For those with a sweet tooth, healthy homemade marzipan in chocolate bars are a must try! This healthy marzipan recipe is all about that rich almond flavour with a touch of sweetness, perfect for everything from holiday baking to simple afternoon snacks. Surprisingly easy to make, these marzipan filled chocolate bars will soon become a staple in your household.
Move over, store-bought treats—it’s time to introduce you to my homemade marzipan. Made with natural ingredients and covered in your favourite milk chocolate, this delicious treat will quickly become a favourite in your kitchen. We’ll transform almonds into a sweet, versatile dough, perfect for moulding into festive shapes or, like I have done, bars. The best part? It’s incredibly easy to prepare, requiring only three simple ingredients. You can whip up a batch in just a few minutes, leaving you plenty of time to get creative with your designs. This is the ultimate recipe for anyone who loves a sweet treat with a touch of elegance.
Sweet tooth
I’ve always been a sweet snacker! Cake for breakfast, mid-morning cookies, and some chocolate to end the day—there’s never a bad time for a sweet bite. My love for dessert might come from their ability to turn any moment into something special. And marzipan? It’s simply the best! To me it’s not just a sweet treat; it’s the flavour of my youth. (And the one sweet my friends didn’t want me to share with them). Dark chocolate marzipan has always been a favourite of mine. With Christmas being just around the corner, it was about time for me to whip up a fresh batch. This recipe is written for milk chocolate marzipan, simply because my kids prefer it. But my healthy homemade marzipan in chocolate bars can really be made with any type of chocolate.
Marzipan has always been a holiday staple in my family. While the store-bought versions are convenient, nothing compares to the freshness and flavour of homemade. I love knowing exactly what goes into it. Usually, recipes call for pure almonds, powdered sugar, and a splash of almond extract. But this version makes do with only almond meal and maple syrup. In my opinion, it’s the best marzipan chocolate you’ll ever come by. It’s such a versatile recipe too. You can adjust the sweetness to your liking, add a hint of vanilla or rosewater for a unique twist, or even sprinkle some pistachios or dried rose petals over the top for a pop of colour. Whether you’re looking to impress at a dinner party or just craving a sweet snack, this marzipan bars recipe is a foolproof choice that always hits the spot.
Healthy homemade marzipan in chocolate bars ingredients
You’ll probably laugh when you read this next section, that’s how simple it is to make the best marzipan chocolate.
Almond meal is the traditional base for marzipan. We’ll keep this as our main ingredient to make this delicious marzipan bars recipe.
Maple syrup. Instead of using sugar, we’re opting for a more natural ingredient that coincidentally also helps us bind the almond meal together.
Milk chocolate for coating. I mentioned earlier that Dark chocolate marzipan is my favourite, so if you’re with me, please substitute. Because my kids prefer milk chocolate, I usually make milk chocolate marzipan instead.
Toppings – and these are entirely optional. You can sprinkle your marzipan filled chocolate with coarse sea salt, or some crushed pistachios. If you have done some more Christmas baking recently, maybe you have some walnut halves or a few candied orange peens available. At the end of the day you’ll find, this is the best marzipan chocolate with or without topping.
How to make Milk Chocolate Marzipan Bars from scratch
In a small mixing bowl, combine almond flour and maple syrup. Using your hands, knead the mixture until smooth. You could possibly use a food processor for this step, but to be honest, it only takes a minute or two to combine it all. Easy enough to do by hand.
Place some parchment paper or a silicone mat onto a flat, movable surface. A small wire rack works quite well for this, as does a small baking tray. Whatever you choose, make sure it fits into your fridge for cooling between chocolate coats.
Using a teaspoon of dough at a time, create small marzipan bars using your hands. I usually roll my dough into balls first, then elongate them and eventually flatten them on the parchment paper. Keep a little space between each, so they don’t touch when we coat them with chocolate.
Ready to cover
To cover the marzipan in chocolate, start by melting the chocolate in a water bath. Place a small pot with about an inch of water on the stove and bring it to the boil. Take a heatproof bowl and fill it with your chocolate for melting. Place the bowl into the water bath. This will allow your chocolate to melt without burning.
Once liquified, take the pot off the heat. Use a teaspoon and drizzle the melted chocolate over each of the marzipan bars. Don’t worry if it doesn’t coat them perfectly, that’s part of this marzipan bar recipe’s charm. Keep your pot and chocolate as is, we’ll need to repeat this process in a moment. Once you have coated all bars, place the entire tray into the fridge to cool the chocolate down.
Flip the batch and repeat the process once the chocolate has solidified.
Store your healthy, homemade marzipan in chocolate bars in the fridge. Chances are, they will only last a few days.
