What is Marzipan?

Has this happened to you?

You just finished enjoying a recipe that included marzipan, and the whole time you're eating the treat, you're were wondering what the heck marzipan is made from.

During the holiday season we see it mentioned a lot in recipes. One of the recipes I need to make and used to love to buy is Stollen bread. That thick strip of marzipan in the center of the bread is the best.

Okay, that's great and all, but seriously how the heck do you make it?

FIRST, LET'S ENJOY SOME BOOK INSPIRATION:

Nova from My Single Dad (Man Card Book Three) had another donut recipe idea and this one is going to be hit at the cafe.

While standing in line at the grocery store the other day, on impulse, Nova grabbed some Stollen bread. It was right there and the ingredients sounded amazing.

The moment she threw the grocery bags in the back of the car, she sifted through each one until she found that impulse purchase.

Of course, today she had to be wearing a black T-shirt...

...right as she ripped open the bag, powdered sugar spewed everywhere.

She stopped for a split-second and then burst out laughing and popped a piece into her mouth. "Well, hopefully it's worth it." 

Spoiler Alert: It was so worth it.

All the way home her mind raced with ingredient ideas for a new donut recipe that could pair perfectly with marzipan.

First, she had to figure out how to make marzipan. It was obvious almonds were included but how did it end up looking and feeling like candy?

 BEHIND THE SCENES

Just like Nova, I've been so curious about marzipan. So, it was time to find out.

I had to do a little research with this recipe.

Did you know there is a difference between almond paste and marzipan?

Here's the difference: Almond paste is a 1:1 ratio of almonds to powdered sugar. Marzipan needs to be sweeter, though, so it's a 1:2 ratio of almonds and powdered sugar.

When looking at blogs sharing all the fun details about marzipan, it was mentioned a lot how marzipan and almond paste are NOT the same. I thought that was super interesting because I honestly thought they were.

Which is why this blog post needed to happen.

I've been thinking about marzipan for way too long. It was time to find the answers to all my burning questions.

This blog from Taste of Home really helped tie everything together and then get me excited to finally make some marzipan.

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