Such an adventure, making vegan marzipan.
Marzipan is really almond paste with varying degrees of sweetening. It is, of course, a sweet creamy concoction long found in pastries. Commercial versions are available of course, but full of processed ingredients and also quite expensive.
It used to be hard to make at home when almonds weren’t easy to find, just a decade or less ago. Now however, it is not only easy to find raw almonds, it’s easy to find almond flour, making homemade marzipan super easy.
And making it vegan just takes some creativity and is rather like a chemistry experiment.
One change was to replace the egg white which is acts as a binder in the traditional recipe. I used lemon juice to replace the egg and make it completely plant-based and vegan.
And the bonus with lemon juice is the citrus bite which tones down the overwhelming sweetness caused by the sugar.
But recently I decided to come back to this recipe and experiment some more – my goal was to replace the powdered sugar. It is organic, yes, and vegan which means no bone-char, but still it is sugar so I wanted to see if I could replace it with maple syrup.
The resulting recipe produces a more tan marzipan, not the white that more resembles the look of the traditional recipe, but it’s healthier and stuffed in chocolate cups, the color doesn’t matter as much.
And I chose to showcase my new vegan recipe within almond chocolate cups stuffed with a mixture of the vegan marzipan, crushed almonds, and almond butter, of course!
But you don’t have to make these cups to enjoy the marzipan, you can also use it in your own recipes, tarts, croissants, or simple serve in bite-sized chunks for afternoon tea.
I hope you enjoy my recipes, and, if you try either recipe, I’d love to hear which one you prefer!
Chocolate Vegan Marzipan (almond paste) Cups
Homemade marzipan made dairy-free, gluten-free and a lot less sugar. And stuffed into chocolate cups to make a healthy snack delicious enough to be a dessert, yet so high in protein and fiber that it could serve as a respectful workout snack. (nutrition is for 1 tbsp of the homemade maple-sugar marzipan recipe)
Ingredients
Vegan Marzipan How-To (with sugar)
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour (I use this brand)
- 1/4 cup vegan powdered sugar (I use this brand)
- 3 tsps plant milk or water (possibly more)
- 1 tbsp almond extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Vegan Marzipan How-To (without refined sugar)
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp plant milk or water (possibly more)
- 4 tsp almond extract
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Chocolate Vegan Marzipan Cups
- 1 cup homemade vegan marzipan chilled
- 1 cup dark chocolate (I use this brand)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup crushed almonds
- 1/2 cup almond butter
Instructions
To make the vegan marzipan (almond paste) WITH sugar (color is whiter)
- Mix all ingredients in a processor or bowl/mixer.
When it becomes dough ( a bit sticky), begin kneading with your hands.
Add more plant milk or water if it's dry and crumbly - you want a smooth cookie-dough-like texture.
Shape the dough into a cylinder shape using a paper towel roll or your hands.
(To use a paper towel roll, cut the inner cardboard tube length-wise to make a cylinder "container". Wrap the dough in parchment paper with your hands, then stuff it into the paper towel roll cylinder to help make it more uniform. )
Refrigerate at least one hour wrapped in parchment before using in the chocolate cup recipe below or before slicing it to serve with tea.
NOTE: To tone down the sugar in this marzipan, I used the recipe above with a ratio of 4:1, almond meal to powdered sugar. But, if you want to come closer to the historic original recipe, the ratio is 1:1, with equal amounts of almond meal and powdered sugar. If you go this route, please adjust the liquids so you end up with a malleable dough.
To make the vegan marzipan (almond paste) WITHOUT powdered sugar (color is tan)
Mix all ingredients in a processor or bowl/mixer.
When it becomes dough ( a bit sticky), begin kneading with your hands.
Add a bit of plant milk or water if it's dry and crumbly - you want a smooth cookie-dough-like texture.
Shape the dough into a cylinder shape using a paper towel roll or your hands.
(To use a paper towel roll, cut the inner cardboard tube length-wise to make a cylinder "container". Wrap the dough in parchment paper with your hands, then stuff it into the paper towel roll cylinder to help make it more uniform. )
Refrigerate at least one hour wrapped in parchment before using in the chocolate cup recipe below or before slicing it to serve with tea.
To make the chocolate cups
- Line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave in a bowl in 2-33 second increments.
- Spoon chocolate into bottom of the paper liners – 1 tablespoon for regular cupcake size; 1 tsp for mini cupcake size. Tip each cup around by hand to coat the sides of the paper liners. It only goes about half-way up each liner. Refrigerate for 15 minutes to set this shell.
Prepare Cup Filling
You have two choices on how you fill these cups.
Choice one: Simple spoon 1 tbsp of marzipan, 1 tbsp of almond butter, 1 tbsp crushed almonds into each cup.
Choice two: Process or mix the three ingredients until a cream is created. Spoon that into the chocolate cups and press flat with a spoon.
Either way, finish by spooning another tablespoon of melted chocolate on the mixture within each cup.
- Sprinkle with a final dusting of crushed almonds, chill in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes, then they are ready to eat!
Loveday B says
Hiya, I want to make the refined sugar free version as a present for my dad and was just wondering how long it keeps for? Thank you 🙂
Dee Dine | Green Smoothie Gourmet says
Hi there, I am not sure how long refrigerated; you’d have to keep checking it for mold or sour taste like any baked good that is refrigerated. However, I am sure it will last months if frozen. So perhaps store most of it frozen, and only refrigerate what you intend to eat at the time. Hope that helps! Dee
Ela says
These vegan marzipan cups look amazing, Dee! I love that you also included a refined sugar-free recipe. 🙂
Dee Dine | Green Smoothie Gourmet says
Ela! Thank you so much! So happy you like my two options. Take care, Dee xx
Bianca Zapatka says
These cups look so delicious 😍
Love the flavors and ingredients!
Such a yummy recipe Dee!😘
Lots of love,
Bianca ❤️
Dee Dine | Green Smoothie Gourmet says
Very sweet, so happy you like them Bianca! Happy week to you..Dee xx