• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Spring Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Sweets
  • About
  • How To's

Where Is My Spoon

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Spring Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • Sweets
  • About
  • How To's
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Spring Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Sweets
    • About
    • How To's
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ร—
    Where Is My Spoon > Recipes > Sweets > Cookies

    German Walnut Marzipan Cookies

    Published by: Adina December 8, 2022 4 Comments
    Jump to Recipe
    pinterest image with title for walnut marzipan cookies.

    Make these walnut marzipan cookies, German-style. They are pretty swirl cookies, incredibly delicious, and perfect for the holiday season.

    many swirl cookies filled with marzipan on a plate with a glass of milk.

    Buttery pastry rolls filled with walnuts and marzipan; these beautiful swirl cookies are a holiday treat you cannot miss.

    I first made the German walnut marzipan cookies years ago, just because I happened to have an open bag of marzipan paste leftover from making Heidesand cookies. And I havenโ€™t stopped baking them ever since; they make it on the Christmas cookie list every year.

    And if you like swirl cookies, see the Orange Jam Swirl Cookies. Or check out our collection of The Best German Cookies.

    Recipe ingredients

    Marzipan or almond paste: The kind used for baking, not the expensive one, sold to be eaten as a dessert. The marzipan paste can be eaten as it is, but it is less delicate, less expensive, and is meant to be used in baking or for decorating cakes.

    Eggs: One whole large egg for the dough and one egg white for the marzipan-walnut filling.

    Butter: Unsalted butter, European-style, with 82% - 85% fat. Low-fat butter wonโ€™t work for making good cookies. Unsalted butter is best for baking as it allows you to control your salt amount. However, if all you have is salted butter, omit the salt added to the dough.

    Vanilla: As this is a German recipe, you would typically use vanilla sugar, not vanilla extract. However, if vanilla sugar is unavailable where you live, about ยฝ teaspoon of vanilla extract does the job.

    Other ingredients: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, a pinch of salt, and ground walnuts.

    close up marzipan cookies with walnuts.

    How to make swirl walnut marzipan cookies?

    Cookie dough:

    • Combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, and salt) in a food processor. Pulse shortly to mix the ingredients. Add egg, cubed butter, and vanilla extract. Pulse a few times until you obtain rough crumbs (1).
    • Turn the pastry onto the working surface and knead quickly to form a ball (2).
    collage of two pictures of making pastry in food processor and shaping it into a ball.
    • Refrigerate: Wrap the ball in plastic and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes (3).
    small bowl with walnut marzipan filling for cookies.

    Filling:

    • Mix sugar, ground walnuts, egg white, and grated marzipan until you obtain a paste.

    Make cookies:

    • Preheat the oven and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
    • Roll the pastry into a rectangle (4). Halve it lengthwise to get two long strips of pastry. Halve these strips widthwise as well. In the end, you should have four pastry strips (5).
    collage of two pictures of a rectangle of rolled pastry cut into four parts.
    • Spread the filling on all the pastry sheets using a knife or your fingers (6).
    • Roll the strips into sausages (7).
    collage of two pictures of spreading walnut filling or rolled dough.
    • Cut each sausage into slices (about 4 mm/1.5 inches thick) (8).
    • Place them on a baking sheet (9).
    collage of two pictures of cutting swirl cookies and placing them on a baking sheet.
    • Bake the swirled marzipan cookies for about 12 -15 minutes until golden.
    • Leave the cookies on the baking tray for another 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Expert Tips

    Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it ensures the best results (Amazon affiliate link). One cup of flour or one cup of butter can differ so much in weight depending on whoโ€™s weighing. And too much or too little of these ingredients would ruin the recipe.

    If you donโ€™t have a food processor, mix the dough with an electric mixer with hood attachments or combine everything with a butter knife and then with the hands. Your hands should be cold when making this kind of pastry; the butter should not get warm.

    Please donโ€™t move the walnut marzipan cookies immediately after baking; they are very tender and might break. Leave them on the baking tray for another 10 minutes; they will firm up as they cool.

    Recipe FAQs

    What is marzipan?

    A confection made from blanched ground almonds, icing sugar, and almond extract. Marzipan is not precisely the same as almond paste (the sugar-almond ratio and the texture are slightly different), but it is often called almond paste in North America.

    Can I use almond paste instead of marzipan?

    While the swap might not work for another recipe, it will work fine here.

    Can I make the cookies in advance?

    Sure, at least partially. You can make the dough several days in advance, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate it.
    You can fill the rolls one day in advance, wrap them well, and refrigerate them. Slice them before baking.

    How to store walnut cookies?

    Store at room temperature in an airtight container; they will keep for about five days.
    Freeze the marzipan cookies in a freezer container between layers of waxed paper to prevent them from freezing together in a block. Defrost on the counter.

    german swirl cookies with walnut marzipan filling on a plate.

    More Christmas cookies

    • French Palmiers
    • Almond Cookies without Eggs
    • Chocolate Almond Cookies
    • Ginger Snaps Recipe โ€“ Candied Ginger Cookies
    • Vanillekipferl Recipe

    Do you like this recipe?

    Please leave a good rating in the recipe card below. Stay in touch through social media: Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram. Donโ€™t forget to tag #whereismyspoon when you try a recipe!

    Recipe

    plate of swirl cookies with marzipan seen from above.

