Marzipan is a sweet confection made with ground almonds, egg whites, and cream of tartar. It can be eaten on its own, dipped in chocolate, or molded into shapes. The key is to heat the ingredients to the correct temperature and work quickly. Color can be added for molded decorations using heat-resistant candy molds.
Marzipan is a confection made with a combination of ground almonds, egg whites, and cream of tartar that is sweetened with granulated sugar. The most important tip for making marzipan is to heat the cooked ingredients to the specified temperature, as cooking this treat is a bit of a science. Reasons for making marzipan include eating it on its own as a dessert, using it to dip into chocolate to form a candy, or molding it into shapes that might decorate a larger dessert. The preparation steps vary according to how they will be used.
The essential cooking step in making marzipan is when sugar is combined with water and cream of tartar in a pan and boiled. A candy thermometer should be used to keep an eye on the temperature until it reaches 240° Fahrenheit (about 116° Celsius) and achieves a soft, gooey texture. Overheating the mixture will create a hardened caramel texture that can be removed by adding more water and sugar, then returning to heat to soften.
It’s important to work quickly when making the marzipan once you’ve created the soft caramel. The hot skillet should be placed in a cool sink of water and the ground almonds and egg whites stirred until fully combined. Heat is again applied for a couple of minutes, while a clean cutting board is sprinkled with powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Hot marzipan can be scooped into that surface if it’s eaten plain or left to sit so it can be dipped into melted chocolate.
The recipe for making marzipan for molded decorations can be modified to include colour. A few drops of food coloring can be added after the ground almond is added. Marzipan may require extra dye, however, due to its beige base color, so make sure you have enough dye on hand to achieve your desired hue.
Heat resistant candy molds that feature many small wells with shapes like flowers or letters can be used when making marzipan. The heated marzipan should be scooped directly into a mold that has been lightly sprinkled with icing sugar, being careful to keep the candy within the wells. Placing the mold in the fridge or freezer will speed up the marzipan setting process and allow you to use it as a decoration sooner. The marzipan pieces can be popped out of the mold by turning it over and pressing or tapping firmly on the bottom.
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