Almond paste is used in a variety of cakes and pastries such as stollen, strudel, macaroons, etc.  It is a very common ingredient used throughout Central and Eastern Europe. Unlike marzipan, almond paste has less sugar and more almond flavor. The following is a standard recipe for making almond paste.

If you do not have a food processor, you may use a nut or spice grinder to process the almonds. A stand mixer with a dough hook can be used to combine the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups (200 grams) whole blanched almonds
1-1/2 cups (165 grams) confectioners’ sugar
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

Place almonds in a food processor; cover and process into a fine powder. 

Add the confectioner’s sugar, egg white, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt and continue to blend until a stiff paste forms. Use paste immediately, or cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

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3. Sweet cheese filling