Marzipan(see photo) - a European old and very tasty dessert that you can not only enjoy, but also use to decorate cakes.

Notes from the history of the origin of marzipan do not indicate exactly where the product was first made. Scientists believe that France, and Germany, and Italy or Hungary can be its homeland. According to the first legend, in ancient times, when famine reigned on the earth, people made bread from ground almonds, since this was the only product that was used for bakery products. As for the second source, it says that marzipan was an effective drug against a disorder of the nervous system.

In the confectionery industry, there are three types of marzipan:

• white (used as a decoration for confectionery);
• yellow, or, in other words, almond icing (obtained by coloring white marzipan yellow and used to fill fruit cakes);
• raw (used only for glazing sweet pastries).

The main ways of preparing such a product are considered:

• hot (sugar syrup is used, which is poured into the crushed nut mixture);
• cold with or without eggs (this method involves grinding all the ingredients that are necessary for cooking).

Compound

The main composition of marzipan includes only two ingredients: powdered sugar (can be replaced with sugar syrup) and ground almonds (bitter and sweet). Additional products may be: eggs, food colors and flavors. Some manufacturers use almond liquor, oil, or essence instead of bitter almonds.

Such a flour product is quite high-calorie, therefore, in order not to gain extra pounds, you need to eat it in moderation.

Benefit and harm

Marzipan is not of particular benefit, but since it contains vitamin E, its use helps to reduce stress and normalize the functioning of the nervous system.

The only contraindication to the use of the product is an allergy to one of its constituent products.

Also, people who are prone to obesity should not get involved in it, since marzipan is considered a high-calorie product, which means it can lead to unwanted weight gain.

Production technology

The marzipan production technology is such that raw almonds are first sieved using special equipment. Then they immerse it in boiling water for five minutes so that the husk from the nut leaves better. Next, the almonds are loaded into a blancher to remove the skin. After it is rinsed with water and put on a conveyor to check for spoiled grains or incompletely skinned.

Some manufacturers use drying for almonds, while others do not. But regardless of this, the next step is the grinding of almonds, which are then mixed with sugar and glucose. The finished paste is placed in a kneading machine with heat treatment.

After that, the paste is laid out on molding tables for complete cooling, and then it is kneaded again by adding invert sugar. Next, bars are formed from the resulting dough.

Difference between marzipan and mastic

The difference between marzipan and mastic is quite significant. It lies in the fact that mastic is prepared exclusively from powdered sugar, and gelatin, marzipan, marshmallow, condensed milk or starch can be additional ingredients. It is also more elastic and does not tear when fitting and decorating cakes; it is easy to make a variety of beautiful figures and complex inscriptions from it.

Marzipan, on the other hand, is made only from ground almonds and powdered sugar or syrup (depending on the method of preparation). The only drawback is that it can crumble and tear when decorating confectionery. But, unlike mastic, marzipan is more in demand in cooking, since it is used to create sweet pastries, liquors, sweets, and various simple colored figures are molded from it. In addition, marzipan has a richer aroma and taste than mastic.

These two products can also be combined with each other. To do this, it is enough to put marzipan on the cake, and cover it with mastic on top, then the surface of the dessert will look more even.

What can be made from marzipan?

What can be prepared from marzipan? The answer is simple - anything and whatever your imagination is enough for. To date, there are a lot of recipes with marzipan.

From it you can make very sweet sweets, dragees, which can be poured on top with sugar or chocolate icing.

Marzipan in the form of a variety of colored figures (fruits, flowers) is used to decorate cakes.

It can serve as a filling for cookies, cakes, rolls, buns.

Instead of almond filling, pine nuts, peanuts, orange, coconut, marshmallows, strawberries, honey are put in marzipan. You can also make a cake "Potato" with the addition of marzipan or ice cream.

In shops you can find tea and coffee with marzipan.

Making marzipan at home

Making marzipan at home is not very laborious and does not take much time. All you need to create it is almonds, sugar, powder and almond essence.

