Description
Mediterranean kitchens cherish this classic almond paste recipe for its rich, nutty flavor. Home cooks can easily craft this versatile ingredient with simple pantry staples you’ll love incorporating into desserts and pastries.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup plus 3 tbsps (250 grams) sugar
- 3 cups plus 3 tbsps (500 grams) blanched, whole almonds
- ¼ cup (75 grams) honey
- Up to ¼ cup (about 50 grams) Kirsch or simple syrup
- ¼ cup plus 1 tbsp plus 2 tsps (100 grams) water
- Scant ¼ cup (50 grams) butter
Instructions
- Sugar Syrup Preparation: In a medium saucepan, combine granulated sugar, golden honey, and cold water over medium-high heat, stirring consistently until the liquid reaches a vigorous boil.
- Almond Grinding: Transfer whole raw almonds into a large food processor and pulse until they transform into a coarse, textured mixture.
- Blending Process: Stream hot boiling water over the ground almonds, initiating a continuous blending process for approximately 10 minutes. Periodically pause to scrape down the processor’s interior walls, ensuring a uniform texture.
- Consistency Adjustment: Monitor the almond mixture’s texture during blending. If the paste appears dense or challenging to process, introduce small increments of hot water or kirsch liqueur to facilitate smoother integration and achieve a more malleable consistency.
- Paste Refinement: Continue processing until the almond mixture develops a silky, uniform composition with no discernible chunky segments.
- Cooling and Storage: Transfer the freshly created almond paste onto a clean plastic wrap surface, enveloping it completely to prevent moisture loss. Allow natural cooling at room temperature, then refrigerate for 2-3 weeks or freeze for up to three months.
- Optional Preparation: Before usage, gently knead softened unsalted butter into the almond paste to enhance smoothness and reduce potential stickiness, if desired.
Notes
- Precise Almond Grinding: Pulse raw almonds until achieving a coarse, sandy texture without over-processing into butter.
- Water Temperature Matters: Use hot water carefully while blending to prevent almond paste from becoming too liquid or separating.
- Texture Troubleshooting: Add small amounts of kirsch or hot water if mixture becomes too dense or challenging to process smoothly.
- Smart Storage Strategy: Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 2-3 weeks or freeze up to three months to maintain optimal freshness and consistency.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Boiling, Blending
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 109
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 1 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg