Marzipankartoffeln (German marzipan potatoes)
Little balls of homemade almond marzipan rolled in cocoa and cinnamon
In Germany the run-up to Christmas is when these appear, piled in paper bags at the markets and in bowls on the Advent table; Lübeck, the city most famous for marzipan, makes them by the tonne. They are simply small balls of marzipan dusted in cocoa until they look like freshly dug new potatoes, sometimes with a few pricked 'eyes'. The inside is soft, sweet and fragrant with almond and a hint of rosewater; the cocoa coat is bitter and dry, which keeps the sweetness in check. Serve them with coffee, tuck them into a cookie tin or wrap them as small gifts. Shop marzipan sometimes contains egg white, so this one is made from scratch: a sugar syrup cooked to the soft-ball stage binds the ground almonds into a smooth, pliable paste, doing the job egg white does in some commercial pastes, and the result is naturally egg-free. Chef's tip: the common mistake is kneading the warm paste too long, which squeezes oil out of the almonds and makes it greasy; knead only until it comes together, then let it cool.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the egg-free marzipan
- 4 oz caster sugar
- 3 ½ tbsp water
- 7 oz ground almondsmade from blanched almonds, finely ground
- 1 ⅜ oz icing sugarsifted, plus a little for dusting
- 1 tsp rosewater
- 2 drops bitter almond extract (optional)
For the coating
- ⅞ oz cocoa powderunsweetened
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Put 4 oz caster sugar and 3 ½ tbsp water in a small saucepan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring once it boils.
3 minStep 2: Boil the syrup until it reaches the soft-ball stage, 250°F on a sugar thermometer; a drop in cold water forms a soft ball you can squash.
4 minStep 3: Take the pan off the heat and tip in 7 oz ground almonds all at once. Stir hard with a wooden spoon for about 1 minute, until the mixture pulls away from the pan as a rough, damp mass.
1 minStep 4: Scrape it onto a board dusted with ⅔ oz icing sugar. Add 1 tsp rosewater and the 2 drops bitter almond extract, if using, and knead briefly with the rest of 1 ⅜ oz icing sugar until smooth and no longer sticky. Wrap and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 5: Roll the cool marzipan into balls the size of a hazelnut, about 10 g each; you should get around 35.
8 minStep 6: Mix ⅞ oz cocoa powder and ½ tsp ground cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Roll the balls in it a few at a time, then shake them in a sieve to knock off the excess. Poke two or three small dents in each with a skewer for the potato eyes, if you like.
5 minStep 7: Store in an airtight tin between sheets of baking paper. They keep for 2 weeks in a cool place and taste best after a day, when the cocoa has softened slightly.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 210 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does marzipankartoffeln (German marzipan potatoes) take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of ground almonds?
- Ground cashews, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
Baklava
The famous layered pastry: crisp sheets of buttered fillo sandwich a filling of almonds, pistachios and cashews spiced with cinnamon, cardamom and saffron. After baking, the hot baklava is soaked in a syrup of sugar, honey, lemon, rose and cardamom and decorated with almond and pistachio flakes. Cut into 40 diamonds; serve with fresh cream or ice cream.
Perfect for:Christmas