The origins of marzipan, much like many other pastries that contain almonds, cannot be pinpointed to any one place. Some believe it came from Persia, others speak of Germany and Italy, yet others name Toledo, a medieval city southwest of Madrid, Spain. Whatever its history, today marzipan is a fixture of Spain’s Christmas time celebrations.
Toledo’s first recorded marzipan recipe dates back to 1525, and in the hundreds of years since then, it has been traditionally made by the nuns in Toledo’s countless convents. Marzipan is a paste made by grinding and kneading, almonds together with sugar. As well as using it in pastries, it can be shaped into various figures that can be glazed and decorated.
Along with marzipan, Toledo is famous for Swords and Damascene. Brion and I had the opportunity of visiting this quaint, little medieval city one year. It was such an incredible and interesting experience.
The metal-working industry has historically been Toledo’s economic base, with a great tradition of manufacturing swords & knives.
Damascene is the art of inlaying different metals into one another. Typically gold and silver are placed into a darkly oxidized steel background to produce intricate patterns. Traditionally, damascene designs focus on two distinct patterns. Either Renaissance motifs with birds and flowers or Arabesque and geometric designs.
In the spirit of Christmas and Toledo’s marzipan, I wanted to make some nice little cherry marzipan cookies. The vanilla and dried cherries are a trade off for the usual rose water used.
I am adding a few pictures from our time spent in Toledo. It was around Christmas time that year so we saw a lot of marzipan goodies. Take note of the miniature marzipan figurines of the nuns in the bakery scene. This was in a store window display. Wonderful memories!
| Servings |
|
- 2 cups (200 gm) almond flour
- 1 cup (110 gm) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp EACH vanilla & almond extract USE PURE if possible
- 2 large egg whites, beaten
- 1/2 cup (100 gm) dried cherries
- 50 gm sliced almonds for rolling cookies in
- powdered sugar for dusting cookies
Ingredients
|
Rate this recipe!
|
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, combine almond flour, powdered sugar, extracts & egg whites; stir well. Stir in dried cherries. Scoop mixture into balls then roll in sliced almonds to coat. Place on baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until JUST done. Let cool & sprinkle with additional powdered sugar.
