Homemade Chocolate Marzipan Recipe

Name: Homemade Chocolate Marzipan Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1½ cup Almonds meal; 1½ cup Powdered sugar ((icing sugar/confectioners sugar)); 2 tbsp Cocoa powder; 4 tbsp Light corn syrup (or sugar syrup or water); ¼ tsp Almond extract; ½ tsp Vanilla extract; ⅛ tsp Rose extract ((optional)); 2 tbsp Water (or sugar syrup as needed)

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Chocolate and marzipan are always a perfect combination. This simple and easy recipe makes delicious homemade chocolate marzipan in less than 5 minutes. Use it to make sweets, such as bars and truffles for holidays, Easter eggs, and bunnies. They also make perfect holiday gift ideas.

marzipan on a wooden board — How to Make Marzipan at Home in just 5 mins - Chocolate flavored

Do you love marzipan? Or perhaps you know it as an almond paste. Both are similar and so simple to make.

Most people buy marzipan or almond paste because they presume it's challenging to make. And yet, in reality, this delicious confection takes really only 5 minutes to make.

As I mentioned previously, I grew up with mom making homemade marzipan by the buckets. She would take orders for these during festive seasons like Easter and Christmas.

Marzipan Easter Eggs are a trendy treat during Easter celebrations. I love making Marzipan truffles, marzipan chocolate balls, as well as my marzipan chocolate squares to give as gifts during the holidays.
You can also add marzipan in cake batters for a marzipan cake. I also love using marzipan in croissants.

Ingredient and substitutes

Almonds/Nuts - Marzipan is traditionally made with almonds. And yet, you can make it with any nuts.
I grew up eating cashew nut marzipan because that's what mom always made. Back home in India cashews are more affordable than almonds. So, often cashews are used in marzipan.
I also make pecan marzipan because my husband likes pecans. You can buy almond meal or make homemade almond meal
Powdered sugar - Also called icing sugar or confectioners sugar. This has an anti-caking agent such as cornstarch or potato starch. Which helps combine the ingredients and make a smooth ball. You can make powdered sugar at home. And make sure you add some anti-caking agent to the mix as well.
Cocoa powder - I use dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder. This also helps cut down some of the sweetness.
Extract - I love using the rose extract in my marzipan, and yet traditionally almond extract is used. Vanilla works also great. You can also try Belgium chocolate extract or Irish cream extract.
Liquid - Traditionally beaten egg whites were used. The purpose of the fluid is mainly to bind the dry ingredients. So, sugar syrup or water works just as well. I prefer water to prevent making the marzipan too sweet.

Kneading the marzipan — How to Make Marzipan at Home in just 5 mins - Chocolate flavored

Step by step instructions (pin)

In a food processor - add almond meal, powdered sugar, and cocoa powder. Pulse until smooth - a minute or two
Tip - How smooth you grind the almonds will determine the texture of your marzipan. Adding powdered sugar to the food processor prevents the almonds from releasing oil.
Transfer to a bowl. Add the light corn syrup, almond, and vanilla extract. Combine well
Bring it all together into a ball - if necessary add one or two tablespoons of water or sugar syrup
Tip - if you plan to keep the marzipan longer than a week, use sugar syrup, not water.

Pulsing almond meal and powdered sugar in a food processor

Add light corn syrup to the marzipan mixture

Pulse the marzipan ingredients in a food processor

Lightly knead on a work surface until you have a smooth ball that's all brown
Tip - kneading will help achieve an even color. But, over kneading will cause the almonds to give out oil and that can make the marzipan oily
Wrap in plastic wrap and store until ready to use.
Tip - marzipan must be wrapped well in plastic or it can dry out easily. When ready to use lightly knead to make it pliable again.

Knead the marzipan — How to Make Marzipan at Home in just 5 mins - Chocolate flavored

Frequently asked questions

How long does chocolate marzipan keep?

Marzipan covered cake may be left at room temperature for a few days. And yet, like sugar paste, marzipan can dry if left open. Hence, it's best to wrap in plastic, so it's easy to mold and use again.

Are marzipan and almond paste the same?

Marzipan and almond paste use the same ingredients. However, marzipan is smoother and can be colored and molded into different things like Easter eggs, marzipan fruits, and other shapes. Almond paste is coarse and a little less sweet. And it's often used as filling in baked products like croissants.

Are marzipan and frangipani the same?

While they both have the same ingredients, frangipani is very different used than marzipan. Frangipani is used in baked treats, often at the bottom of a pie crust or galettes topped with fruits. Also, frangipani needs to be cooked, whereas marzipan can be used raw, eaten on its own or added into other products as an ingredient.

How do you dye marzipan?

Same as sugar paste, it's best to use food color gels to dye marzipan. Use a small amount with a toothpick as the color will intensify later. Also, avoid kneading the paste aggressively to prevent the marzipan from getting oily. Over-kneading can cause oil from the nuts to separate making it hard to work with.

Can I cook this marzipan?

No, cooked marzipan is a different recipe. I shared the recipe with you on my other blog - Cooked Marzipan Recipe

SAVE THIS RECIPE ON PINTEREST FOR LATER. TRIED MY RECIPE? SHARE IT WITH ME, PLEASE.
Share a picture of your work with me by uploading an image here below my image on this board. You can also find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.