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Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates

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Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates are the perfect festive gift for the marzipan lovers in your life!  These home-made marzipan chocolates are so incredibly delicious, you’ll be swamped in compliments (if you can bare to part with them that is)!

Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates - Fab Food 4 All

 

I have a confession, I am addicted to marzipan as well as chocolate! So when I was asked to come up with an idea for an edible gift for Christmas that a child could help with, my mind immediately turned to marzipan.

As a child I would make marzipan balls dipped in chocolate with my mother at Christmas time but we would just use the raw Danish marzipan that you could buy. I think marzipan is a bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it, my son won’t touch it.

Anyway speaking to my mother the other day she told me all about the mock marzipan her and her sisters used to make using ground oats and vanilla essence instead of almonds. They would then use food colouring to make green, pink and white layers which they would then cut into diamonds. It’s amazing the things you never knew about your parents isn’t it!

Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates - Fab Food 4 All

I think I will try making mock marzipan one day but this story was the inspiration for my Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates. As my treats were for Christmas I used real almonds and added the extra luxury of dark chocolate as it is such a wonderful contrast to the sweet marzipan.

My husband said these chocolates were better than any shop bought chocolates he’d tasted and after giving a bag to both our mums they agreed. Very professional was the verdict.

Not bad considering my 10 year daughter did most of the work and I just rolled out the marzipan and did the chocolate dipping it was a real team effort. I think she particularly enjoyed decorating the chocolates at the end with the flaked almonds and picking out the best ones.

Edible Christmas gift, Danish, Luxury chocolates, budget, cheap, homemade, teacher gift

How much do these Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates cost to make?

I worked out that the 40 generous sized chocolates cost about £4 to make which if you wrapped into 5 cellophane packages (or roasting bags cut flat) of 8 chocolates each (130g) it would cost you 80p per gift. That is a phenomenal saving as marzipan chocolates cost about £5 per 100g off the shelf on average and even more if they are handmade.

How do you make Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates?

Check out the pictures below which pick up the process after making the marzipan!

Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates - Fab Food 4 All

More Chocolate & Candy Recipes

I would be over the moon if someone made these Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates for me for Christmas or any time of year! So, if you know someone who loves marzipan and you have a willing helper in the kitchen I thoroughly recommend you make these. Think how impressed your friends or family will be to receive such a thoughtful gift!

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Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates in red heart box & cut in 2 to reveal stripes. Pin image.
NB: Recipe previously featured on Great British Chefs 7/12/2013.
Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates - Fab Food 4 All
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Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates

Home made Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates – simply divine and a fabulous gift that will surely impress!
Course Snack
Cuisine British
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 40 chocolates
Author Camilla Hawkins

Ingredients

  • 200 g ground almonds
  • 200 g icing sugar
  • 2 egg whites medium size
  • ½ tsp vnilla extract
  • few drops of red food colouring
  • few drops of green food colouring or mixture of yellow & blue
  • 250 g dark chocolate I used value
  • 40 flaked almond slivers approx

Instructions

  • Mix the ground almonds and icing together thoroughly.
  • Whisk the egg whites and add to the mixture together with the vanilla extract to form a dough using a wooden spoon or your hand.
  • Weigh the marzipan out into 3 equal portions and wrap 2 portions in cling film.
  • To the unwrapped portion add a few drops of green food colouring and knead the colour into the marzipan on an icing sugar dusted work surface until colour is totally mixed in. If necessary add more food colouring to get a good green colour.
  • Wrap the green marzipan in cling film and then take another portion and with the same process as above work in the red food colouring until a subtle pink is achieved. The last portion is left white.
  • Divide a portion of marzipan into 2 and then roll out into long thin sausages with your hands (dusting the work surface again with icing sugar).
  • Using a rolling pin flatten the marzipan sausages to get to a width of 2 – 2 ½ cm.
  • Repeat for the other 2 portions of marzipan and lay the pink, green and white flattened strips on top of each other in 2 separate bricks.
  • You can use your hands to neaten the sides.
  • Cut the marzipan bricks with a sharp knife at an angle to form diamond shapes the whole way along. Then cover them in cling film.
  • Now melt the dark chocolate by breaking it up and putting it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once it has started to melt well you can turn the heat off.
  • Using 2 forks dip each marzipan diamond into the chocolate and on lifting out scrape away excess chocolate from base.
  • Carefully slide each chocolate marzipan onto a sheet of baking paper.
  • Decorate each chocolate with a sliver of flaked almond.
  • Place in the fridge for 10 minutes to allow to set.
  • Remove chocolates from the baking paper trimming away excess chocolate with a sharp knife if necessary.
  • Wrap chocolates in cellophane parcels (I use roasting bags) with a ribbon or place in pretty boxes
  • Best eaten within a week (if you can make them last that long)!

Notes

Don’t use shop bought marzipan (the type you decorate a Christmas cake with) as this has a very low proportion of almonds in it compared to homemade marzipan. 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jan

    A good shop bought marzipan works just as well if you’re looking for a quick time saving recipe to make very good chocolates. I have used it many times with no complaints!

    Reply

    • Camilla

      I would have agreed when one could still buy raw Anthon Berg Danish marzipan but I’ve not seen it for sale in many years. All the blocks of marzipan in the supermarkets have a really low percentage of ground almonds in them.

      Reply

  3. Kavita Favelle

    You must be my chocolate twin, Camilla, because I also adore marzipan! These look really really professional but also like they aren’t too complicated to make for beginners or youngsters. You’re right that the posh shop bought ones cost A LOT!

