Bethmännchen (German for "a little Bethmann") is a pastry made from marzipan with almond, powdered sugar, rosewater, flour and egg.

It is a traditional cookie usually baked for Christmas Day and is widely available in chocolate shops around Frankfurt.

[5] Legend has it that Parisian pastry chef Jean Jacques Gautenier developed the recipe for banker and city councilor Simon Moritz von Bethmann in 1838.

[6] Originally the Bethmännchen were decorated with four almonds, one for each son of Simon Moritz.

After the death of his son Heinrich in 1845, the fourth almond was removed.