I created these marzipan orange butter cookies in the beginning of this year. Before the year is over I have to share this recipe with you.
I love marzipan and I love combining orange flavor - if you have not already noticed from my recipes - in baking. The orange flavor in these cookies are not overpowering but very subtle. The hint of orange flavor is similar to the bergamot flavor of Early Grey tea - a tea which I like very much. 
These days I love spending rainy fall afternoons bundled up by the fireplace with a big cup of tea accompanied with a few of these marzipan orange butter cookies. I secretly call the cookies "cozy afternoon by the fireplace November fall tea cookies". It is my favorite fall activity besides taking my black Dutch bike on long bike rides. 
NOTES: Try to use the best marzipan that is available to you. The quality of marzipan makes a difference when making these cookies. I made these cookies once with marzipan which was not that great and I could taste the difference. My favorite marzipan for baking is the Danish brand Odense (named after the Danish city Odense, H.C Andersen - the Danish "Fairy-tale" author - was born there, too).
In baking I often use dried peels of organic oranges (just let the peels dry for a few days on your kitchen counter and then store the orange peels in a glass container). In this recipe I also prefer orange zest of dried orange peels. If you do not  have or do not want to use dried orange peels feel free using fresh orange zest  but I recommend using 2 instead of 3 teaspoons of orange zest.
Makes about 50 cookies

INGREDIENTS

  • 200 g all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons of finely grated orange zest
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 125 g unsalted cold butter (cut into cubes)
  • 1 egg (medium)
  • 150 g marzipan

DIRECTIONS

  • Grate the marzipan coarsely or cut the marzipan into small pieces. 
  • Mix flour and orange zest in a small bowl. Put the flour orange mixture on a clean surface and add sugar, butter and grated marzipan to it. Form a well in the center and put the egg in the center of the well. 
  • Knead all ingredients quickly until the dough is smooth. If the dough is too dry add a little bit of cold water. Cover the dough into plastic wrap and let the dough rest in the fridge for at least one hour. 
  • Roll out the dough on a slightly floured surface or between two pieces of parchment paper until 3 mm thick. 
  • Cut out cookies with a cookie cutter (I use a 6 cm round cookie cutter).
  • Place cookies on baking sheets and let the cookies rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. 
  • Preheat the oven to 180 °C. 
  • Bake the cookies for 5 to 7 minutes until the edges are slightly golden in color. 
  • Let the cookies cool on a wire rack. 
  • Store the cookies in an air-tight container.