Mandelhoernchen

I lived in Kitchener for almost 10 years and during that time was a somewhat frequent visitor of the famous Kitchener Market.  In addition to the fabulous meats, cheeses and produce, there were a number of really great bakers, including many German ones, in homage to Kitchener's heritage, of course.  One particular stand I would frequent each week carried these wonderful Almond Horns, which I think I must have eaten as a child in Holland.  The outside was crunchy, the inside chewy, dipped in delicious chocolate,.... mmm!  I haven't had any that even faintly resembled those gems since leaving Kitchener in 2001, believe me, I've tried to find some! 

So, the other day I was checking out some sites on the web and found a blog that had a recipe for Mandelhoernchen - yes, the elusive Almond Horns (thanks for sharing, Gesine).  I was so excited.  I could almost taste them and quickly printed off the recipe and practically ran into the kitchen.  Now, I must admit, my first attempt (with store-bought marzipan) did not pan out, but I wasn't giving up!  So, I made my own marzipan (almonds and sugar), added the rest of the ingredients - basically more almonds and sugar and this time success!  I dipped the ends in chocolate and look at these beauties!  They are every bit as tasty as the "bächer" used to sell me in Kitchener! 

Good news for those of you with food issues - this is one of my recipes that is made without either wheat or dairy.  And a special thank you as always to my dairy-free husband for taking the snapshots.