    Reply

  4. Choclette

    Absolutely fabulous. A homemade gift like this would rank up there with my best Christmas presents ever. Adore marzipan, but this is a cut above your average. They look so professional.

    Reply

    • Camilla

      I would definitely advise you to keep shop bought marzipan for cakes and make your own marzipan for this recipe as shop bought stuff is not nearly as good as has a much lower almond content.

      Reply

  6. A S,Edinburgh

    These are beautiful :). I’m not so keen on dark chocolate most of the time, but it must work perfectly here, offsetting the marzipan.

    Reply

  7. June Etherington

    Theses look lush. Think I’ll let the grandchildren help me make som the weekend before Christmas.

    Reply

  8. Paige @ Where Latin Meets Lagniappe

    I have always wanted to try making something with Marzipan! I love the way it tastes, and yours looks completely delicious!

    Reply

  11. April J Harris

    Your Neapolitan Marzipan Chocolates look so pretty – and what a lovely holiday gift they would make, Camilla! I agree, marzipan is either you love it or you hate it, but I’m firmly in the LOVE camp!

    Reply

  14. nazima

    what a pretty edible gift idea Camilla. It looks fantastic and you make it look very straightforward. I can imagine several of my friends will be delighted if I can get my act together on the edible gift front this year and make some of these.

    Reply

  21. Lucy

    These look delicious, I have never made chocolates for gifts before but I need to start I think! My girls would love to make these with me as well, as they are so colourful. Great recipe!

    Reply

  30. Michele

    Hello,
    Thank you for posting this recipe. I want to give these as gifts this yr. My 1st daughter is vegan so I think her younger sister and I may be able to make them vegan and use her favorite white chocolate with crushed candy canes! I have one question. Do you know if these will freeze well? My son lives a good distance…3-4 days for snail mail and i want to give them a freeze and send them. I will try it:) and post pictures on my blog michelescafe.blogspot.com. ..I saw this post on Google +

    Reply

    • Camilla

      Hi Michelle, dark chocolate is vegan I believe as there is no milk in it! White chocolate would just be too sweet as it’s the bitter contrast of the dark chocolate to the sweet marzipan that makes these so delicious. I imagine freezing would be ok but I’ve never actually done this but can’t see why you couldn’t, they might just get a bit wet with condensation, I actually think they’d be ok in the post as the weather is cold and I’m sure he’d eat them up in a few days or share with friends anyway. I don’t mind you showing pics on your site as long as you don’t publish the recipe and credit back to fabfood4all. Cheers Camilla

      Reply

  34. MyCookingSecrets.com | Krystallia Giamouridou

    It seems to me that you spend a lot of time effort making them, but they look soooo delicious in your images. Congratulations!

    Reply

  36. Munchies and Munchkins

    These look delicious Camilla, I’ve made chocolate covered marzipans a few times but normally I cheat and use store bought marzipan! Although I sometimes use food colouring gel to make it more appealing. These look fab and love the effect of the different colours. Delicious. I always used to buy my Dad handmade marzipans as he is a big fan of them but maybe I should try your recipe out this year? X

    Reply

    • Camilla

      I used to buy Anthon Berg raw Danish marzipan for such purposes in Tesco years ago but they stopped selling it and I wouldn’t eat the British stuff that is mainly icing sugar and very little almond, fine for cakes but not for fine chocolate making. My mum and I just used to roll it into balls, sometimes dye it green and just dip the tops in chocolate when I was a kid so these are a very posh version of that!

      Reply

  38. whatlauraloves

    I’m not a fan of marzipan but I do like chocolate. So many people would love these I reckon! xxx

    Reply

    • Camilla

      Thank you Nicole, I wish my daughter would make these for my birthday which is before Christmas, I’d be very happy – off to drop a few hints:-)

      Reply

  44. Daniella

    Marzipan is one of my favourite things to eat, even better when coated in chocolate. I’d love to receive a box of these at Christmas.

    Reply

  52. Carolyn Clapham

    I still have some marzipan left after making your rhubarb and marzipan Cake, so I am tempted to make a cheat’s version of these 🙂

    Reply

  54. Miss. Lucinda Fountain

    My mother LOVES Marzipan and so these would be PERFECT!!
    I am so pleased to have found this post. x

    Reply

  56. sandra bald

    A brilliant gift idea, my mum & grandmother both adore marzipan:) Can’t wait to make them.

    Reply

  60. Corinne Faulkner

    WOW these look absolutely delicious – I’m going to make them and keep them in my cupboard for visitors coming over !!

    Reply

    • Camilla

      Thanks Deena, it was very satisfying and my daughter enjoyed mixing up the marzipan and dying it with the food colouring. I’m very lucky that she doesn’t mind getting sticky fingers:-)

      Reply

  67. Jen @ Blue Kitchen Bakes

    These are a great idea, I love homemade marzipan, after first making it 7 years ago I can’t go back to the bought stuff. I think the coloured marzipan makes these look really pretty and you’re right homemade gifts are much more special and very enjoyable when they’re edible 🙂

    Reply

  68. Sheila lamare

    Well, I headed over to the website and found some lovely recipes, but absolutely no trace of Neapolitan marzipan chocolates! Are you sure that Great British chefs is the right website?

    Reply

    • Camilla

      Hi, you need to click on the link “Great British Chefs” at the end of my post and it takes you straight there. You would have needed to go into the bloggers section on the site to find me and other bloggers:-)

      Reply

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