Marzipan Fruits

Marzipan is a traditional sweet treat from the Arabic Mediterranean. It is simply sweetened almond meal held together with orange blossom water or rose water. These sweet, nutty treats are often simply rolled into little balls, but if you want to get fancy, fruit shapes is the tradition.

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Marzipan Fruits

This is my preferred way of making marzipan. I learned it from my family. It is so easy and these small treats are loved by everyone. I find these lighter and much less dense than the marzipan made with paste and I just prefer lighter.

After making the marzipan paste you can make it into the shape of a fruit by hand or using a mold. Then paint it with food coloring to finish the look.

Most of the time and effort involved is in making the cute fruits or whatever. If I am just making them for myself and I don't want to go through all that, I just roll little balls.

Planning

  • Prep Time:

    45-60 minutes for shaping and coloring

  • Bake/Cook Time:

    No cooking or baking

  • Chill/Set Time:

    60 minutes

  • Servings:

    24 or 12 if you make them twice the size

Preparation

  • Materials

    Mixing Bowl
    Hand Whisk
    Melting Pot for Syrup
    Pastry Mat
    Molds or Pastry Tools for Shaping
    Molds (unless you shape by hand)
    Serving Tray
    Parchment Paper
    Small Bowls for dusting
    Brush & Small Bowls (if you paid on the food coloring)

  • Prep

    Lay out the pastry mat with a little bowl of powdered sugar on the side for dusting. Gand dust the surface with powdered sugar.

    Set up a work area with parchment paper paid out, some small bowls, food colorings and a brush for decorating.

  • Oven/Stove

    Not applicable

  • Shopping List

    Almond Flour
    Confectioner's Sugar
    Rose Water and Orange Blossom Water
    Lemon Juice
    Gel Food Colorings
    Corn Syrup or Egg White (Optional - for a little extra binding power)

Ingredients & Steps

  • Ingredients

    Almond Flour 500g
    Confectioner's Sugar 750g
    Rose Water 60ml (1/4 cup) (add little by little so not to get the mixture too wet)
    Almond Extract 1 tsp
    Vanilla Extract 1 tsp
    Lemon Juice 1/2 tsp
    Gel Food Colorings
    Corn Syrup or Egg White (Optional - for a little extra binding power)

  • Steps

    STEP 1: Whisk together almond flour and confectioner's sugar in a mixing bowl.

    STEP 2: WET INGREDIENTS

    Next you will combine the dry and wet ingredients and lightly knead to form a ball.
    Drizzle the rose or orange blossom water into the dry mixture little by little while whisking it in. When it gets too moist to whisk, use a spatula. Add just enough liquid to bring it all together into a ball. Lightly knead to form a smooth ball.

    NOTE: ADD A LITTLE CORN SYRUP OR EGG WHITE IF YOU WANT TO BIND IT A BIT MORE FIRMLY.

    STEP 2: SET ASIDE TO REST
    Roll into a ball and put in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

    STEP 3: SHAPE (Read 'Coloring Methods below before you shape)
    Fruits are traditional but you can make easter eggs, Christmas treats, or anything you like. Shape the almond mixture by pressing it into molds or shape by hand if that is your skill.

    Divide the marzipan into equal portions and roll into balls. (about 1.5" diameter).

    STEP 4: COLORING -METHOD 1
    Use a small artist's brush to paint each treat with food coloring.
    ICING (Optional) You can make a simple icing with confectioner's sugar and water. Color portions of icing and paint the icing on the marzipan treat.

    STEP 4: COLORING-METHOD 2
    Before you make the 1.5" small marzipan balls, separate the while into portions. Color each portion by mixing in food coloring.
    ICING (Optional) If you are making the treat all one color, you can color icing and dip the treat in icing.

    This may seem easier than painting, but you have to a) know how much of each color you need and b) shape each colored piece of the treat individually (i.e. leaves, stem, lines, textures, flowers).

    Which method is easier will depend on the shapes and design you are making.




Notes

WHICH SHAPING METHOD IS EASIER?
Unless you have some artistic skill, molds are easier for shaping.

WHICH COLORING METHOD IS BETTER?
I like coloring after shaping because you use less food coloring and you don't waste marzipan by trying to guess how much colored marzipan you need for each part.

WHICH COLORING METHOD IS EASIER?
If you are using molds either method is just as easy.
You can press colored bits of marzipan into different parts of the mold pretty easily. If you are sculpting it will be difficult to shape and place tiny, tiny leaves, stems, etc. Regardless of how you shape it, painting on food color after the fact is easy.

If you make the fruit all one color with just a clove bud or real leaf pressed into it, either method is simple.

DECORATING
Roll citrus fruits along a grater to get that dimpled look.
Press a tiny piece of nut into the top of fruits with your pinky or a tool and add a clove bud for the stem.
Use clove buds for stems on the top of fruits like apples.
Use bay leaves, peppermint leave, or parsley leaves for the leaves if you don't want to make them.
If you want to make the leaves use a pastry bag and leaf tip. You can fill the bag with almond mixture or icing.
If you make the leaves of marzipan set them aside on parchment and paint them with food color. Let it dry a bit, then put them on the fruits.
If you make the leaves with icing, put a little icing in a bowl instead of syrup and mix in the food coloring. Pipe directly onto the fruits.

SERVING: Place fruits on a serving plater and enjoy.

STORING: Store fruits at room temperature in an airtight container. You can leave them out on a serving platter and they keep fine. I prefer airtight.

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