How To Make Marzipan
The Almond Trees Blossom In Late January in Torrox, Andalucia, Spain.
First Sign of Spring in Andalucia
Living in the mountainous country side in Andalucia - the first sign of spring is the beautiful, magical white and pink flowers when the almond trees bloom in late January.
The almond tree can do a lot more than just look pretty: it produces almonds...and almonds are the main ingredients in raw marzipan.
Since the beginning of this Millennium I have had the pleasure of making marzipan from scratch every Christmas.
If you follow my step by step guide on how to make homemade marzipan, I hope you will feel the same pleasure, and you will most likely be very popular with your family and friends.
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Making Marzipan from Scratch
If you are as lucky as I am to live in an almond growing climate, you can do the whole process from picking the almonds off the tree to the finished homemade marzipan. (I will tell you every step of the Almond preparing process in another Hub).
If you are not that lucky...you will just have to buy almonds.
However right now: Lets focus on making marzipan!
This is all you need
- 400 gr raw, skinned sweet almonds
- 20 gr raw bitter almond (You can leave them out as they do contain cyanide...but they also add the authentic flavour of marzipan)
- 140 gr Sugar
- Water (just enough to cover the sugar in a pot)
1. If your almonds aren't already skinned, pour some boiling water over them and let them soak for 5 minutes. The skin should then be easy to just squeeze off between your thumb and your forefinger. Let them dry on a tea towel for 3 - 4 hours.
2. Blend the almonds in a blender or a food processor until they are almost as fine as flour.
3. Bring granulated sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, and let it boil, stirring continuously, until it has the consistency of syrup.
4. Drop a teaspoon with a little bit of the sugar mass into a glass of cold water ... if the droplets harden like caramel ... the sugar mass is finished. Remove from the heat ... turn down, but not off.
5. Add the blended almonds and stir around. Add more water if the marzipan doesn't stick together.
6. Put the saucepan over low heat again, and dry the marzipan for a few minutes while stirring.
7. Put the marzipan in a bowl, and let it rest covered in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 hours.
8. If the marzipan is too sticky to work with knead with a little icing sugar.
This Is What Your Raw Marzipan Should Look Like
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What Can Almonds Do For You?
- A is for Almonds: Diabetes Self-Management
Eating almonds has been linked with lowering blood cholesterol levels. A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition back in 2003 showed that 25 men and women with normal or mildly high LDL (bad) cholesterol levels who ate a high - Marzipan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal. It derives its characteristic flavor from bitter almonds, which constitute 4% to 6% of the total almond content by weight[citation needed]. Some marzipan is also flavored with r - Raw Almond Statement
The McAfee Farms and Organic Pastures Dairy position on the pasteurization of almonds Raw organic almonds have never been associated with a documented case of illness at any time in man's recorded history that we are aware of. Organic raw almonds are - The Almond Doctor
Almond trees are susceptible to bloom and foliar diseases when it rains at bloom, and the decision of when to spray and what fungicides to use can be quite difficult. In the San Joaquin Valley we are usually in a low precipitation region and we canno - What the "California Almond Board" does NOT tell you
What the "California Almond Board" does NOT tell you is that the the techniques they use to make the almonds "safe" destroys any nutritional value that the almond has.
Making Marzipan for Stuffed Dates Recipe
Comments
I am so lucky I have recieved a load of sweet Spanish almonds, so now I will have a go at making marzipan. But I live in Denmark where you can't get bitter almonds - I do have some bitter almond oil though, I bougth in Germany, do you think I can use that?
I wish you luck!
Thank you! I shall now be an Italo/scott in Spain trying the recipe!
thanx
I always wondered how marzipan was made... thanks for a great hub!
Hi Izzy.
Hope you enjoy your marzipan making. I will keep my fingers crossed for your food processor!
This is great! I've got a big carrier bag full of almonds that I didn't know what to do with, apart from eating the odd one raw. I'm going to try this, thanks!
(Well, I will if the electrician across the road can fix my food processor!)
Hi Jean
You are partly right: you use granulated sugar when you boil sugar & water...but if the finished marzipan is too sticky to work with - knead with a little icing sugar.
I shall go and edit it...so it is absolutely clear how to do it. Thanks!
I thought that one uses granulated sugar, not powdered sugar. Cfr. Madjhaelp.dk.
I was so happy to find this as I have a special recipe for an Easter cake and I wanted real marzipan for it so finding this information was just in time.
Thanks
A Dane in Spain 6 weeks ago
Hi Kathe
I have never used the oil myself, but I know that Bitter Almond Oil is used as a food flavoring. However it is also a poison, so be careful. Read more about Bitter Almond Oil here:
http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/almo
All the best and enjoy your marcipan with or without the oil.