Huesos de Santo Recipe: Traditional Spanish Marzipan Sweet 2026

Huesos de Santo are one of Spain's most iconic sweets, traditionally enjoyed on All Saints' Day. These bone-shaped marzipan cylinders are filled with a silky pastry cream and finished with a simple sugar glaze. Despite their elegant look, they are made from just a handful of pantry staples.

According to one of the most widely accepted theories, this popular sweet originated in Valencia in the 17th century, created by a Benedictine monk to honor the departed saints. Originally made with marzipan and pastry cream filling, today you can find many versions with all kinds of coatings and flavors.

Making Huesos de Santo at home is much easier than it sounds, and the result is nothing like the commercial versions. You will prepare three components: the outer marzipan, the pastry cream filling, and the glaze that coats them. It takes a bit of time, but following this step-by-step recipe will give you wonderful, absolutely delicious results.

Ingredients for Huesos de Santo

This recipe makes about 19 Huesos de Santo.

• 100 g sugar
• 50 ml water
• 125 g ground almond
• 125 g ground almond
• 1 piece lemon peel
• 150 g sugar
• 75 ml water
• 6 egg yolks
• 5 g cornstarch
• 150 g powdered sugar
• 45 ml water

How to Make Huesos de Santo Step by Step

1. Make the Syrup for the Marzipan

To start, put 100 g of sugar, 50 ml of water, and 1 piece of lemon peel in a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it boil for about 2 minutes, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set aside.

2. Combine the Syrup with the Ground Almond

Prepare a bowl with 125 g of ground almond. Remove the lemon peel from the syrup and pour the syrup little by little over the ground almond, stirring it in with a spoon. As soon as you have a workable dough, stop adding syrup.

3. Knead and Chill the Marzipan Dough

Continue kneading the mixture with your hands until you have a smooth, slightly sticky but firm dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 3 hours.

4. Roll Out and Score the Marzipan

After resting, knead the mixture again and roll it out on parchment paper. You should get a sheet about 2 mm thick. Using a skewer, mark the characteristic lines of Huesos de Santo on the dough.

5. Cut the Marzipan into Squares

Cut the marzipan dough into squares about 5 cm per side.

6. Shape and Dry the Marzipan Cylinders

Moisten one edge of each marzipan square with water, roll it around the handle of a round utensil, and press the seam so it stays well closed. Repeat with all the dough squares. Let the marzipan cylinders dry in the air for 2 to 3 hours.

7. Prepare the Pastry Cream Filling

To make the pastry cream filling, mix 150 g of sugar and 75 ml of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and let the syrup cook for about 5 minutes. Then pour it in a thin stream over 6 egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent them from curdling from the heat.

8. Thicken the Pastry Cream

Add 5 g of cornstarch to the yolks and heat the mixture, stirring constantly, until you get a thick cream.

9. Fill the Marzipan Cylinders

Once the marzipan cylinders are dry, transfer the pastry cream to a piping bag with a fine tip and fill the marzipan cylinders. Leave them lying on their sides so the filling does not come out.

10. Make the Glaze

To prepare the glaze that coats the Huesos de Santo, mix 150 g of powdered sugar with about 45 ml of water. Add the water little by little, stirring until you get a mixture fluid enough to dip the sweets easily, but with some body so they are well coated.

11. Glaze the Huesos de Santo

Dip the Huesos de Santo in the glaze, turning to coat them evenly.

12. Let Them Dry and Serve

Once glazed, let them drain on a rack until completely dry. Once dry, you can enjoy this exquisite traditional sweet.

Tips for the Best Huesos de Santo

Perfecting the Marzipan

Add the syrup gradually and stop as soon as the dough comes together; too much liquid will make it sticky and hard to roll. Chilling the dough for a full 3 hours makes it much easier to roll out thinly and shape without cracking.

Getting the Filling Right

Pour the hot syrup into the yolks in a thin stream while whisking constantly so they thicken without scrambling. Keep stirring as you add the cornstarch and cook until the cream is thick enough to hold its shape; let it cool slightly before piping.

Glazing and Drying

Adjust the glaze with water a spoonful at a time until it coats the back of a spoon but still drips smoothly. Let the glazed sweets dry completely on a rack before serving; this sets the coating and gives them their classic crisp, white finish.

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