A few days ago I got an email from Sandra of Sandra’s Easy Cooking asking me if I would write a guest post for her fantastic blog. Would I?? Of course I would! I felt so flattered and honored to be asked by one of my favorite foodies to be a guest over at her virtual kitchen! I immediately started thinking about what recipe to post… I wanted something that I hadn’t posted yet and something that represented me and my site. I was lucky enough to have just the recipe! I had made these sweets for a friend’s party a few days before and I hadn’t blogged about them yet. Perfect! They are marzipan balls filled with rum soaked raisins and topped with melted dark chocolate. They are traditional Sicilian sweets and I love the chocolate topping and the liqueur soaked raisins hidden inside. Before starting to prepare these sweets I want to THANK Sandra for giving me the opportunity to be a guest over at her beautiful site and for being such a supportive and lovely fellow foodie! Thank You Sandra… you know how much I appreciate your delicious recipes and your mouthwatering pictures! 🙂
And now back to the recipe… I hope you all enjoy these marizpan sweets as much as I do! 🙂
Adapted from Maria Grammatico’s recipe of Dolcetti al liquore – from the book “Bitter Almonds: Recollections and Recipes of a Sicilian Girlhood” by Mary Taylor Simeti
Ingredients (makes 25):
500 gms almond meal
500 gms icing sugar
1/2 glass of water to add little by little (you may need less)
A few drops of almond essence or bitter almond essence (optional)
1 cup of rum
60 gms raisins
150 gms dark chocolate
Put the raisins in warm water for a few minutes. When soft remove them from the water and pat them dry. Put them in a glass jar and cover them with the rum. Let them soak for 24 hours.
The following day, put the almond meal and icing sugar in a big bowl. Mix them well and add the almond essence (optional) and the water slowly while kneading with your hands.
When you get a smooth and pliable dough, your marzipan is ready.
Roll the marzipan into a 1 cm thick sheet. You can do this on baking paper to prevent it from sticking to the benchtop.
Cut some circles with a diameter of approximately 4 cm.
Put 3 raisins on half of the circles and cover them with the remaining circles.
Press the sides well to make sure they do not come apart and then roll them with your hands into roundish shapes. Keep aside.
In the meantime, melt the dark chocolate and dip the top part of the marzipan sweets in it.
Let the chocolate dry.
They are now ready to serve!
They are perfect with a cup of coffee or your favourite tea.
Thank You so much again Sandra! Everyone, please pass by her wonderful blog Sandra’s Easy Cooking and check out my guest post (there is also a little interview!!!) and ALL the other mouthwatering recipes over there!
Also, you can follow her on Twitter, Facebook and FoodBuzz!!!
I love these beauties..you did such an amazing job! Thank you so very much for accepting to be my guest today! It was pleasure working with talented and creative women like you!
Oh I love this simple yet so delicious looking sweet! I happen to have all the ingredients in my pantry…I should try this soon! You have a very lovely blog! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Manu! I just came here from Sandra’s site – you did a fantastic job Manu! I enjoyed reading your answers to the interview. Patagonia is one of the places I would love to visit as well (and yes after kids are a bit older). Your marzipan rum balls look so good! Coffee and these will make all my stress go away…Your step-by-step is getting more and more professional! I can see details and this is so convenient! Mine is getting smaller and smaller… LOL. Wonderful guest post!
I don’t like marzapane very much, but yours looks definitely yummy! Maybe I could try to make it at home and see if I like it! 🙂
This dish is just amazing. The finished product – beautiful!! I loved learning more about you on Sandra’s site. I started blogging for the exact same reasons – my father-in-law had generations of recipes in his head and I wanted to record it for my children. Now I love sharing recipes and making new friends. Awesome experience!
Manu, just saw your guest post on Sandra’s site. I loved these Marzipan rum balls. Have saved the recipe and just wanted to tell you that these balls are going to be a part of the menu in my family get-together very soon! Thanks for sharing and congrats for a great post. And yes, now I know much more about YOU!!
That’s fantastic!!! Please, do let me know how you like them! <3
I will admit that in my family we are not crazy about rum soaked raisins, yet this recipe is making my mouth water. Perhaps it is possible to infuse the marzipan with the rum flavor? I love the idea of rum, chocolate and marzipan…
You could try to add the rum to the almond meal when you mix it with water. You could also use the rum essence (so the kids can eat it too) instead of the almond essence to get the rum flavor in it! Or even put it in the melted chocolate… endless possibilities… 🙂
Mmmmmh…thanks!
Amazing guest post, Manu! Your chocolate covered marzipan rum balls are just perfect! Job well done!
And I’m glad to learn some more things about you. The Pizzoccheri sounds interesting…would love to try it someday. Just like you, all my mom’s recipes weren’t written before I started blogging…no exact measurements and the like. I find blogging the best way to compile all those recipes for my daughters’ future reference.
Love it! And is much simpler than I would have imagined! Great post as usual. Thank you for sharing!
Loved your guest post, Manu! Such a fabulous recipe… My whole family loves marzipan & I am sure they would love if I made it for them! Thanks for sharing 🙂 And I loved reading more about you in the interview too 🙂
Hi Manu,
Loved reading about you at Sandra’s. Look forward to reading more of your recipes, I’m an Italian girl myself.
-Gina-
Welcome and great to know you Gina! 🙂
Just peeped you over at Sandra’s site. Lovely interview. And a lovely, yummy rum ball recipe. Thanks for sharing 🙂 Buzzed
Bravissima! Sei un’artista in cucina
lovely site and dessert
saw the guest post nice to meet you
What a wonderful guest post, Manu! These rum balls look DELISH…and something so unique and beautiful!
che brava! sembrano davvero deliziosissime queste palline golose…mmm
You always make any dish looks so simple with your step step photos. gorgeous post dear 🙂
Manu these are so perfect, after candy clay Marzipan was the next thing on my list, and now I’ve exact recipe, I’m bookmarking this one……
I love the rich dark colour of the chocolate! Almost regal 🙂 🙂
Hello Manu,
I’m so happy Sandra picked you as her gust posts, this way I got to meet you and your wonderful blog. Loved the interview.
The chocolate covered marzipan ball look so great and tempting, thanks so much for sharing 🙂
Manu, I have an award for you:
http://quatrofromaggio.blogspot.com/p/thanks-to.html
I suppose it’s really coming back to you 🙂 But I’m happy to have the opportunity to give you an award, as you are *the true binding force that unites half a world of bloggers*!
Your marzipan rum balls are to die for, BTW! And I love your photo composition.
Hi Manu! Congrats on your wonderful guest post at Sandra’s! I love the interviewing part, interesting and fun! 😀
These marizpan rum balls are perfect! All combinations are my favs! YUMYUM… 😀
Nice shots as always! Have a great day! ^.^
i love this guest post! and such beautiful photos!! thank you for sharing this recipe:)
Congrats on a lovely guest post and interview. These look stunning (as usual!) Have been over to visit Sandra’s blog.
Awesome guest post! These look just amazing. I never would have thought to make marzipan rum balls, very cool.
Amazing and delicious those balls, as will as lovely guest post…
Thanks Manu for sharing this beautiful recipe.
That looks so amazing, reminds me of my home country (France) where I’m not currently living and where they make these sorts of things…oh do I miss eating these things!!!
Check this Brownie recipe poster, cute no?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/76173849/the-ultimate-chocolate-brownies-recipe
These look amazing, can’t wait to try them! Thanks Manu and Sandra 🙂
Hiya
These were great. I love rum so I added a bit of rum essence to my balls too. I also made them smaller, each 5cm circle making 1 ball and covered them totally in chocolate!
Thank you!