To prepare marzipan, you need to wash one glass of peeled almonds well and fry in a pan without adding oil for about fifteen minutes, stirring constantly. Grind the roasted nuts in a blender to a powder state.

Then you need to pour about fifty milliliters of water into a small container and pour about two hundred grams of sugar. Boil and boil until the sugar disappears and the syrup becomes very thick. Two minutes before readiness, pour ground almonds into the syrup and stir well. Add two drops of almond essence there, mix and put the marzipan to cool on a flat surface, covered with cling film.

As soon as the product has cooled, transfer it to a table sprinkled with powdered sugar and give it the desired shape and size.

Ready marzipan is best stored in a bag, putting it in the refrigerator or putting it in the freezer. Marzipan should be thawed at room temperature. The shelf life of the product is six months if it is kept in the conditions required for it.

Below is a video about what marzipan is and how it is useful.

Today we will talk with you about unusual sweets. Although this delicacy is widespread throughout the world, many still do not know what marzipan is. What's this? Where did this name come from? Is it possible to make sweets at home? Is this product good for human health? We will talk about all this further.

Marzipan. What is it, the history of the delicacy

Marzipan is quite widely known in the confectionery business. In Europe, in general, it is considered one of the most delicious delicacies. However, marzipans are very expensive, as the best almonds are taken for its preparation.

This delicacy is translated from German as “March bread”. It consists of powdered sugar and ground almonds to a powdery state. All this is turned into a paste, from which you can make various figures, sweets, flowers, various decor elements for cakes.

In European capitals, there are entire museums dedicated to this delicacy. There you can find whole sculptures, and even all kinds of models of buildings.

In the old days, marzipan delicacies were given to emperors and kings. Today in Europe, the tradition of giving marzipan figurines on Valentine's Day and Christmas is popular.

If we talk about its origin, then it is not known exactly who and when invented this delicacy. There are several stories about this.

According to the first of them, marzipan was invented in Italy, when the entire crop died, with the exception of almonds. At this time, they learned how to make flour from almonds, and already from it they prepared almond pizza, almond bread, pasta with almond sauce, sweet marzipans.

According to the second version, this is a delicacy from Spain, namely from the highlands of Navas de Tolosa. Here is the next story. During the battle against the Moors (1212), although the victory turned out to be for Spain, a lot of men died.

It became difficult to cultivate the land. But the find turned out to be almonds and sugar, which was among the spoils of war. So in the monastery of San Clemente, the monks ground almonds and sugar, thereby preparing marzipan.

There is a third version, according to which marzipan comes from the Ottoman Empire. Some claim that it was popular there as early as 800. When the Arabs decided to conquer the lands, the spread of marzipan began.

As you can see, the appearance of delicacy everywhere is associated with the war or hostilities, but which version is more reliable is still unknown.

What is in real marzipan

In principle, the composition of marzipan has retained its traditional character to this day. For the preparation of confectionery sweets, only high quality almonds should be taken, the content of which should be at least 33%.

But, like any dish, marzipan has undergone changes with age. Now in its composition you can find pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, pineapples, oranges, rum, liquor, egg yolk. But only the proportions of almonds and sugar must be respected.

To date, Germany is considered the best producer of marzipan. It is in the city of Lübeck that the best confectioners live, who keep their secret of this delicacy in secret. There is an opinion that their secret is the addition of one bitter almond to a hundred sweet ones.

How to cook marzipan?

You can also prepare this delicacy at home. Following the technology, you will get marzipans no worse than in the famous factories for its manufacture. In addition, cooking it with love, your family will definitely feel it.

Combine water and sugar in a saucepan, put it on fire and bring to a boil. They should boil for thirty seconds. The end result should be a syrup.

Almonds should be ground in a coffee grinder until a dusty substance is obtained. Combine ground almonds and powdered sugar, mix everything with a mixer at medium speed.

Without turning off the mixer, add the resulting syrup to the almonds and powder. It must be poured hot. Stir a little more.

