give a really nice almond flavour to the biscuits. Once the marzipan is combined, start adding the beaten eggs a little bit at a time because you don’t want your mix to get too sloppy too quickly.

Add a pinch of salt and the vanilla bean paste to the mixture. It will be very loose at this stage. Then add in the flour and cornflour and mix on low speed until everything is fully incorporated.

Piping the Biscuits

Don’t worry that the mixture isn’t firm at this point. We are going to be piping the dough, rather than rolling and cutting it.

Add a standard round piping tip (I use Wilton Piping Tip 12) to a piping bag then pop in some of the biscuit dough. Hold the bag still at a 90-degree angle above the surface and pipe a small dollop of dough. TOP TIP: I prefer not to overfill my bag because that puts a little bit too much pressure on your wrist when you’re piping.

These will spread ever so slightly so make sure you leave a gap between them. And if you’ve got any peaks on them, you can tap them down if you want to but they will flatten off as the mixture bakes. Keep piping until all of the mixture is used up.

Let’s Bake

Bake the trays of biscuits for 15 to 20 minutes.

You can see they’ve got a nice golden brown edge to them and are slightly domed as well. Set the trays aside to let the biscuits cool fully.

Add a dollop of jam in the middle of one biscuit and then pop another one of the same size on top.

Finishing Touches

One last finishing touch to jazz up the biscuits. I melted some chocolate in the microwave, added it to a piping bag and drizzled chocolate on top. Such a cute and easy design, and I think it really finishes them off nicely.

Flilling Variations

In the show, the contestant made their own jam to fill the marzipan biscuits. To keep things simple, I used store-bought raspberry jam, which works well with the almond flavour.

Of course, you can use any jam you like – my 2-ingredient homemade strawberry jam pairs well. And if you want to get a little fancy, try adding vanilla buttercream or a layer of jam and buttercream for extra indulgence.

Storage and Freezing

Storage: store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 

Freezing: freeze any leftover biscuits in an airtight container for up to 3 months. 

Common Questions

One last close-up of our marzipan biscuits. So soft, easy to make and full of flavour. I do hope this post has inspired you to try them.

More Tasty Treats

If you love indulgent recipes, check out these favourites:

• Create your own showstopper with my GBBO Inspired Red Velvet Layer Cake (Dairy-Free, Nut Free, Soy Free)
• The perfect grab-and-go snack – 3 Ingredient Coconut Bliss Balls (Vegan, GF, Nut Free)
• The easiest way to make churros – Air Fryer Churro Bites (Vegan, Nut Free, Soy Free)

German Marzipan Cookies (Soft & Chewy Almond Biscuit Recipe)

5 from 9 votes

Bake Angel

German marzipan cookies are soft, almond-rich biscuits made with homemade marzipan and simple pantry ingredients. These soft and chewy almond marzipan cookies are inspired by a bake from the Great British Baking Show and feature a delicate almond flavour with a lightly crisp edge. Perfect for holiday baking, afternoon tea, or whenever you're craving a classic German cookie.

Makes: 12 Biscuits

Prep: 20 minutes mins

Bake: 15 minutes mins

Total: 35 minutes mins

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Equipment

• ▢
  Kitchen Scales
• ▢
  Stand Mixer
• ▢
  Cling Film / Plastic Wrap
• ▢
  Piping Bag
• ▢
  Piping Tip 12
• ▢
  Cookie Baking Pan
• ▢
  Parchment Paper

Angela’s Top Tip

Weigh your dry ingredients in grams with a scale for best results!

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the Marzipan:

• ▢ 45 grams White Sugar
• ▢ 70 grams Icing Sugar
• ▢ 115 grams Almond Flour
• ▢ 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
• ▢ 1 Egg

For the Biscuits

• ▢ 150 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted)
• ▢ 125 grams Icing Sugar
• ▢ 2 Eggs
• ▢ 1 Egg Yolk
• ▢ Pinch of Salt
• ▢ 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
• ▢ 150 grams All Purpose Flour
• ▢ 75 grams Cornflour

Extras:

• ▢ Icing Sugar (for kneading the marzipan)
• ▢ Raspberry Jam (for the filling)
• ▢ Vegan Chocolate Chips (melted for the decoration)

Instructions

 

Prep:

• Preheat your oven to 340F / 170C and line some baking trays with parchment paper. Make sure your eggs and butter are at room temperature as well.

To Make the Marzipan:

• In a mixing bowl, combine the 115 grams Almond Flour, 45 grams White Sugar, 70 grams Icing Sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste and 1 Egg. Mix until it forms a sticky paste.
• Once the marzipan comes together, add some Icing Sugar to your work surface and knead it into the marzipan. This will help reduce the stickiness.
• Once it becomes smoother and you can form it into a log shape, wrap it in plastic wrap (cling film) and pop it in the fridge.

To Make the Biscuits:

• Add 150 grams Plant Based Butter (unsalted) and 125 grams Icing Sugar to the mixing bowl. Mix on a medium speed for three to five minutes until it's pale and creamy.
• Whilst the butter and icing sugar is creaming, in a separate bowl beat together 2 Eggs and 1 Egg Yolk. Set aside.
• Take your marzipan out of the fridge. We are going to start adding it to our biscuit dough in small pieces. This will give a really nice almond flavour to the biscuits.
• Once the marzipan is combined, start adding the beaten eggs a little bit at a time because you don't want your mix to get too sloppy too quickly.
• Add a Pinch of Salt and 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste to the mixture. It will be very loose at this stage. Then add in 150 grams All Purpose Flour and 75 grams Cornflour and mix on low speed until everything is fully incorporated.
• Add a standard round piping tip (I use Wilton Piping Tip 12) to a piping bag then pop in some of the biscuit dough. Hold the bag still at a 90-degree angle above the surface and pipe a small dollop of dough.
• Bake the trays of biscuits for 15 to 20 minutes until they have a nice golden brown edge and are slightly domed. Set the trays aside to let the biscuits cool fully.

Finishing Touches:

• Add a dollop of Raspberry Jam in the middle of one biscuit and then pop another one of the same size on top.
• Melt some Vegan Chocolate Chips in the microwave, add to a piping bag and drizzle on top. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

• Ingredients: As a precision baker, I recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your ingredients. This will give a more accurate bake each time and also makes it easier to scale up the recipe. 
• Yield: This recipe makes at least 12 marzipan biscuits. If you have extra dough, keep piping until you use up all of the mixture. 
• Storage: store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. 
• Freezing: freeze any leftover biscuits in an airtight container for up to 3 months. 
• Filling: I used store-bought jam for the filing. Prefer to make your own? Check out my easy 2 ingredient strawberry jam. You could also add some vanilla buttercream as an alternative filling. 
• GBBO Recipes: for more Bake Off inspired recipes, check out my Red Velvet Layer Cake and my GBBO Playlist on YouTube. 

Did you make this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think – leave a review below. Sharing on socials? Tag me @itsbakeangel and use #makeitwithbakeangel!