How to Make Marzipan for Scandinavian Baking & Candies A Simple Homemade Almond Paste Recipe

Marzipan is great for Scandinavian baking including cakes, cookies and candies.  Marzipan is a confection consisting primarily of ground almonds and usually sugar.  Here is a a homemade way to make fresh marzipan.

First, you need almonds without the skin on it.  If you want to save money, you might want to blanch your almonds by removing the skin. Below are the instructions to blanch your almonds. 

Ingredients 

• 2 cups of plain raw almonds (not roasted, oiled, or salted)
• a bowl of boiling water 

 

See our YouTube video to see how 

Karen Grete creates the marzipan paste.

How to Blanch Almonds

1. Place almonds in a bowl of boiled water for a minute or two.  The water should barely cover over the almonds.
2. Then after a few minutes, the skin of the almonds should look slightly wrinkled. Don't let the almonds sit too long in the water because it will loose crispness.
3. Carefully pinch off the skins with your fingers. The almond should slide right out of its skin. 
4. Sometimes the skin won't come off so easily.  It might be the water is getting cold.  If it is then reheat the water. 
5. Leave to dry in another bowl. 

 Prepare the marzipan

• 2 cups of blanched almonds
• 1 cup of sifted confectioners' sugar 
• 1/2 a teaspoon almond extract 
• one or more tablespoons of water
• 1 bitter optional instead of almond extract

1. Now we are ready to ground the plain blanched almonds in a food processor or blender. Add a little at a time of blanched almonds, grind, pour out into a bowl.  Repeat until you have grounded all of the almonds.
2. Next add powdered sugar into the bowl of grounded almonds. Stir the mixture.
3. Add one tablespoon of water at a time into the bowl.  You don't want to add too much water as it is just to get the mixture to stick together. 
4. Next add almond extract.  
5. To test if it is sticking together, start squeezing the mixture with your hands.  If it is not sticking add a little more water. If the mixture is too sticky, add a little more confectioners' sugar.
6. Dust powder sugar on a marble or a smooth surface. Pour the almond ground mixture over it.  
7. Coat your hands in powdered sugar and begin to knead the marzipan.  Knead until smooth.
8. Your marzipan can now be used immediately. Otherwise, store by wrapping it in plastic wrap and keeping it in an airtight container.

 
THUMBS UP for more marzipan recipe videos!  If you have any questions, please let us know.
xoxo,
Karen Grete and Heidi

We hope you enjoyed the marzipan recipe! Please be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel Scandinavian Today.  Our channel has videos including
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