Now you should wait until the paste cools down a bit. After that, knead it well with your hands. The result should be a “smooth plasticine”.

In this state, it can be cut into pieces or sculpted into figures and decor as decorations, painted with food coloring.

• Tips and tricks, thanks to which you can cook the most delicious marzipan:
• The main rule is that at least 33% of almonds should be contained in the sweet mass.
• While sculpting, sprinkle the marzipan with granulated sugar, so it will not stick to your hands.
• If you need to color the marzipan, use only food coloring.
• The shelf life of marzipan is 1 month, but provided that it is refrigerated and tightly wrapped in cellophane. If eggs are used in the recipe, then it is advisable to eat such sweets as quickly as possible.
• It is best to fasten the individual elements of the figures with egg white, which is an excellent food glue.
• If the sweet mass is too soft, add a little powdered sugar to it and mix well.

The benefits and harms of marzipan

The fact that marzipan contains almonds makes it very useful. This is also because this delicacy is not amenable to heat treatment, so all the beneficial substances of almonds are not lost.

What is useful in it? This is the content of a series of vitamin B, vitamin E, which are very necessary for the body. Also, the sugar found in marzipan produces serotonin (the hormone of joy).

Thanks to these properties, this delicacy was once used to treat depression, nervous breakdowns, and apathy.

The positive impact can be summarized:

• strengthens the myocardium;
• blood vessels are cleansed, their walls are strengthened;
• excess cholesterol is removed;
• the liver works better;
• joints are strengthened;
• the body is protected from bacteria and viruses.

The harm of this confectionery product is the same as that of all the others. With excessive use, deterioration of the condition of the teeth, metabolic disorders. The presence of sugar imposes a restriction on their use by patients with diabetes.

But in general, this is a very useful and tasty confectionery product. In moderation, you can enjoy it in moderation.

How? You haven't read yet:

Figurines and other sweets made of multi-colored flexible material often decorate confectionery. But when they see the original cakes, sweets made at home, many people ask the question, but marzipan - what is it? The product that came to us from Europe is a mixture of nuts and sugar. The delicacy easily changes shape without gluing additives, so it is often used to create desserts.

What is marzipan

A flexible mass of milky or light yellow color with a pronounced smell of almonds - marzipan. This product is actively used by confectioners. Translated from the German name marzipan is "March bread". The delicacy is made from grated sweet and bitter almonds, powdered sugar or syrup. Natural dyes are used to give different colors. On the basis of the marzipan product, various figurines and coverings for cakes, sweets, buns, fillings for various confectionery products are made.

The delicacy has a long history, there are several versions about the invention of marzipan. By Christmas, in newspaper materials, you can find a story about the city of Lübeck, where they were saved from starvation by the production of bread from almond stocks. But this version is also used in Florence, Turin, Koenigsberg - wherever marzipan is produced. In Spain, sweets were made in the 8th century. You will not find the same taste of this delicacy in any city. Somewhere lemon zest is added to the mixture, somewhere pine nuts. Museums of marzipan have been created in many countries.

Benefit and harm

Culinary delicacy has useful properties. Like almond kernels, marzipan contains vitamin E. It is a strong antioxidant, helps fight stress, protects body cells from harmful environmental influences. But the use of this product in large quantities can cause significant harm to the figure, it contains a large amount of carbohydrates and fats. Marzipan mass can cause rashes, as nuts cause one of the most persistent allergies.

What are they made of

Although this product is considered very popular, not everyone is familiar with what marzipan is made of. The classic recipe for confectionery sweets indicates that high quality almonds, powdered sugar or syrup must be taken to prepare the dish. The walnut content must be at least 33%. Now there are a large number of modified marzipan recipes that include citrus fruits, eggs, peanuts, liqueurs. To create an elastic mixture, it is necessary to strictly adhere to the proportions of sugar and almonds.

How to make marzipan at home

Housewives often make marzipan at home. This is a simple process, the main thing is to strictly follow the instructions for cooking. The mass dries quickly, so after cooking, immediately wrap the marzipan with cling film or a damp cloth. The recipes use almond essence, if you want to get a pronounced taste, add a few bitter nut kernels or almond liquor to the composition.

