If we were to briefly describe marzipan, we could say it's a sweet almond modeling clay that pastry chefs can use to sculpt whatever their heart desires. It is frequently used for decorating cakes, pastries, and gingerbread cookies, and it makes excellent truffles. It is perhaps the healthiest confection, as it's based on natural nuts and a small amount of sugar. You can buy marzipan for cakes, or you can make it yourself. It's quite easy to do, and it keeps for up to two months, meaning you can prepare a batch and use it as needed. Let's get started, we will need: 1 cup of almonds 1 cup of sugar 0.25 cup of water 2-3 drops of almond extract First, you need to blanch the almonds. Drop them into boiling water and simmer for one to two minutes. Then, remove them and drain them in a colander. Once the water has drained and the almonds have cooled slightly, you can simply pinch them to slip the skins off. After completing this step, rinse the kernels and then toast them in a hot skillet for 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly. Next, place the nuts in a food processor or blender and grind them into a paste. Now for the next step. Pour water over the sugar and heat this mixture until the granules dissolve and the syrup reaches a soft-ball stage (neither hard nor too runny). Add the ground almonds to the hot syrup and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously. Finally, stir in the almond extract. Turn the resulting mass out onto a cutting board previously dusted with powdered sugar, and roll it out to the desired thickness. Now you have a versatile semi-finished product; this exact marzipan is used as a filling for baked goods and candies. To make marzipan decorations, simply knead in food coloring.