Mandelhoernchen (Almond Horns) are a fond memory of my childhood. These sweet, almondy treats are soft and chewy and simply divine. They are simple to make and a joy for the whole family.
What you need:
For the dough:
300g chilled Marzipan (see our recipe for homemade Marzipan!)
2 egg whites (60g)
pinch of salt
125g icing sugar
For the decoration:
200g sliced almonds
100g dark chocolate
Extra's:
Piping Bag and large round piping nozzle (10mm Ø for smaller horns, 15-17mm Ø for large horns)
How to make the horns:
1) Grate the chilled Marzipan into small pieces into a bowl. In a bowl, mix the egg whites, salt and icing sugar with either your hand mixer or stand mixer but do not mix it to stiff egg whites. If you want to make these vegan, you can use aquafaba with a bit of baking powder and Xanthan gum.
2) Using the kneading attachment, slowly add the Marzipan and mix until you have a smooth dough. Rest the dough in the fridge (covered) for at least 1 hour, if you have the luxury, rest it overnight as the flavour will increase even more.
3) Preheat the oven to 175°C Upper/lower heat or 150°C Fan forced. Lay baking paper on two baking trays. Fill the dough into your piping bag.
4) Before piping the dough, spread about half of the sliced almonds onto the baking paper in long-ish strips. Pipe the dough on top of the Almonds ( this can be a bit tricky as the dough is hard as it is cold) and shape it into a U-shape. Cover the dough with more sliced Almonds and gently push these onto the dough. Repeat until all dough has been used up.
5) Bake Almond Horns one tray at a time in the middle of the oven for 10-12 min (small horns), 15-20 minutes for larger Horns. Take the Horns out and let them cool for 1-2 minutes on the tray before carefully moving them with a spatula onto a cooling rack. Be careful as the horns will still be very soft.
6) Carefully melt the chocolate. Once the horns have cooled, dip the ends gently into the molten chocolate and let it set.
7) You can keep the horns for up to 2 weeks in a air tight container but I can guarantee you that you will eat them much faster!
Enjoy!!!
