living in the woods and making stuff

I am trying to think of a better name for these, but until I (or someone else) come up with something, kisses they are. This is a very simple treat that I learned how to make in Switzerland (but I don’t think that it is traditionally Swiss). There are three ingredients; marzipan, toasted hazelnuts, and chocolate.

My favorite marzipan to use for this particular recipe is imported by my friends’ company, Purely Organic. It is very sweet, so a little goes a long way. I made about 60 candies with one package of marzipan, and I think that you could stretch it even more.

To make about 60 kisses

1 package (8.8 oz) marzipan

about 60 nuts (toast extra just in case)

a few chunks of chocolate (sorry to be vague but I didn’t measure…)

Toast the hazelnuts in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes. WATCH LIKE A HAWK. Over toasting nuts is one of the easiest things to do!

After the hazelnuts are toasted, the skins crack and are easy to remove. I usually place the nuts in a towel and rub them together until the skins come most of the way off, and then finish removing them with my fingers. Make sure to wash your hands when you are finished removing the skins, as you don’t want them ending up stuck all over you nice light brown marzipan.

The next step is to pinch off a piece of marzipan and roll it into a little ball.

When you have made a few balls, press a hazelnut into the top. I like to have the point of the nut facing up. Because marzipan dries out quickly, it is important to do this in batches so that the edges don’t crack. Make a few balls, add the hazelnuts, and continue like this.

Once you have finished making the candies, you can dip them in melted dark chocolate. This step is optional, but I definitely love adding the brown cap. Kind of like a little acorn. I melted my dark chocolate chunks in a double boiler that would have made my sister squirm. But I only dropped the chocolate pan into the water once, and the finished product came out well, so I think it was okay. I guess the main thing with heating chocolate in a double boiler is that you don’t want the top pan to touch the water below, or the chocolate will get too hot. (If you have any questions, just call Heli-Claire!)

After the kisses are dipped, leave them out until the chocolate cools.

After the chocolate cools, I place the kisses in an air tight container with sheets of waxed paper between the layers. They keep well, although I can’t really tell you how long, as they usually are gone within a few days…