Other sweet treats to try
If you enjoyed my healthy homemade marzipan in chocolate bars, why not try one of these recipes next:
Frequently asked questions
Does homemade marzipan need to be refrigerated?
Homemade marzipan does not need to be refrigerated, no. Saying this, there are a few reasons why I prefer to store my marzipan bars in the fridge.
I live in Australia, which means my home and kitchen are usually quite warm. To avoid my food going bad under high temperatures and even higher humidity, I usually store my food in the fridge. Homemade marzipan is no exception. Keeping my marzipan bars chilled gives me peace of mind and also stops the chocolate coating from melting.
If you are worried your homemade marzipan bars get forgotten about if hidden behind stacks of produce and meat, I’d encourage you to keep a small snack plate or bowl on the table for your family to help themselves. You can then re-stock using your refrigerated bars as needed.
How to tell if marzipan has gone bad?
If your marzipan smells funny, is very dry or changed colour I would recommend you to discard it. Marzipan is made from mostly almonds and sweeteners, which, when stored properly, have fairly long shelf lives. Saying this, just as you would store the individual ingredients in appropriate containers, marzipan needs to be handled in a similar manner. As we eliminate any stabilisers or emulsifiers when creating homemade marzipan, our creations need to be stored appropriately. I usually keep my marzipan in chocolate in a small container in the fridge and aim to consume it within a week or so.
Why is my marzipan so oily?
If your homemade marzipan is oily, chances are you have given it a little too much love. Overworking the marzipan will extract the almond meal’s natural oils. This will cause your marzipan to show more liquids on the surface, making it appear oily.
I found that the best thing to do is to knead your marzipan until just combined. Keep in mind that even the forming of your marzipan bars requires more handling and could be the little bit too much that extracts the oils. While this sounds like a very delicate activity, it’s really just a matter of doing “just enough”. Combine your ingredients just enough for them to stick together, handle them just enough to form the desired shape. And if in doubt, just tear the pieces apart and worry about shaping them in the next batch of marzipan filled chocolate you make.
What is the marzipan rule?
In simple terms, the more almonds the better. Have you ever scored yourself a marzipan bargain, only to realize it tasted a bit artificial and fake? Just not like real marzipan? I certainly have. To me, there’s little worse than being let down by a food I was looking forward to eating.
Marzipan is a delicacy and one where good quality ingredients are king. When making this delicious treat, start by using a large amount of good quality almond meal. Add just enough maple syrup to bring the marzipan together and coat it in your favourite chocolate. Focussing on these few simple things is all you need to make amazing marzipan.
Healthy Homemade Marzipan in chocolate bars
Surprisingly easy to make, these marzipan filled chocolate bars will soon become a staple in your household.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond meal
- 3 Tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl, combine almond flour and maple syrup. Using your hands, knead the mixture until smooth. You could possibly use a food processor for this step, but to be honest, it only takes a minute or two to combine it all. Easy enough to do by hand.
- Place some parchment paper or a silicone mat onto a flat, movable surface. A small wire rack works quite well for this, as does a small baking tray. Whatever you choose, make sure it fits into your fridge for cooling between chocolate coats.
- Using a teaspoon of dough at a time, create small marzipan bars using your hands. I usually roll my dough into balls first, then elongate them and eventually flatten them on the parchment paper. Keep a little space between each, so they don’t touch when we coat them with chocolate.
- To cover the marzipan in chocolate, start by melting the chocolate in a water bath. Place a small pot with about an inch of water on the stove and bring it to the boil. Take a heatproof bowl and fill it with your chocolate for melting. Place the bowl into the water bath. This will allow your chocolate to melt without burning.
- Once liquified, take the pot off the heat. Use a teaspoon and drizzle the melted chocolate over each of the marzipan bars. Don’t worry if it doesn’t coat them perfectly, that’s part of this marzipan bar recipe’s charm. Keep your pot and chocolate as is, we’ll need to repeat this process in a moment. Once you have coated all bars, place the entire tray into the fridge to cool the chocolate down.
- Flip the batch and repeat the process once the chocolate has solidified.
- Store your healthy, homemade marzipan in chocolate bars in the fridge. Chances are, they will only last a few days.
Notes
- Toppings are entirely optional. You can sprinkle your marzipan filled chocolate with coarse sea salt, or some crushed pistachios. If you have done some more Christmas baking recently, maybe you have some walnut halves or a few candied orange peens available. At the end of the day you’ll find, this is the best marzipan chocolate with or without topping.
- If your homemade marzipan is oily, chances are you have given it a little too much love. Overworking the marzipan will extract the almond meal’s natural oils. This will cause your marzipan to show more liquids on the surface, making it appear oily.
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