Originally, these were supposed to be a chocolate amaretti type cookie which are Italian almond cookies, often crunchy and great for dunking. As I baked a couple batches I realized, or remembered as the case may be, that I don’t particularly care for amaretti. Too dry. Too crunchy. And there wasn’t enough almond flavor so what was the point? So I pivoted and turned it into a cookie I can’t stop eating, one with more almond paste, a softer chewier texture and more almond flavor. And I like them much much better. So for today’s chocolate cookie, we have a Chocolate Marzipan Cookie.
If marzipan scares you off and conjures up images of grotesquely sweet play-doh shaped into odd fruits and vegetables, stick with me. It’s really just almond paste and sugar and I’ve worked both of those into this dough with a bit of egg white, almond flour and almond extract. Bake them for about 8 minutes for a nice chewy cookie or bake them longer for something a little crisper. I really can’t stop eating them.
If you haven’t been playing along, for the last few weeks we’ve been taking a basic chocolate cookie dough and adding various ingredients to it to make twelve different chocolate cookies. Make one dough, make many cookies. Today, it’s all things almond + chocolate. I like to roll these in sugar for an extra crunch, either large grain or pearl but regular granulated sugar works too.
36 One Dough/Many Cookies from years past:
Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls
Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles,
Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze
Chocolate: Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles,
Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars
Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Classic Molasses Cookies, Peppermint Candy Canes
2020 12 Days of Cookies line up to date:
Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough
Day 1: Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers
Day 2: Chocolate Banana Petit Four
Day 3: Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies
Day 4: Andes Mint Chip Cookies
Day 5: Chocolate Lebkuchen
Day 6: Fudge Tarts
DAY 7: CHOCOLATE MARZIPAN COOKIES
Start with the base chocolate dough – recipe here. I used a natural cocoa for this one (the various types of cocoa powder are discussed in the base dough recipe post). The dough may seem a bit oily when it comes together, and it is, as all that almond paste is exuding its natural oils. Chill the dough to make it easier to handle and carry on.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the almond paste, sugar and egg white(s) on medium until fully combined.
- Add the room temperature cookie dough (broken into small pieces), almond flour, almond extract, baking powder and salt; mix on medium speed until well combined.
- Roll Tablespoon sized pieces of dough into balls and chill for at least an hour. Can be chilled overnight or frozen for up to 2 months tightly wrapped.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- When ready to bake, let the dough balls warm up a bit and roll in your sugar of choice to coat. (The sugar will stick better if the cookie balls are a bit tacky on the outside.)
- Place on parchment paper or silicone baking mat lined sheet pans, about 2” apart.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes until just firm to the touch but soft in the centers.
- Let cool on wire racks.
- Do ahead: scoop and roll the dough, nestle on a parchment line sheet pan and freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer to a Ziploc for longer storage (label with cookie name and baking temp and time.)
STRESSCAKE 
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