Marzipan

"What's marzipan?" is what I asked my hubby, then boyfriend, the first Christmas we were dating. My hubby is part German and Austrian and marzipan is very much part of their culture, especially during the Christmas holidays.

I was given a chocolate-covered marzipan treat to try. It is soft in texture with a sweet, aromatic almond taste. Very delectable.

Marzipan is also very common in the decorating world. It can be used to cover cakes when rolled out as a thin sheet, much like fondant. Have you seen those cute little animals or other cake decorations? They are made out of marzipan! And in my hubby's case, marzipan is used in baking, found in traditional German Christmas Stollen.

Last year, my hubby made all sorts of little animals for the kids to eat. This year, marzipan was made specifically for his stollen making, which I will post about next time.