Easy almond cookies in a mushroom shape that look great and taste even better. Made from marzipan, these cute mushrooms always catch the eye!
Every year, we Czechs are known for baking a wide variety of Christmas cookies. These miniature artworks are arranged on a tray and placed on a festively set table. Hands down, the marzipan mushrooms from this recipe are one of the special cookies that shine!
Only peeled almonds, powdered sugar, egg whites, and cocoa powder are required for preparation. The cookies are not baked, so they can be made without an oven.
Bonus: The marzipan mass is simple to work with; bring the kids along, and they will be delighted.
In the Czech launguage, these mushroom cookies are called "mandlove hribky".
The porcini mushroom, also known as "hrib" or "hribek", is one of the most popular real mushrooms that Czechs collect in the forest during the autumn season.
MY TIP: Last-minute Christmas cookies? Try no bake beehive cookies, Czech "vosí hnízda." They are so good!
➜ Ingredients
For homemade no bake mushroom cookies, you will need:
- Almonds; peeled. Before making the cookies, I always finely grind the almonds in a rotary hand grater.
- Icing sugar; if you want to make sure there are no lumps in the marzipan mass, sift the sugar beforehand.
- Egg white; serves as binding agent
- Dark cocoa powder; unsweetened. To color the marzipan portion to be used for the mushroom caps.
✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.
➜ How to make mushroom cookies
STEP 1: Grind the almonds finely in a rotary hand grater.
STEP 2: Put the grated almonds in a larger bowl and add the egg white and sugar. First with a fork, then by hand, work into a soft and slightly sticky cookie dough.
STEP 3: Divide the ball of dough into two halves. Work the cocoa powder into one half. Be patient; this step requires a little patience. Expect your hands to be caked with cocoa powder, but don't worry; you can simply wash them under warm water afterward.
STEP 4: Roll both doughs into long and equally thick cylinders. Place them side by side, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between them.
Using a dough scraper or a knife, cut the cylinders into equal-sized pieces. Slice both halves of the dough in one go, giving you the same number of white and cocoa bits.
STEP 5: Let's shape the mushroom caps and stems.
Mushroom caps: Roll the cocoa piece into a ball. Take a wooden spoon with a smaller handle diameter. Carefully make an indent in the ball with the end of a round wooden spoon handle.
Mushroom stems: Also, roll the white piece into a ball and form it gently into a cylindrical shape. Pull the top part into a point. Slightly flatten the bottom to make the mushroom stand up.
Lastly, put the stem, pointy side up, into the hole in the mushroom cap and press slightly.
TIP: Let the almond mushrooms dry, covered with a paper towel, until the next day.
➜ How to store no bake almond mushrooms
Get an airtight box (plastic, metal) ready and line it with paper towels. Place the finished cookies carefully in the box and seal it. Store at room temperature.
You can also keep the marzipan mushrooms in a paper box. The box made from paper is breathable, so expect the cookies to dry out day by day.
➜ Useful tips
- If you only have skinned almonds, boil them briefly in water and then cool. The skin is then easily peeled off the almonds by simply wiping them with a cloth. This process is called blanching.
- Can almond flour be used instead of almonds? Honestly, I have no experience. Almond flours tend to be defatted, so I would be worried that marzipan made with almond flour would be drier and tend to crumble.
- How long before Christmas to make marzipan mushrooms? These are no-bake sweets that also contain egg white. Ideally, make the cookies less than a week before Christmas.
More Czech Christmas cookies:
- Pernicky gingerbread cookies
- Vanilla crescents – vanilkove rohlicky
- Linzer cookies – linecke cukrovi
Or browse the category with all Christmas cookies
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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No Bake Mushroom Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 cup blanched almonds
- 1 ⅔ cups powdered sugar
- 1 egg white
- 1 ½ Tablespoons cocoa powder unsweetened
Instructions
- Finely grind 1 cup blanched almonds using a rotary hand grater.
- Put the ground almonds in a large bowl and add 1 egg white and 1 ⅔ cups powdered sugar. First, mix with a fork, then work by hand until you have a soft and slightly sticky cookie dough.
- Divide the dough into two halves. Work 1 ½ Tablespoons cocoa powder into one half, which may require some patience. Your hands will get covered with cocoa powder, but you can easily wash them under warm water afterward.
- Roll both doughs into long, equally thick cylinders. Place them side by side, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between them.
- Using a dough scraper or knife, cut the cylinders into equal-sized pieces, slicing both halves at the same time to ensure you get the same number of white and cocoa bits.
- Mushroom caps: Roll the cocoa piece into a ball. Using the end of a wooden spoon with a smaller handle diameter, carefully make an indent in the center of the ball.
- Mushroom stems: Roll the white piece into a ball and gently shape it into a cylinder. Pull the top part into a point and slightly flatten the bottom to make the mushroom stand upright.
- Lastly, insert the stem, pointy side up, into the hole in the mushroom cap and press gently to secure it.
Notes
- The basic recipe makes about 20 mushroom cookies.
- Let the finished almond mushrooms dry, covered with a paper towel, until the next day.
- STORAGE: Prepare an airtight container, either plastic or metal, and line it with paper towels. Carefully place the finished cookies in the box, seal it, and store at room temperature.
- How long before Christmas to make marzipan mushrooms? These are no-bake sweets that also contain egg white. Ideally, make the cookies less than a week before Christmas.
Jay says
Petra,
Your website is wonderful! I somehow gave up hope till today on Dec. 15, 2024 I found your Czech cookie recipes. Because of you, this tradition will be kept alive in my Canadian household. Several years ago his parents passed and their recipes went with them. His parents were good bakers and made these cookies and didn't leave them in English for him. Would you happen to have a Czech recipe for apple walnut strudel, as his father was the pro on that treat. Blessings, from Muskoka, Ontario