Nuts

Paste

Almond paste is a dense, malleable mass of finely ground sweet almonds bound by their own oil and usually a measured amount of sugar, made for confectionery rather than for spreading like peanut butter. Kernels are blanched, dried, and milled until the grind holds together as a soft block or log that pastry cooks roll, pipe, or fold into fillings. It is the working cousin of marzipan: often slightly coarser or less sugar-heavy than finished marzipan, and built for baking into frangipane, stollen centres, tart bases, and filled cookies. Good paste smells cleanly of sweet almond and light sugar, feels pliable at room temperature, and bakes to a moist, fragrant crumb without oiling out into greasiness. Weak paste is dry and crumbly, overly sticky from cheap syrup, grey from skin flecks, or bitter from stale nuts. Knead briefly to warm it before rolling; loosen a stiff block with a spoon of syrup or egg white only when the formula allows. Store sealed and cool so the high oil does not turn varnish-like. Use paste when you need structure and almond body inside pastry; reach for marzipan-style finishing products when surface modelling and higher sugar matter more. A quality lot supports European holiday baking and everyday frangipane with the same quiet sweetness.