Marzipan (also known as almond paste) is an almond-based confection that originated in Persia and is now very common in European desserts. Growing up, we used to get the most amazing marzipan at a local family-owned bakery. They sold little marzipan animals, chocolate-covered marzipan sticks, and had several types of cake and tarts that were covered with marzipan and/or decorated with marzipan fruit. And what better way to celebrate launching the new blog than with a recipe for a versatile and decadent Paleo treat!!
Marzipan is so versatile. You can form the marzipan into a loaf and slice wedges or cubes and enjoy it straight. You can dip the slices into melted dark chocolate for an extra decadent treat (if you’re going to do this, I find it easier to freeze your wedges of marzipan before dipping and dip into melted but cooled chocolate). If you want to use this marzipan to make fancy treats or cake decorations, the normal method for molding into shapes is to constantly dust with icing sugar as you shape it like playdough (it gets a little stiffer this way and holds its shape better). Because icing sugar is not Paleo, I suggest using arrowroot powder or a very finely ground pastry sugar (which is typically ground as fine as icing sugar but without the cornstarch added). You can color your finished product by dusting with powdered natural food colorings or spices.
This Paleo version of Marzipan borrows from the traditional French variation. The only special tool you really need is a candy thermometer. A standing mixer is also very useful unless you want an excuse for a really good forearm workout. This is a fun recipe to play with. Different cultures around the world use different nuts and seeds as the base for this treat (although if you’re going to substitute a different kind of nut, you may need to adjust the amount of honey). However you choose to enjoy this marzipan, I hope you do! This recipe makes quite a generous quantity, but it freezes well.
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Ingredients:
- 1¼ cup honey
- 4 cups blanched almond flour
- 2 egg whites
- Fill your sink or a large bowl or saucepan with cold water (maybe throw in a few ice cubes).
- Pour honey into a medium saucepan with a candy thermometer attached to the side.
- Heat honey over low heat (or medium-low) until the honey reaches 240F (this should take a long time, something like 10 minutes, with no need to stir while the honey is heating).
- Remove pot from heat (but leave the element on the stove on, and turn up to medium-low if you had it on low) and remove the candy thermometer from the pot. Place the bottom of the pot in the prepared cold water. Stir the honey until it is thick and creamy (this will take 3-4 minutes and will feel like an eternity for your arm).
- Stir in almond flour and egg white. Place back on the heat and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes, until thick.
- Pour into the bowl of a standing mixer with paddle attachment. Set mixer to low and allow to mix until cooled to room temperature (this will probably take 20-30 minutes). Alternatively, you could pour out onto a clean surface (counter or baking sheet, maybe lined with parchment paper since this stuff is pretty sticky) and turn/kneed with a pastry scraper until cool.
- Place in a sealed container and refrigerate overnight to set. Enjoy!
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Great – started looking forward to x-mas right away, as in Norway we often use marzipan tht time of the year, and my home made ones (quick versions) never got comparable to the ready made types. Yours looks like i does, so thanks again!! 🙂
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t drooling all over my table this morning.
As it’s September and Christmas is ‘only’ four months away, the marzipan figurines should be piling the shop shelves soon! Here in Holland we got another holiday lined up on the 5th of December where this is a standard treat as well. I must admit, it does look like it’s rather labor intensive, so does it keep very long? Thanks!
It freezes beautifully. And I had some in my fridge for a month and it was fine.
Of course that should be three months and a bit, not four months 😉
I know there’s no such thing as macadamia nut flour but, do you think it would work with macadamia nut butter? Marzipan is a treat from my youth and I LOVE it, but my hubby is allergic to almonds. I grew up with there always being marzipan creatures on my birthday cakes. 😀
Macadamias grind really easily in a food processor or blender. I would buy whole unsalted macadamias (raw or roasted) and grind your own! And MAN! That sounds delicious!
Hi! I am so excited to try this recipe for decorating my daughter’s birthday cake! Do you have suggestions about natural food coloring and where to get it or how to make it? I have found recipes for natural liquid food coloring, but wondered if that would alter the texture of the marzipan? And do you think it would work for me to make half a recipe? I’ve heard with candy-making you don’t want to double recipes, but wasn’t sure about halving them 🙂 Sorry so many questions! I am ecstatic to try this!!
Some powdered spices make really good food colorings for dusting. I think you could kneed in some liquid coloring after the marzipan has set as long as the coloring is very concentrated. I have seen natural food colorings at Whole Foods and Williams & Sanoma (they tend to cost a fortune). As for halving the recipe, I think it might. You’ll have to make sure you’re using a small enough pot that the candy thermometer can get a reading but big enough that you can still add the other ingredients. Comment back and let us know how it works!
