Marzipan Hearts with Raspberry

Ingredients

• 250 g flour
• 125 g powdered sugar
• 0.5 untreated lemon (grated zest)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 egg
• 150 g cold butter
• flour (for working)
• 75 ml milk
• 250 g marzipan raw mass
• 30 ml raspberry liqueur
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• raspberry syrup
• 50 g dark chocolate couverture
• 50 g chopped pistachios

Instructions

1. 1.

   Gather the flour, powdered sugar, lemon zest and vanilla essence on a work surface. Place the egg in the center and distribute the finely cut butter around it. Cut through everything with a knife, then knead by hand into a firm dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for about 30 minutes.

2. 2.

   Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

3. 3.

   Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 3-4 mm. Cut out hearts and place them on the tray. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until light yellow.

4. 4.

   Carefully transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack and let them cool.

5. 5.

   For the filling, heat the milk over low heat and remove from the flame. Crumble the marzipan into the milk and stir until the mixture is creamy. Let it cool, then mix in the raspberry liqueur and fill a piping bag with a smooth tip. Pipe the cream onto half of the hearts and top each with another cookie.

6. 6.

   For decoration, whisk powdered sugar with lemon juice and a small splash of raspberry syrup to make a thick glaze. Brush the cookies with this glaze and let it dry. While that dries, melt the chocolate in a double boiler and use a spoon or piping bag to draw fine lines over the pastries. Sprinkle pistachios on top and allow to set.