Marzipan is one of those magical confections that seems incredibly fancy and complicated but is actually remarkably simple to make at home with just two main ingredients: almonds and sugar. This smooth, pliable almond paste has been a beloved treat in European baking for centuries, especially during the Christmas season when it’s shaped into fruits, vegetables, and other decorative figures, or used as a luxurious coating for cakes like German stollen or British Christmas cake. The beauty of homemade marzipan is that it tastes infinitely better than the grocery store version, with pure almond flavor that’s sweet but not cloying, and a texture that’s soft and moldable like clay but melts on your tongue. You can shape it into whatever you imagine, from tiny fruits painted with food coloring to simple chocolates dipped in dark chocolate, or use it as a filling in cookies and pastries. Making marzipan is also a wonderful activity to do with children during the holidays because they love molding the shapes and painting them with bright colors. Once you make it from scratch, you’ll never want to buy the packaged stuff again.
Serving Quantity: Makes about 1 pound of marzipan
Cooking Time:
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Processing time: 10 minutes
- Resting time: 30 minutes
- Total time: 55 minutes
Nutrition Information (per ounce):
- Calories: 145
- Total Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
- Sodium: 2mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 17g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sugars: 14g
- Protein: 4g
- Vitamin E: 15% of daily value
- Magnesium: 8% of daily value
- Calcium: 6% of daily value
Ingredients
- 2 cups of blanched almonds (about 10 ounces)
- 2 cups of powdered sugar sifted
- 2 tablespoons of light corn syrup or glucose syrup
- 1 and a half teaspoons of almond extract
- Half teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons of water if needed
- Pinch of salt
- Food coloring for decorating (optional)
- Cocoa powder for flavoring (optional)
- Rose water or orange blossom water for flavoring (optional)
Preparing the Almonds
Blanched almonds are essential for smooth, pale marzipan. Blanched means the brown skins have been removed, leaving just the white nut. You can buy them already blanched, which is easiest, or blanch them yourself by dropping them in boiling water for one minute, draining, and slipping the skins off while they’re still warm. Make sure your almonds are very fresh because rancid almonds will ruin your marzipan. Smell them before using. They should smell sweet and nutty, not bitter or paint-like. Store almonds in the freezer to keep them fresh longer. If your almonds feel at all damp or soft, spread them on a baking sheet and toast them in a 300 degree oven for about 8 minutes to dry them out. Let them cool completely before proceeding.
Grinding the Almonds
Place the blanched almonds in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pulse several times to break them up into smaller pieces. Then process continuously for about 2 to 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times. The almonds will go through several stages. First they’ll be coarsely chopped, then they’ll become fine like cornmeal, then they’ll start clumping together as their natural oils release. Keep processing until the almonds form a paste that clumps together and looks almost wet from the released oils. You want it as fine and smooth as possible. The finer you grind the almonds, the smoother your finished marzipan will be. This step requires patience and a powerful food processor. If your processor is struggling or getting hot, let it rest for a few minutes before continuing.
Adding Sugar and Flavorings
Add the sifted powdered sugar to the ground almonds in the food processor. The sugar must be sifted or it will have lumps that won’t blend out. Add the corn syrup, almond extract, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Process everything together, stopping to scrape down the sides frequently, until the mixture comes together into a ball. This takes about 3 to 5 minutes of processing. The mixture should look cohesive and slightly shiny from the oils and corn syrup. If your mixture is very dry and crumbly and won’t come together, add water one teaspoon at a time while processing until it forms a smooth ball. If it’s too wet and sticky, add more powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time.
Kneading and Smoothing
Turn the marzipan out onto a clean work surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar. The mixture will still look somewhat grainy at this point. Knead it with your hands for about 5 minutes, working it like bread dough. As you knead, the warmth of your hands and the motion will cause the almond oils to distribute more evenly and the mixture will become smoother and more pliable. Keep kneading until the marzipan is smooth, uniform in texture, and no longer feels grainy. It should be soft and moldable like modeling clay but not sticky. If it’s sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. If it’s too stiff, wet your hands slightly and knead the moisture in.
Resting the Marzipan
Shape your marzipan into a thick disc or log. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, pressing the plastic directly against the surface to prevent it from drying out. Let it rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, and several hours is even better. This resting time allows the moisture to distribute evenly throughout and the flavors to meld. The texture will become smoother and more uniform. After resting, the marzipan is ready to use. It can be stored wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and then in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Let refrigerated marzipan come to room temperature before working with it because cold marzipan is stiff and hard to mold.
Shaping Marzipan Fruits
To make the classic marzipan fruits, break off pieces of marzipan and color them with gel food coloring. Knead the coloring into each piece until it’s evenly distributed and the desired shade. For realistic fruits, you’ll need red for apples and strawberries, yellow for bananas and lemons, orange for oranges and peaches, green for pears and limes, and purple for grapes and plums. Roll the colored marzipan between your palms to create the basic shapes. Apples are round with an indentation at the top. Pears are bottom-heavy with a narrower neck. Bananas are curved crescents. Use toothpicks or wooden skewers to add texture. Poke tiny dots all over strawberries. Draw lines on bananas. Add stem indentations to apples and pears.
Adding Realistic Details
Use small pieces of different colors to add details. Tiny pieces of brown marzipan or whole cloves make perfect stems for apples and pears. Green marzipan shaped into little leaves adds realism. For strawberries, press tiny yellow marzipan dots into the red surface for seeds. Paint details using food coloring diluted with a tiny bit of water or clear alcohol like vodka. Use a small paintbrush to add blush to the cheeks of apples and peaches. Paint bananas with brown spots. Add a yellow blush to green pears. Create a shiny finish by brushing the fruits with light corn syrup diluted with a little water. Let your decorated fruits dry on a parchment-lined tray for several hours or overnight until they’re no longer tacky.