Candy

If you decide to treat your children to a healthy dessert, prepare marzipan sweets. Due to the elasticity of the mass, it is easy to make peculiar sweets of various shapes, and, if desired, of different colors. For the best taste, add 1 bitter nut for every 20-50 sweet almond kernels. On the Internet, you can find photos with ideas for making marzipan sweets. Experiment with toppings, add chocolate, pieces of fruit, coconut flakes. You can come up with your own unique gourmet delicacy.

marzipan cake

Marzipan is often used to make cakes. A thin layer of mass covers the entire confectionery product. This is easy to do, and after a short workout, every housewife will be able to decorate her own pastries. Marzipan figurines of animals, people, figures are also used to decorate cakes. The material allows the limitless imagination of the culinary specialist to open up, and modeling brings real pleasure.

marzipan color

The natural color of marzipan is close to light yellow, but bright sweets and cakes flaunt on store shelves. The paint used for marzipan - what is it? Dry and helium food colors are used, they are made from the pomace of vegetables and fruits. To give marzipan a red, burgundy color, food colors from beets, pomegranate are added, for yellow - from turmeric, saffron, etc. To prepare paints at home, the product of the required color is taken and boiled in a small amount of water. For a permanent color, add citric acid to the tip of a knife.

marzipan recipe

• Cooking time: 90 minutes.
• Servings: 4 persons.
• Calorie content of the dish: 1000 kcal.
• Purpose: for dessert.
• Cuisine: European.
• Difficulty of preparation: medium.

If you do not know how to cook marzipan quickly and correctly, read this recipe. Making delicious treats at home is easy. Useful sweetness will please not only children, but also adults. The product keeps in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks, so it can be done infrequently, but in large quantities. The authors describe the cooking method step by step, so even inexperienced housewives will cope with the preparation of this dish.

Ingredients

• almonds - 1 cup;
• sugar - 1 tablespoon;
• water - 150 ml;
• almond essence - 3 drops.

Cooking method

1. To prepare a sweet mixture, place unpeeled almonds in boiling water for 2 minutes.
2. Drain the water and let the nuts cool.
3. Peel the almonds by pressing hard on the kernel with your thumb and forefinger.
4. Dry the nuts in a pan, stirring constantly. Almonds should not be toasted.
5. Grind the nuts to a puree.
6. Pour sugar with water, put on medium heat and constantly stirring, bring to a boil. After that, stop stirring, cook, shaking the pan. The syrup should thicken to the point where it can be rolled into a ball.
7. Pour the nut mixture into the thick sugar syrup, cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes. Add almond essence and cook for 1 more minute.
8. It is necessary to put the mass on the work surface, cut the marzipan into pieces of the desired size.

cold method

The cold method is used to make marzipan. The technology is based on mixing ground ingredients, and a crystalline sweetener replaces the addition of powdered sugar. If the amount of oil in the almonds is not enough to give the consistency of plasticine, these nuts are of poor quality. Adding an egg to almond flour will help the dough, but the shelf life of sweet dough will be significantly reduced.

hot method

It is known about marzipan - that this dish turns out to be even more elastic if it is cooked using a warm method. To prepare the mass, sugar hot syrup is used. It is well boiled and made thick in consistency. Immediately after removing the liquid from the heat, the syrup is added to the mixture of pre-chopped almonds. After adding the sweet element, the mass is thoroughly kneaded like dough. The quality of the kneading affects the ability of the marzipan to keep its shape.

Making marzipan requires some skill. In order for your delicacy to be soft, elastic, adhere to the following rules:

1. Marzipan should be stored in cling film, otherwise it will dry out.
2. If the mass turned out to be liquid, add a little powdered sugar mixture. If it turns out tough, stir in the beaten protein.
3. Apply paint to ready-made marzipan figures.
4. In the process of covering the cake with mastic, we roll out the mass with a margin so that it lies under its own weight without forming wrinkles, as in the photo of professional bakers.
5. It is better not to cover the products with glaze, this will help preserve the taste of true marzipan.
6. To make the mastic coating shine, grease it with a solution of vodka and honey in a 1: 1 ratio.

