Homemade marzipan?

[taxlady]

I tried making marzipan. I put 100 grams of almonds and 100 grams of sugar in the Magic Bullet. I ground the mess and then added a little bit of water. Surprise, surprise, it tastes like marzipan. Grainy texture, but tastes right.

I know, there's supposed to be raw egg white, but I would rather skip that if possible.

So, I was thinking that if I could make a sugar syrup that was thick enough, I could solve the graininess problem. How thick can a sugar syrup be made? If it isn't thick enough, the marzipan will be runny.

[jim262]

One thing that will help graininess is to process the nuts thoroughly before adding the sugar. I use confectioners sugar and I have seen some recipes that use half cane sugar and half confectioners.

Corn syrup often appears in recipes as well. I do not remember seeing at that use simple syrup, but even two parts sugar to 1 part water does not result in a very thick syrup. I would vote for Corn Syrup if its use is not objectionable. Some almond extract really boosts the flavor as well.

Almond paste is usually defined as equal parts sugar and nuts with marzipan sometimes having as much as 75% sugar, though the almond paste I made recently would work for any marzipan recipe I have ever seen.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by jim262

One thing that will help graininess is to process the nuts thoroughly before adding the sugar. I use confectioners sugar and I have seen some recipes that use half cane sugar and half confectioners.

Corn syrup often appears in recipes as well. I do not remember seeing at that use simple syrup, but even two parts sugar to 1 part water does not result in a very thick syrup. I would vote for Corn Syrup if its use is not objectionable. Some almond extract really boosts the flavor as well.

Almond paste is usually defined as equal parts sugar and nuts with marzipan sometimes having as much as 75% sugar, though the almond paste I made recently would work for any marzipan recipe I have ever seen.

I'm used to the Danish definition which is no less than half almonds in "marcipan". It's something else if there is more sugar.

[NoraC]

I usually buy the paste to make marzipan, because really smooth marzipan requires mortar and pestle work to make the paste. Start in the blender, then crush each crumbly part in the mortar. As for the egg white, it affects how the marzipan sets up as a candy. If you are making a filling or cake topping, you can get away without the firm plasticity that egg white adds, but if you are planning on sculpting cunning little fruits, don't skip the egg white. Meringue powder is a good source of sterile, shelf stable egg whites for such work.

[taxlady]

I wonder if honey would work. Maple syrup is probably too runny.