Marzipan Cookies

A simple almond-flavored dough becomes a fruit basket of sweet treats with this super-easy and super-delicious recipe!

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 1/2 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon almond extract
• Food colors

Instructions

1. Mix butter and sugar in large bowl.
2. Divide into 3 equal parts. Tint and shape dough as directed below.
3. Stir in flour and almond extract until mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
4. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
5. Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
6. Bake for about 30 minutes or until set but not brown.
7. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Notes

Tinting and Shaping Dough:

Apples Mix red or green food color into part of dough. Shape into small balls. Insert small piece of cinnamon stick in top for stem end and whole clove in bottom for blossom end. Dilute red or green food color with water and brush over apples.

Apricots Mix red and yellow food colors into part of dough. Shape into small balls. Make crease down 1 side with a toothpick. Insert whole clove for stem end. Dilute red food color with water and brush over apricots.

Bananas Mix yellow food color into part of dough. Shape into 3-inch rolls, tapering ends. Slightly flatten sides to make planes of banana; curve slightly. Paint on markings with mixture of red, yellow and blue food colors diluted with water.

Oranges Mix red and yellow food colors into part of dough. Shape into small balls. Insert whole clove for blossom end. Prick with blunt end of toothpick for texture.

Pears Mix yellow food color into part of dough. Shape into small balls, then into cone shapes, rounding narrow end. Insert small piece of cinnamon stick in narrow end for stem. Dilute red food color with water and brush on "cheeks" of pears.

Strawberries Mix red food color into part of dough. Shape into small balls, then into heart shapes, about 3/4 inch high. Prick with blunt end of toothpick for texture. Roll in red sugar. Insert small piece of green-colored toothpick or green dough into top for stem.

Traditional marzipan is a mixture of almond paste, sugar and egg whites. We' ve made things simpler by flavoring a stiff cookie dough with almond extract.

Use marzipan fruit to decorate cakes and other baked goods. Place apricots and strawberries on top of chocolate-frosted cupcakes. Or place oranges around the edge of a frosted orange or lemon chiffon cake.

Make child's play out of this fancy cookie! Let the kids mold the cookies just as though they were playing with clay. Later they can have a fancy fruit tea party!

Nutrition

Per serving: Calories 70 (Calories from Fat 35); Total Fat 2g (Saturated Fat 2g); Cholesterol 10mg; Sodium 25mg; Total Carbohydrate 7g (Dietary Fiber 0g); Protein 1g

Percent Daily Value*: Vitamin A 2%; Vitamin C 0%; Calcium 0%; Iron 2%

Exchanges: 1/2 Starch; 1/2 Fat

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Attribution

Recipe and photo used with permission from: Betty Crocker Kitchenes