"Bethmännchen"
Bethmännchen (German for "a little Bethmann") is a pastry made from marzipan with almond, powdered sugar, rosewater, flour and egg which is usually specially baked for Christmas.
The name is given from the family of Simon Moritz von Bethmann in Frankfurt am Main (Germany).
Legend has it that Parisian pastry chef Jean Jacques Gautenier developed the recipe at his home in 1838.
History of Bethmännchen
The name comes from the family of Bethmann. Legend has it that Parisian pastry chef Jean Jacques Gautenier developed the recipe for banker and city councilor Simon Moritz von Bethmann in 1838. Originally the Bethmännchen were decorated with four almonds, one for each son of Simon Moritz. After the death of his son Heinrich in 1845, the fourth almond was removed. However, this story is unlikely, since Simon Moritz had died already in 1826.After one and a half centuries of manufacturing, its form and recipe has never been changed.
Recipe for Bethmännchen
125g icing sugar
1 egg white
200g almond meal
1 teaspoon cornflour (corn starch)
1 egg yolk
4 teaspoons water
50 g blanched almonds
a little milk for brushing
Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
Sift the icing sugar into a bowl. Add the almond meal and cornflour and
stir to combine.
In another bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form. Add the icing
sugar mixture to the egg whites, and mix briefly with the mixer.
Pinch off walnut sized pieces from the mixture and roll into balls. Place
each ball onto the baking sheet and press three blanched almonds into each ball,
point facing upwards. Leave the balls to dry overnight. (It is hot
here, so I only left them to dry for a couple of hours.)
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Brush each cookie with milk, and
place the baking sheet in the centre of the oven to bake the cookies for
approximately 15 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow to
cool on a wire rack.
These little cookies were my favourite item in the gift box - they were so tasty
I was glad that I only had enough cookies for me to eat one.
External links
Categories: Christmas food
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