Video

Do you want to visit Europe without leaving your home? Easy! Prepare “Marzipan” at home and a window to Europe will open for you.

Marzipan is a surprisingly tasty sweet from Europe. It is based on floured almonds and sugar syrup. We will make not just tasty, but incredibly healthy analogue of store-bought marzipan - homemade marzipan without sugar, and even (by cold method)!

Yes, almonds are not a simple nut, but “golden” in every sense. The upcoming holidays are just the occasion to try this wonderful dessert. Treat yourself and loved ones with this magical sweetness!

Compound:

• 250 g almond flour
• 100 g honey
• 2 teaspoons ground bitter almonds (optional)

I used to make raw almond flour myself. I will say right away that the process is quite laborious, but it turns out cheaper. Since our family has grown, time is worth its weight in gold. Therefore, I buy ready-made flour of very good quality for marzipans. Yes, it's a little more expensive, but it saves a lot of time.

So, if you have almond flour, then just measure the right amount. If not, I'll tell you how to cook it.

How to make homemade almond flour for marzipans

Hooray! 2/3 of the way already covered

How to cook marzipan - recipe with photo

1. We measure out the almond flour.

   

   Almond flour

2. We will use honey instead of sugar. Add it to flour.

   I advise you to take honey that is not fragrant in order to preserve the taste and aroma of almonds as much as possible and get real marzipan. I always use flower honey and it works great. For example, linden or buckwheat can drown out almonds.

   

   Adding honey

3. Add bitter almond flour.

   Thanks to this dish, I discovered bitter almonds. It must be, and it happens! This is an optional ingredient, but it is what gives this unique flavor to marzipan. I cooked with it and without it - the difference is felt. With it, this dessert definitely wins!

   Bitter almonds are very concentrated and, most importantly, do not shift them. 2 tsp was enough for me. grains ground into flour.

   

   Put bitter almonds

4. Transfer the mixture to a blender.

   

   Put everything in a blender

5. Again, we gain time and patience and turn on the blender. We bring the mixture to a homogeneous consistency. The mass will begin to be taken in lumps, here it is the treasured window to Europe.

   

   Blend until smooth

6. The finished marzipan mass turns out to have a pasty consistency, like plasticine, only edible. We collect it in one big bun.

   

   marzipan mass

7. Basically, this is the basic marzipan recipe. You can stop there. It will be sooo delicious! But if you have molds for or in the form of figures, then spread the marzipan mass into molds.

   Here are the roses I have:

   

   

   Lay out in molds

   From the initial amount of ingredients, I got 17 medium-sized roses (20 g each). If desired, you can dip the sweets in chocolate, put different fillings inside.

8. We send homemade marzipan to the refrigerator for 12 hours to solidify.
9. When the sweets are frozen, take them out of the molds and try.



Mmm… how delicious! Eat and Eat!



Bon Appetit!

Nastya Bordeyanu recipe author

Step 1: prepare the nuts.

Turn on the stove to a medium level, put a pan on it, half filled with ordinary running water, and bring the liquid to a boil. Then dip the right amount of raw almonds into boiling water and cook it for 1 - 2 minutes. Then throw off the steamed nuts in a colander, wait until all the water has drained, and transfer the almonds to a deep plate. When the nuts are cool, remove the skins from them. Then throw the nuts back into a colander and rinse under running water. After lay them on a baking sheet, previously covered with parchment paper, and let dry, this process will take you about 10 minutes.
Then put the pan on the stove and turn it on to the highest temperature. Dip the semi-dry nuts into a hot frying pan and dry them for 2 - 3 minutes constantly stirring the almonds with a kitchen spatula. Make sure the nuts do not burn or darken, just dry them out, you do not need roasted almonds, this can turn your marzipan brown, which is very undesirable for this product.
Then, helping yourself with a tablespoon, place the nuts in a clean and dry blender bowl. Grind the almonds until crumbly, turning on the blender at the highest speed.

