Happy National Marzipan Day! Marzipan is among mankind's oldest treats. It requires only ground almonds and sugar or honey, plus a binding of egg white or whole eggs. Sweet spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and nutmeg or fruits like orange, lemon, and rose water are all fantastic when added to the mix. Marzipan is delightful when paired with chocolate.
European countries typically mold the dough into all sorts of fun shapes. The following super-fun, super-easy recipe instructs you how to make a fruit basket from your delectable marzipan dough.
Marzipan Cookies
Recipe by Betty Crocker
Prep: 2 Hours
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 3 Hours
Servings: 4 Servings
WHAT YOU NEED:
1 Cup butter or margerine, softened
1/2 Cup sugar
2 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
3/4 Cup almond extract
Food Colors
WHAT YOU DO:
Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl. Stir in flour and almond extract until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Divide into 3 equal parts.
Tint and shape dough as directed below. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 300ºF. Bake about 30 minutes or until set but not not brown. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Apples: Mix red or green food color into part of dough. Shape into small balls. Insert small piece of cinnamon stick in top for stem end and whole clove in bottom for blossom end. Dilute red or green food color with water and brush over apples.
Apricots: Mix red and yellow food colors into part of dough. Shape into small balls. Make crease down 1 side with a toothpick. Insert whole clove for stem end. Dilute red food color with water and brush over apricots.
Bananas: Mix yellow food color into part of dough. Shape into 3-inch rolls. tapering ends. Slightly flatten sides to make planes of banana; curve slightly. Paint on markings with mixture of red, yellow and blue food colors diluted with water.
Oranges: Mix red and yellow food colors into part of dough. Shape into small balls. Insert whole clove for blossom end. Prick with blunt end of toothpick for texture.
Pears: Mix yellow food color into part of dough. Shape into small balls, then into cone shapes, rounding narrow end. Insert piece of cinnamon stick in narrow end for stem. Dilute red food color with water and brush on "cheeks" of pears.
Strawberries: Mix red fodo color into part of dough. Shape into small balls, then into heart shapes, about 3/4 inch high. Prick with blunt end of toothpick for texture. Roll in red sugar. Insert small piece of green-colored toothpick or green dough into top for stem.
