Chocolate Glazed Spritzgebäck

Ingredients

• 200 g soft butter
• 200 g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 0.5 vanilla bean (pulp)
• 350 g flour
• 150 g finely ground almonds
• 250 g marzipan base
• 50 g powdered sugar
• 4 tbsp rum (or alcohol-free rum)
• 200 g dark chocolate couverture (70% cocoa content)

Instructions

1. 1.

   Beat the butter until fluffy. Gradually stir in the sugar, then add the eggs one at a time while continuing to beat well. Add the vanilla pulp. Mix the flour with the almonds and fold into the batter; knead briefly. Chill for half an hour.

2. 2.

   Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) with top and bottom heat. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. 3.

   Fill a pastry bag fitted with a star tip with dough and pipe evenly sized sticks or hearts onto the sheet. Work quickly. Bake in the preheated oven 5–8 minutes, until pale yellow. Cool on a rack.

4. 4.

   Knead the marzipan base with powdered sugar; gently warm it in a small pot and stir in rum. Brush half of the cooled cookies with this mixture and assemble with the other half.

5. 5.

   Chop the chocolate couverture and melt it over a bain‑marié. Dip half of the cookies into the chocolate, then cool on a rack until set.