Recipe: Sugar Free Marzipan (Easy, Low Carb & Gluten Free)

Marzipan and marzipan cookies are a favourite holiday treat of mine. Had I known how easy Marzipan was to make I'd have started doing this years ago.

Sugar Free Marzipan

2.5 cups Almond Meal
1 cup Swerve or erythritol
2 egg whites
1/2 tspn Pure Almond Extract
1 tspn Rosewater (optional)

Method

• Using an electronic food processor or mixer add the almond meal and Swerve

• Alternative sweeteners like Splenda or Stevia can be used but Swerve is the best for taste and carb value in confectionery. 
• Swerve does have carbs but as a sugar alcohol it does not affect blood sugar and can be discounted from the net carb values. 
• Pulse the dry ingredients until a fine powder is formed

• Separate your eggs and put the yolks asside - these will not be used in the recipe and should be used in another dish

• Add the egg whites, Almond extract and Rosewater if using then pulse until a crumbly dough is formed
• Knead on a clean non stick surface - if required dust with a small amount of almond meal to prevent sticking. 

• Once properly kneaded a slightly sticky but smooth dough should be formed
• You can use marzipan in cookies, cakes and pastries but they also make beautiful cake decorations or sweets on their own

• Here I'll show you how I prepared these giftable marzipans using a Mooncake mold but any cookie cutter or pastry plunger cutter works perfectly
• Traditional mooncake molds look like large wooden paddles that you press cakes and pastries into to form presentation shapes for Mid Autumn Festival in Chinese communities, they can be fiddly to get cakes out of. 
• Modern day plunger molds are perfect for forming marzipan and other thick pastries and cost less than $20 for a set. They can be bought online direct from China or via domestic US online stores like Amazon

• Roll out your marzipan to the desired thickness, remember this is a heavy sweet due to the nut content so 1cm (~1/2 inch) is more than enough
• Press the outside of the mold flat to your board and then plunge the decorative pattern into the marzipan, hold for around 2 seconds and then lift the plunger and remove the marzipan
• You may need to push the plunger back down and carefully peel the marzipan off the design, particularly for intricate patterns
• Place in an air tight container and refrigerate until consumption
• If desired dip into 100% cocoa chocolate which has been tempered, but these are delicious on their own
• Makes around 18 1 inch square confections - each serving is 96 calories, 8.3g fat and 1.1g net carb