Step 2: Prepare sugar syrup.

Put the sugar in a saucepan and fill it with the right amount of clean distilled water. Then put the saucepan on the stove, turned on at a medium level, and bring the mass to a boil. You want a sugar syrup that is thick in consistency.
So turn the stove down to the lowest level and let the syrup boil down while constantly stirring it with a wooden kitchen spatula. The syrup will be ready when it will be possible to roll a ball out of its droplet, it will take about 10 - 12 minutes, depending on the cooking temperature and the equipment you use. Set aside the finished syrup from the stove and let it brew. 1 - 2 minutes.

Step 3: combine the ingredients and bring the marzipan to readiness.

Add 150 grams of powdered sugar to the bowl of a blender with chopped nuts and mix them until smooth for 1 - 2 minutes by turning on the blender at medium speed.
Then, using a tablespoon, add sugar syrup to the dry mass. Stir the ingredients again at medium speed until smooth, 2 - 3 minutes will be quite enough. Then transfer the resulting liquid mass into a deep bowl.
Gradually, in parts, add the remaining sifted powdered sugar into it, using a glass, without ceasing to knead the marzipan with a tablespoon. Stir the mass thoroughly with a spoon so that lumps of powdered sugar or downed sugar syrup do not form in it. When the mass becomes difficult to mix with a spoon, transfer it to the kitchen table, sprinkled with a small amount of powdered sugar, and continue kneading on it.
As soon as the marzipan takes on a medium-density consistency and does not stick to your hands, pinch off a piece from it and try to mold a ball or any other figure, if it is plastic and does not crumble in your hands, then wrap the white sweetness in plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator for 20 - 30 minutes.
Use the finished marzipan for its intended purpose.

Step 4: Step: 4: make figurines from white marzipan.

Take the marzipan out of the fridge and mold any animal figures out of it. Here are some options for marzipan figurines. Cute little rabbit.
Delicate swan.
Serious elephant.
Little mouse.
After that, take food paints, dilute them with a little water and paint your marzipan figurines with any color you like.
You get figures with very delicate colors.

Step 5: make figurines from colored marzipan.

If you want your marzipan figurines to turn out brighter, you need to mix it with a few drops of concentrated food colors of different colors. To do this, divide the marzipan into small portions, add to each of them 2 - 3 drops food coloring of the color you want and mix it with the sugar dough until smooth with a clean hand.
Mix thoroughly so that the dye is absorbed into the marzipan and there are no white layers in the sweet sugar dough.
After you can make any figures out of it, for example a rainbow.
Charming lion cub.
Everyone's favorite Winnie the Pooh.
Donkey Eeyore.
Rose.
Fox, and much more. From colored marzipan, the figures are more saturated, for their preparation you will need a board, and the tools that are used to sculpt from plasticine, and of course a great desire and great imagination. If you have everything you need at your fingertips, enjoy the preparation of delicious delicious and very beautiful sweets.

Step 6: serve marzipan figurines.

Marzipan figurines, like marzipan itself, are stored in the refrigerator and used as needed.
Very often they are used as gifts for young children.
Decorate them with cakes, pastries, desserts. A magnificent miracle that you cook with your own hands will delight your loved ones, and the joint preparation of marzipan figurines will bring unforgettable pleasure and a lot of pleasant minutes to your whole family! Bon Appetit!

- - If the marzipan turned out to be crumbly, then you used too much powdered sugar, in which case it should be diluted with water, simply crumble and mix another 40 - 50 milliliters of pure distilled water into it.

- - Do not introduce all the powdered sugar at the same time, from this your marzipan may become overdried, loose, and brittle, it will be difficult for you to sculpt figures from such marzipan.

- - Sometimes, in order to give marzipan some kind of flavor, rose water, vanilla extract or coconut extract are added to it.