Congrats on the new design! Looks great. And what better way to celebrate than with a versatile, simply, delicious looking recipe!
Being from Norway I am a big marzipan-lover! Over here its served on cakes at weddings and other selebrations (we actuallt call it a marzipan-cake), and as little shapes and animals for easter and christmas.
I am sooooo excited to find this! I love love love almond paste and we just recently went Paleo. This will be the perfect treat. I have some hazelnut flour, I wonder if that would be good.
What else could I use besides honey? I’m highly allergic to anything bee related. Also for everyone looking for ‘natural food coloring’, here’s a great site!! http://www.chocolatecraftkits.com/shop/index.php?main_page=shopping_cart&zenid=8tkrkhkconvtop0il912e3ghf0
It would change the flavor somewhat, but what about maple syrup?
Well, that’s a thought. If the taste is too ‘maple-y’ any other suggestions?
What about Agave syrup?
I wouldn’t touch agave with a 10-foot pole (it’s 70-90% fructose).
Hi, I really miss marzipan and love the look of this recipe but can’t eat eggs, is there anything I could use instead of them?
There are some marzipan recipes out there that just use honey and almond flour. They won’t be quite the same texture though.
This recipe could be easily halved, yes? And what is the best technique for coating it in chocolate as shown? I’m looking for something new to make for Christmas and this really looks good.
The trouble with halving is you need a minimum volume to be able to heat the honey. But, if you had a small pot and a good thermometer, I think you could.
I can not use sugar or honey, maple syrup etc. may I use *swerve* sweetener ?( it is all natural) Thank you !Barbara.
so disappointed that I received no answer to my question! Barbara (Nov.03/2013)
Sorry about that Barbara. Sometimes questions get lost in the flood. The texture relies on the chemistry of a sucrose-based sugar, so swerve would not work.
Can I use Yacon sirup instead of honey? or is Yacon sirup a no go?
Yacon syrup is very high fructose… I’m not sure how that would work in terms of chemistry here.
Love marzipan! Can I use Trader Joe’s almond meal for this?
It’s a bit coarse for this, so I’m not sure if you’d end up with a good texture. Maybe if you blend it first to make it finer?
Curious what chocolate coating you used?
You can melt any kind of dark chocolate you like, like this one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GPQCS44?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B00GPQCS44&linkCode=xm2&tag=wwwthePaleomo-20 – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
Could you give a brief description on how to coat a chunk of marzipan with chocolate as you have pictured above? They look delicious and I am making them this week! Thank you!
You can melt the chocolate in a double boiler, dip the marzipan in it with a toothpick or skewer, set it aside on parchment paper or some other non-stick surface, and then place it in the fridge to set. – Christina, Sarah’s assistant
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this! I follow the SCD, and today I got an idea for an Asian Pear and ginger tart with an almond flour crust and a layer of marzipan… 🙂
I have an induction stove so all my pots are either cast iron or stainless steel. I am worried about taking them from hot to ice water with out warping the metal. Any suggestions?
Thanks for all your help with my Paleo journey. I love so many of your recipes. I don’t have a paddle attachment for my standing mixer. Would beaters or dough hooks work for me. …
Did anyone end up trying it with maple syrup? I don’t care for honey but I’ve never has this dessert and I really, really want to try it!
I love this marzipan recipe! It is just as delicious as the marzipan I ate growing up, except no blood sugar spike! I was inspired to use my leftover egg yolks and create a custard recipe that pairs perfectly with the marzipan: http://www.inspiredwildflower.com/marzipan-berry-custard-dairy-free-Paleo/
How about Lyle’s Golden Syrup? It is Brown Rice based. I don’t think any of the syrups will be a low glycemic load or in any way low carb. It’s just the nature of the beast, no?
Could you substitute maple syrup in this recipe? If so, what would the steps be for heating, cooling and re-heating the maple syrup? Thanks for this awesome recipe!
I would guess that it will work fine as a substitute. The steps would be the same as for the honey. -Kiersten
Hi, I was wondering if I could add a flavor, when, and how much? I ask because I’ve seen others use rosewater or almond extract in theirs. Also, I would like to add color, but not sure in which step I should add the coloring? Would I be able to freeze it once it’s colored? Sorry for all the questions. Thank you for your time.
I would add both during step 6. And yes, I would imagine it should still freeze fine.