Marzipan-Filled Fruits

From: Like Grandma Used to Make

Preparation time 40 minutes

Makes about 48 filled fruits

Ingredients for marzipan-filled fruits
11/4 cups ground almonds
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup icing sugar, plus a little extra for rolling out
A few drops almond extract
1/2 egg white
Natural green food colouring (optional)
125 g fresh dates, each slit along the top and stoned
125 g small, soft, ready-to-eat prunes, each slit and pitted
125 g each small, soft, ready-to eat dried apricots and figs, each fruit sliced in half horizontally
1/4 cup sugar

Preparation method for marzipan-filled fruits

1 Put the ground almonds and sugars in a bowl. Add a few drops of almond extract and sufficient egg white to make a stiff paste.

2 Sprinkle a board or work surface with a little sifted icing sugar and roll the marzipan into a sausage shape, about 25 cm long. Cut the roll into about 48 equal pieces.

3 Shape each piece of marzipan into a neat oval and insert one piece into the centre of each fruit, gently moulding the fruit flesh around the marzipan. Roll lightly in sugar and put into individual paper cases.

These marzipan-filled fruits will keep, refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to four weeks. Serve at room temperature.