Almond Sweet (Marzipan)

Almond Sweets or marzipan are another favorite at Christmas.  My mother had perfected the art of marzipan and it was one of the sweets that I had difficulty getting to the correct consistency and texture that my mother achieved.  The original recipe was handed down from my paternal grandmother (mama) and my dad's brother Leslie.  My Uncle Leslie took baking and Christmas sweets to a whole new level of perfection.  Turning out marzipan reminds me of my Uncle Leslie and my loving grandmother who have both since passed away.  Cheers to the many happy memories you both still bring to my kitchen.....

This close to Christmas as I turn out marzipan I have to apologize for the lack of photographs to follow in the process.  But to compensate, I have presented my mother's recipe in her beautiful handwriting for anyone who wants to try their hand in making almond sweets.  I have also added a few notes below that might help.  The can of almonds is equivalent to 1 lb of finely crushed almonds.You can substitute an equivalent of ground cashew nuts and add almond essence to add the flavor. Adding only a few drops of essence until the desired flavor is achieved. In addition to my mother's traditional recipe I have added an egg free recipe below to allow vegans to enjoy this delicious must-have Christmas sweet.

Egg-free (vegan) marzipan

1 cup ground almonds or cashews ( if using cashews add about 1/2 teaspoon or more of almond essence as instructed below)
1 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons regular white sugar
food coloring
icing sugar for dusting the work surface or molds

Remove any lumps from the nut powder by running through a sieve. Add the icing sugar and blend well with a whisk. If using cashew nuts than add the almond essence now to the nut mixture.
Separately add the regular sugar to the water and heat on the stove or in the microwave till sugar dissolves.
Add the diluted sugar to the nut mixture a teaspoon at a time and knead the dough till it comes together in a nice smooth dough. Don"t add too much water because as you knead the dough the oils will be released from the nuts to bring the dough together. About 4-5 teaspoons of sugar water are usually all you need for a perfect dough..



Notes:  

• Knead the marzipan well before use.
• Separate the marzipan into pieces and add food coloring, mix well.  Use larger pieces for most used colors.
• You can use a mold to form your pieces, or you can get creative and free-form your items (fruit shapes are most common) in which case you can paint the exterior with food coloring.
• another quick method is to use a good ready-made marzipan and personally shape the sweets. I have found an excellent brand here in Canada that may be available in other countries.  It is made in Germany.