It’s so weird to be posting post COVID-19. It’s like there was life before the Carona virus and life after the Carona virus and they just aren’t the same.
And I don’t mean just because we are quarantined, and our kids are being homeschooled, and we’re all juggling this new reality of social distancing, nonstop cooking, cleaning and keeping the kids busy. By now, that seems like regular life.
Having been hit with a really bad case of the virus, over 2 weeks of nausea, vomiting, fever and body aches, and 6 days in the hospital, I feel SO LUCKY TO BE ALIVE! Every day that I wake up and I’m breathing, I am so thankful and emotional that I get to live this life – even if it’s hard, and every day feels like a challenge.
The love that I received from this amazing community that we’ve built here is truly beyond words. The messages, the prayers, the GREATEST HUG that held me tight is something that I will never forget and I am so grateful for. I’ve often called the BusyInBrooklyn community my “instafam” but I never realized just how great it really is until I fell ill. I am so thankful for each and every one of you, and your support through this time has meant the world to me.
Of course to all of my amazing friends who sent over dinners, toys for my kids, gifts and flowers, how can I ever thank you? Even though you were juggling your own crazy quarantine life, you made it happen and I am so lucky to have you in my life!
I’m taking things slow these days, one step at a time. Of course Pesach is coming and like much of the world, I’m making Passover for the first time, but I’m keeping things sans-pressure. We will get through it, we will manage and it will be beautiful no matter what!
As we celebrate the Exodus from Egypt this year, I’m reminded that although we are quarantined in our homes and it somehow feels like we’re in exile, I have truly never been more free! Our freedom is a state of mind that we get to choose every day. It is a realization that our circumstances don’t get to define how we allow ourselves to feel. If there is life and health, there is hope. Everything else is just details.
To me, nothing is more reminiscent of Passover than the taste of marzipan! All the Pesach desserts were always scented with the essence of almond, and I couldn’t love it more. My kids are big on rainbow-cookie-flavored desserts, so I came up with this easy and delicious way to enjoy it! Making homemade marzipan is super easy, and when it’s enrobed in my favorite kosher for Passover chocolate chips, made by California Gourmet, it just takes it over the top.
Wishing you and yours a kosher and happy and safe Passover!
Marzipan Butter Cups
YIELD: 10 cups
3/4 cups blanched almond meal or flour (see note)
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar
pinch of sea salt
1 tbsp water
1 tsp pure almond extract
10oz. California Gourmet KFP chocolate chips
Place the almond meal, powdered sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor with the S blade attached, pulse until the ingredients are incorporated. Add the water and almond extract and blend until a paste forms and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If the paste is very sticky, add more powered sugar until it’s easy to handle.
Form the paste into a log and wrap tightly in parchment paper to form a log, twisting the paper like a candy wrapper. Place the marzipan in the freezer to set.
In the meantime, place the chocolate chips in a Ziploc freezer bag and add to a large bowl. Pour boiling hot water over the bag and leave it in the water until the chocolate starts to melt, about 2 minutes. Remove the bag from the water and mix the chocolate in the bag to move around the chips that arent melted, return to the water until all the chocolate has melted completely.
Set 10 paper cupcake liners on a baking sheet. Snip the corner of the Ziploc bag and pipe chocolate into each liner to cover the base. Bang the tray down on your counter to flatten the layer of chocolate.
Remove the marzipan from the freezer and slice into 10 rounds. They should be the width of the cupcake liner – if they are smaller just flatten with your hand. Place the marzipan on top of the chocolate layer, and cover it with more chocolate, banging the sheet tray on the counter to evenly coat the marzipan.
Sprinkle with more sea salt, if desired, and freeze until solid.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
NOTES: if you don’t have almond meal or flour, you can create your own by pulsing 1 cup of blanched slivered almonds in the food processor until finely ground.
If you don’t have a food processor, use finely ground almond flour and mix by hand.
If you don’t like almond extract, you may use vanilla extract although the flavor will be different!
VARIATIONS: you can make marzipan out of any nut and use the corresponding extract to enhance the flavor. Alternatively, you can use nut butter and add powdered sugar to make it more of a dough, then fill as above.
Related Kosher for Passover Recipes:
chunky monkey marzipan nice cream
marzipan date truffles
apple crisp with marzipan crumble
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