    German Walnut Marzipan Cookies

    Walnut marzipan cookies, German-style. Pretty swirl cookies, incredibly delicious and perfect for the holiday season.
    4.67 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Share GrowSaved! Rate
    Course: Cookies
    Cuisine: German
    Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 42 minutes minutes
    Servings: 50
    Calories: 87kcal
    Author: Adina

    Equipment

    • 2 cookie sheets
    • Food processor or electric mixer with hook attachments
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients 

    Cookie dough (Note 1):

    • 250 g all-purpose flour 9 oz/ 2 cups
    • 70 g granulated sugar 2.5 oz/ โ…“ cup
    • a pinch of salt
    • 1 egg large
    • 125 g unsalted butter very cold 4.5 oz/ ยฝ cup
    • ยฝ teaspoon pure vanilla extract Note 2

    Marzipan filling:

    • 50 g granulated sugar 1.7 oz/ ยผ cup
    • 150 g ground walnuts 5.3 oz/ 1 ยผ cups
    • 1 egg white
    • 25 g marzipan paste 0.8 oz/ ยผ cup grated and loosely packed, Notes 3, 4

    Instructions

    Cookie dough:

    • Combine: Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse shortly to mix the ingredients. Add egg, cubed butter, and vanilla extract. Pulse a few times until you obtain rough crumbs.
    • Knead: Turn the pastry onto the working surface and knead quickly to form a ball.
    • Refrigerate: Wrap the ball in plastic and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes.

    Filling:

    • Mix sugar, ground walnuts, egg white, and grated marzipan until you obtain a paste.

    Make cookies:

    • Preheat the oven to 180ยฐC/ 350ยฐF. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
    • Flour the working surface and the rolling pin.
    • Roll the pastry into a rectangle (40 cm/ 16 inches and 22 cm/ 8.5 inches wide). Halve the pastry lengthwise to get two long strips of pastry.
      Halve these strips widthwise as well.
      In the end, you should have 4 pastry strips, each about 20 cm/ 8 inches long and about 11 cm/ 4.5 cm wide.
    • Fill dough: Divide the filling between the pastry strips and spread all over using a knife or your fingers (I found it easier with the fingers, messier but easier). Roll the pastry strips into sausages. Cut each sausage into about 4 mm/ 1.5-inch-thick slices.
    • Bake: Place the slices on the prepared trays. Bake for about 12 -15 minutes until golden.

    Notes

    1. Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it guarantees the best results (Amazon affiliate link).
    2. You can replace vanilla extract with 1 tablespoon of vanilla sugar if available.
    3. Marzipan or almond paste: The kind used for baking, not the expensive one, sold to be eaten as it is. The marzipan paste can be eaten as it is, but it is less delicate, less expensive, and is meant to be used in baking or for decorating cakes.
    4. Marzipan is often called almond paste in North America, although the two are not quite the same thing. However, you can substitute marzipan with almond paste in this recipe.
    5. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days. Freeze them between layers of waxed paper for up to 3 months. Defrost on the counter.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 87kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 21mg | Sugar: 7g
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @adinabeck or tag #WhereIsMySpoon!

    More Best Cookies for Every Occasion

    • many butterhorn cookies and walnuts halves on a wire rack.
      Butterhorn Cookies
    • chinese walnut cookies on a black board and a red ribbon between them.
      Chinese Walnut Cookies
    • many apricot jam cookies dusted with icing sugar.
      Apricot Jam Cookies
    • almond chocolate cookie tossed in confectioners sugar.
      Almond Chocolate Cookies

    Sharing is caring!

    164 shares
    • Share
    • Yummly
    • Reddit
    • X

    web banner representing all the websites logos that featured our food blog.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chris Scheuer says

      December 24, 2015 at 8:51 pm

      Beautiful cookies! You have been a busy baker this year! So many good things. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

      Reply
    2. Angie@Angie's Recipes says

      December 24, 2015 at 3:15 pm

      My husband will be crazy for these cookies too. They look great, Adina.
      Happy Holidays to you and your family!
      Angie

      Reply
    3. Kathryn Doherty says

      December 24, 2015 at 12:54 pm

      Merry Christmas indeed! These cookies look and sound amazing! They are so sweet with those little swirls going through them - beautiful for company, or just for Santa ๐Ÿ˜‰ Hope you have a fabulous holiday! XO

      Reply
    4. Thao @ In Good Flavor says

      December 24, 2015 at 3:47 am

      You must have been every mother's dream...a child who does not like sweets! I imagine there would be less of a battle over eating junk food. These cookies look wonderful! Short crust pastry rolls, walnuts, and marzipan are a winning cookie combination. And they don't seem super sweet which I can appreciate. Have a wonderful Christmas, Adina!

      Reply
    4.67 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating





    Primary Sidebar

    Hello! Where Is My Spoon is a blog where you will find delicious and family friendly recipes, all made from scratch. From simple healthy soups to sumptuous cakes for special occasions, all our recipes have been tried and loved by our family and our friends.

    More about me โ†’

    Potluck Recipes

    • bowl with potato salad with dill pickles sprinkled with chives.
      Potato Salad with Dill Pickles
    • napa cabage ramen salad in a gray bowl with sunflower seeds around it.
      Napa Cabbage Ramen Salad
    • feta and spinach triangles close up on a plate.
      Feta and Spinach Triangles
    • cherry loaf cake sliced on a vintage cloth with a knife and fresh fruit around it.
      Fresh Cherry Loaf Cake

    Popular Recipes

    • air fryer frozen chicken breast after cooking, one whole and one sliced piece.
      Frozen Chicken Breast in the Air Fryer
    • juicy, golden brown brats cooked on the stove in a skillet.
      How to Cook Brats on the Stove
    • lifting one piece of baked chicken breast with a spoon.
      How to Bake Frozen Chicken Breast
    • stapled sliced pork belly slices sprinkled with parsley, pool of fat in the back.
      How to Cook Pork Belly Strips

    Footer

    โ†‘ back to top

    Info

    • Privacy Policy
    • Accessibility Statement

    Contact

    If you have any questions or want to work with me, please email me @ contact@whereismyspoon.co

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright ยฉ 2025 - Where Is My Spoon. All rights reserved.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.