Homemade marzipan with pine nuts

Homemade marzipan with pine nuts . As Christmas time approaches, it seems that the brain and stomach are already thinking about Christmas desserts. Each year they announce these dates before us, turning on the lights and filling the shelves with products and Christmas sweets. One of the most traditional is marzipan , which is always present in every house. I remember that my mother always prepares a “variety” of polvorones , a little  nougat (not to miss the chocolate nougat ), dried fruits and, of course, some marzipan .

Preparing homemade marzipan is very easy, I recommend that you do it at home, together with the kids. They will do it without difficulty and you will spend a pleasant time cooking together. This sweet has a very distant origin, placing the first references in ancient Greece and Persia. They arrived in Spain almost certainly thanks to the Arabs, who stayed for several centuries on the Peninsula. Currently it is very widespread and there are many companies that make it throughout the country, although perhaps the best known is the Toledo marzipan .

In today’s recipe we start with a traditional marzipan base, which we coat in pine nuts and finish in the oven. It is a preparation very similar to the well-known Catalan panellets of Todos los Santos or the  empiñonados  de Castilla,  typical of Easter. Take a look and be encouraged to prepare these Christmas sweets . With a few ingredients and a few simple steps, you will have your homemade marzipans. They are delicious and have nothing to envy to those bought. I particularly like home made ones, in addition to being much cheaper.

Preparation of marzipan sweets

1. It is recommended to use raw and peeled almonds (that are not fried or toasted) and grind them at home. With a food processor or even with the coffee grinder. The important thing is that it is very fine. If you do not have kitchenware, buy it already ground.
2. Let’s grind the almond. We put it in a large bowl. Add the sugar, the egg whites, the lemon zest and mix / knead. First with a fork and then with your hands.
3. We will obtain a compact, slightly damp mass. We let it rest for 15 minutes.
4. We moisten hands. We are making balls with our hands, about the size of ping pong balls. We coat in pine nuts, covering the entire surface.
5. We preheat the oven: 10 minutes at 200º C.
6. We put sulfurized paper on the oven tray. We are placing the sweets separated from each other. We paint them with egg yolk (the leftover from the beginning).
7. We place the tray in the central position and bake 10-12 minutes, at 200º C. Depending on the power of your oven, the time may vary. If you see that they toast too much, put a foil over them.

We remove the tray and let them cool, so they will get the necessary consistency. Be patient and let them rest, although it is difficult to contain … hehe You will tell me, I hope you enjoy them at Christmas lunches / dinners.

Be sure to enjoy all the Christmas sweets that we have in our dessert recipes , I assure you that you will find a lot of ideas to make yours much happier.

You can see all the photos of the step by step in the following photo album .