Almond paste: step by step recipe with photo

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Almond paste is liked by almost everyone, but for some reason, many people prefer to buy it ready-made. At the same time, it is easy and simple to prepare at home. This delicacy can be consumed both in pure form and used as a filling for many desserts. How to make it yourself?

Easiest option

You can make it with just four simple ingredients - almond flour, powdered sugar, egg white and almond extract. This version of homemade almond butter is simple because it doesn't use whole nuts. Store-bought almond flour mixes easily with powdered sugar and other ingredients. After spending a little time, you get a delicate delicacy, on the basis of which you can prepare a lot of delicious desserts. So, you will need:

• one and a half cup of fine almond flour;
• one and a half cups of powdered sugar;
• 1 egg white, removed from refrigerator and brought to room temperature;
• 1 teaspoon of almond extract.

How to do it?

Mix the almond flour and powdered sugar in a food processor, then beat on high speed a few times to break up any lumps. Add the egg white and almond extract and continue beating for about 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and comes together.

Lightly dust the serving surface with powdered sugar. Spread almond paste over it and roll into a ball. Roll into a "sausage" with a diameter of about five centimeters. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it cool for at least 1 hour. This homemade treat can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Whole nut variant

Shop-bought almond butter is usually either too sweet or too heavily processed with various fillers and preservatives. It takes a little effort to make at home, but it's worth it. Homemade treats taste much better than store-bought ones. In addition, almond paste is an important ingredient in many types of baked goods. And you can make your own if whole nuts are available.

The almond butter recipe is remarkably simple. First of all, take 1 kg of raw almonds and pour boiling water over it. Leave to swell for at least five minutes. This should soften and loosen the skin, which will then easily slide off when you rub the nuts with your fingers.

Once you've peeled all the almonds, you need to dry them. Arrange the nuts on a flat baking sheet and place in the oven heated to 110 degrees. Dry them this way for at least ten minutes. After that, cool and proceed to further cooking.

Very dry almonds grind well in a food processor. Follow this process until you get a powdery mass. Set aside and make a syrup in parallel to sweeten the nuts and bind them into a paste. For each cup of almond flour, add a quarter cup of sugar and a tablespoon of light corn syrup. Simply heat the sugar mixture until dissolved without stirring. Then add a drop or two of almond extract to the syrup as desired.

Return the fine almond flour to the bowl of the food processor and process again, slowly pouring in the syrup. Now the paste is ready to use. It will remain firm but pliable at room temperature. This paste is ideal for making marzipan.

Honey and whole nut variant

As noted above, homemade almond paste is very easy to make. If you make it according to the recipe below, you will get almost homemade marzipan. For this you will need:

• 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons (250 grams) of sugar;
• 1/4 cup (75 grams) honey;
• 100ml water;
• 3 cups plus 3 tablespoons (500 grams) blanched whole almonds;
• 50 grams of maple or simple syrup, eachwish;
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) uns alted butter.

Cooking almond paste with honey

Place sugar, honey and water in a saucepan and bring to a high boil. Place the almonds in the bowl of a food processor and grind until coarse flour.

Remove the pan from the stove and pour the prepared syrup over the chopped almonds. Blend until smooth. This may take 10 minutes or more, depending on the power of your food processor. If the mixture is too thick and uneven and the food processor can't make the mixture thicker and more viscous, you can add a bit of maple syrup. Pour it in slowly and stop when the mixing becomes more pliable. The quality of almond butter is determined by how smooth the consistency is.

Wrap cooked pasta in plastic wrap and let cool. When you're ready to use it, mix it into the oil. It will make the almond paste more sticky and not too sticky.

Another option with honey

This recipe allows you to make 0.5 kg of almond paste. Unlike other homemade recipes that contain egg whites as an ingredient, the binder here is a syrup made from sugar, honey, and water. All you need is:

• 125 grams of granulated natural cane sugar;
• 35 grams of light whipped honey;
• 50 grams of water;
• 250grams of finely ground almond flour;
• one and a half teaspoons of pure almond extract.

Cooking pasta with honey and cane sugar

Put sugar, honey and water into a small saucepan. Turn the burner on the stove to medium heat (100-110 degrees) and cook the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and the syrupy mixture comes to a boil.

Meanwhile, add the almond flour to the bowl of the food processor. Pour in the hot syrup and add the almond extract. Beat until a smooth paste forms, 2 to 3 minutes. You will most likely have to stop halfway through to scrape off the sticky mass from the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Spread the cooked almond paste onto a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Wrap it tightly and put it in a cool place or in the refrigerator. The paste will be ready to use once it has completely cooled. The almond paste should then be refrigerated to keep it fresh.