Marzipan Stars

Preface:

1. Marzipan ….. For Christmas baking, it is worth making it yourself. It’s not rocket science, you know what’s inside, have a larger amount available and save a lot of money in relation to the small amounts from the supermarket. It has a long shelf life, but should be kept refrigerated. You can also make the filling yourself and then have a delicious, fruity spread or a base for making a tart or something similar. The link here: Mandarine Curd

Basic dimensions and assembly:

1. Knead the raw marzipan mass with all the ingredients. If a previously purchased one is used, grate it roughly beforehand. The homemade one is smooth enough. Then sprinkle the work surface with powdered sugar, divide the finished marzipan into several portions, dust each with a little powdered sugar before rolling out and roll out 4.5 – 5 mm thick. Then cut out small stars with a diameter of 3 – 3.5 cm and dip this cookie cutter in baker’s starch or flour every now and then. This way, the marzipan does not get stuck in the small teeth. Since then always 2 are glued together, the total number must then be calculated. Knead any leftovers from cutting out, roll out on powdered sugar and cut out until the marzipan is used up. But don’t forget to lightly dust the working and surface of the marzipan with powdered sugar in between. It must not stick to the rolling pin.
2. When all the stars have been cut out, press a small depression in the middle of half of the number with a wooden trowel handle and squirt a dab about 1 cm into it. Then always squirt a small dab of edible glue onto the prongs (you can get it in the self-service shop with the baking ingredients for motif cakes), put an unfilled star on it and press the edges with your pointed fingers, pressing downwards with a slight curvature. Let the finished stars dry a little overnight at room temperature.

Diving and decoration:

1. Coarsely chop both types of couverture and place in a serving bowl or other bowl with coconut oil / cocoa butter. Only fill a pot with enough water that the bowl – when it is placed on it – does not touch it. Bring the water to the boil, then immediately remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the couverture to melt. Then it has the right temperature for diving and does not turn gray later.
2. Dip the stars in the couverture, lift them out with a praline fork (or a normal one) and tap them several times on the edge of the bowl to drain off any excess couverture. Then place it on a smooth surface (if possible made of plastic). If they are to be provided with decorative elements, decorate the dipped stars with them immediately after setting them down, as long as the couverture is still liquid. So don’t dive all the stars right away, but only about 5 of them. Then let it set in a cool place. Setting it down on a smooth surface should therefore not take place on a grid, as this could lead to damage when detached. If you don’t have a plastic underlay, line another one with parchment paper or foil. There they can also be removed smoothly. Then straighten any protrusions at the edges just a little with a sharp knife.
3. The decoration used here is not mandatory and can be changed according to your mood and your own creativity. So you have a nice present for friends and relatives …….. or you can “give presents” to yourself … ;-))
4. There is no indication of other rest periods because drying is indicated as “overnight”. The above-mentioned number of people refers to a number of approx. 57 pieces.