Making Marzipan Chocolates
Roll marzipan into small balls about three quarters of an inch in diameter. Let them firm up in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. Melt good quality chocolate in a double boiler or microwave. Dip each marzipan ball into the chocolate using a fork or chocolate dipping tool, letting excess drip off. Place on parchment paper to set. You can dip them completely or just halfway for a two-tone effect. Dark chocolate pairs beautifully with the sweet almond, but milk chocolate is also delicious. Once the chocolate has set, you can drizzle with contrasting chocolate for decoration or dust with cocoa powder.
Flavored Marzipan Variations
The basic recipe can be flavored in countless ways. For chocolate marzipan, knead in 2 to 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder. For coffee marzipan, add 1 tablespoon of instant espresso powder. For orange marzipan, replace the vanilla with orange extract and add finely grated orange zest. For rose marzipan, use rose water instead of some of the extracts. For pistachio marzipan, replace half the almonds with blanched pistachios. The pistachio version has a beautiful pale green color naturally. For cardamom marzipan, add half a teaspoon of ground cardamom for an Indian-inspired treat.
Using Marzipan in Baking
Marzipan is incredibly versatile in baking. Roll it into a thin sheet and use it to cover cakes, especially traditional Christmas fruit cakes. It creates a smooth surface and acts as a moisture barrier before adding fondant or royal icing. Use marzipan as a filling in stollen, the German Christmas bread. Roll it into ropes and twist them into braided loaves. Fill cookies by sandwiching a thin layer of marzipan between two cookies before baking. Make marzipan croissants by wrapping croissant dough around a cylinder of marzipan before baking. Bake it into the center of muffins or quick breads for a sweet almond surprise. Add small chunks to scones for bursts of almond flavor.
Marzipan for Special Occasions
Marzipan is traditional for many holidays and celebrations. For Christmas, shape it into festive figures like snowmen, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and reindeer. For Easter, make eggs and paint them with food coloring in pastel shades. For weddings, create delicate flowers and decorations for cakes. For baby showers, make tiny baby booties and rattles. For birthdays, shape characters from favorite stories or movies. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and sculpting ability. Marzipan is also traditional for Simnel cake, a British Easter cake, and is an essential component of many European Christmas treats.
Storing and Shelf Life
Properly stored marzipan lasts remarkably well because the high sugar content acts as a preservative. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, pressing out all air bubbles. Store in an airtight container at room temperature away from heat and light for up to a month. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 3 months. The cold can dry it out slightly, so wrap it extra well and let it come to room temperature before using. You can freeze marzipan for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature. Shaped and decorated marzipan figures keep for weeks at room temperature if stored in a single layer in an airtight container. They may dry out and become harder over time, which some people actually prefer.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If your marzipan is grainy, your almonds weren’t ground fine enough or you didn’t knead it long enough. Process it again in the food processor or knead it more. If it’s too dry and crumbly, add water or corn syrup a teaspoon at a time and knead it in. If it’s too wet and sticky, knead in more powdered sugar. If it tastes bitter, your almonds were rancid. Start over with fresh nuts. If the color is uneven when you add food coloring, keep kneading. It takes time to distribute evenly. If it’s too stiff to work with, knead in a tiny bit of water or let it rest at room temperature. If it’s cracking when you try to roll or shape it, it’s too dry. Add moisture. If food coloring is staining your hands, wear latex or nitrile gloves when kneading colored marzipan.
Quality Differences
Homemade marzipan is far superior to most commercial versions. It has pure almond flavor without artificial additives or preservatives. The texture is smoother and more refined. You control the sweetness and can adjust it to your taste. Store-bought marzipan often contains additives to extend shelf life and improve workability that can give it an artificial taste. European brands like Odense or Niederegger are better quality than generic supermarket brands if you must buy rather than make. Almond paste and marzipan are not the same thing. Almond paste has a higher ratio of almonds to sugar and is less sweet. It’s meant for baking into things rather than eating as a confection.
Tips for Success
Use the freshest almonds possible. Rancid nuts ruin everything. Blanched almonds are essential. The skins make grainy, dark marzipan. A powerful food processor makes the smoothest marzipan. Weak processors struggle. Process the almonds as fine as humanly possible before adding sugar. Sift your powdered sugar. Lumps won’t disappear no matter how much you process. Corn syrup adds pliability and prevents drying. Don’t skip it. Pure almond extract gives the best flavor. Imitation extract tastes artificial. Start with less water than you think you need. It’s easier to add than remove. Knead thoroughly. This is what creates smooth, uniform texture. Let the marzipan rest. This improves texture and flavor. Work on a surface dusted with powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Keep finished marzipan tightly wrapped. It dries out quickly when exposed to air. Use gel food coloring, not liquid. Liquid thins the marzipan too much. For the most realistic painted details, use a tiny brush and patience. Marzipan is forgiving. If you don’t like a shape, knead it back together and start over. Room temperature marzipan is easiest to work with. Cold is stiff, warm is sticky. Store shaped figures in a single layer so they don’t stick together or deform. Dust your hands with powdered sugar when shaping to prevent sticking. Make extra. It keeps well and you’ll want it on hand. The longer marzipan sits, the better the flavors develop. Try to make it at least a day before using.
