Standard Marzipan Recipe

Marzipan is a candy that seems to be more popular in Europe than in the United States. In the U.S., it tends to be relegated to the top shelf in the baking aisle as a niche ingredient, but overseas it plays a starring role in lots of festive dishes, like the traditional German Christmas stollen. Plus there are marzipan pigs, a cute holiday tradition in Germany and Scandinavia meant to bring good luck in the coming year. As recipe developer Catherine Brookes describes marzipan, this candy is "sweet, nutty, and moist" and makes "the perfect addition to a cake" as well as something that can be "enjoyed in bite-size pieces dipped in chocolate." Or without the chocolate, for that matter, as in the case of the aforementioned pigs.

Brookes uses one out-of-the-ordinary ingredient in her marzipan, that being egg yolks. Many marzipan recipes call for egg whites instead, making a candy that is off-white in color, but this version has a yellowish hue. The yolks, Brookes explains, act as a binder that helps "the other marzipan ingredients to stick together and hold [the candy's] shape once combined." While she does say that "the sugar content of marzipan is so high, [that] this prevents bacteria from forming" in the raw egg dough, she advises that anyone concerned about consuming raw eggs look for pasteurized ones to add an extra measure of safety.

You will only need three items to make your own marzipan: almond meal, powdered sugar, and egg yolks.

Mix the almond meal with the sugar, then stir in the egg yolks. Much as you may love your whisk, you won't be using it at this point as the dough is just too thick. In fact, if you have a stand mixer, Brookes recommends using it with the dough hook attachment. If the marzipan is too dry and crumbly, you may need to add a little cold water, just a teaspoon at a time. You want it to have a cookie dough-like consistency when you're done mixing.

If you would like the final product to have some color to it, Brookes says, "You could add a few drops of food coloring with the egg yolks."

Roll the marzipan up into a ball and cover it with plastic wrap. Put the big ball of plastic wrapped candy in the refrigerator and chill it for at least 2 hours before you try to work with it.

Once the marzipan is chilled, you can roll it into a log for slicing or roll it out flat for use in baking. As Brookes tells us, "Marzipan can be used in or on cakes," and if you're a fan of the "Great British Baking Show" you'll often see it employed as a much tastier alternative to fondant. You can also use marzipan as a topper or filling for cookies or other pastries, or you could slice it, roll it, or sculpt it into candies such as marzipan fruits. You could also dip your marzipan into melted chocolate.