How to Make Marzipan By Maureen Cox

Marzipan is a delicious candy paste that is comprised of nutmeats (usually almonds) or seeds. Although the recipe is simple, many people are intimidated by its reputation as a “gourmet” European confection. In fact, marzipan is very straightforward to create, and is an extremely flexible food medium to work with. It can be used on its own as a candy, or as part of a more complex pastry project. Easy to make, fun to work with, scrumptious to taste – What’s not to love about marzipan?

The Basic Recipe: 1 lb. blanched slivered almonds 1 lb. powdered sugar (4 cups) ¼ cup liquid ½ tsp. almond extract (optional)

Equipment: Blender or Food processor Two bowls- One large, one medium One large spoon Stand mixer (preferably with a dough hook) Plastic wrap (optional) One large plastic container

Step One: Using a blender or food processor, grind small batches of almonds to a very fine powder. After grinding each batch, work it through your fingers - if it feels overly “grainy”, regrind until smooth. Once you are through processing them, put them in a large bowl.

Caution: Do not insert any objects, such as wooden spoons, spatulas, or your hands into the blender/food processor while it is running. Otherwise, you will not have proper marzipan!

Step Two: Add the powdered sugar and mix the two together thoroughly.

Step Three: You may add small amounts of the liquid of your choice. A few options to try: rose water, orange flower water, orange juice, or Amaretto. A minor caution: Be careful not to add too much liquid or the batch will get soggy and the resulting marzipan will be too sticky to satisfactorily work with. If you do add too much liquid, compensate with more almond meal.

Step Four: While some may choose to use a mixer to thoroughly blend the ingredients, it is usually better to do it by hand. The initial stirring can be done with a spoon or spatula, then move on to kneading it. Even though many recipes do not call for a “resting” time for marzipan, it is better to have it “cool down” before modeling with it. The heat from working the marzipan with your hands or the mixer makes it slightly greasy to work with.

Step Five: When done, the texture should be smooth, similar to “Play-Doh” ™. Marzipan is a very versatile as well as beguiling medium for food presentation. It can add atmosphere and sophistication to your entertaining, and is easy to do. Creativity and experimentation are the keys to success with marzipan.