Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Niederegger Marzipan Orange

Orange MarzipanAfter Christmas last year I bought some marzipan that I actually loved. Made by Niederegger in Germany, these folks have been making marzipan for over 200 years. I wanted to buy more, but the only ones I’ve seen in stores are the regular flavor which I tried at the Fancy Food Show and found to be okay.

While I’m not ordinarily a marzipan fan, it’s my dislike for Amaretto that prompts my avoidance, because I actually love almonds and eat them just about every day. But I’m coming around on marzipan ... Charles Chocolates makes an excellent and zesty set of marzipan and I was hoping that Marzipan Orange was a more easily available version of it. (But sadly, really not less expensive.)

I was a little irritated when I opened the bar to photograph it and found that it was slightly bloomed. At first I cursed myself for not storing it properly (this was before the Great Heat Wave of Labor Day Weekend ‘07 that got temps in my candy studio up to 99 degrees during the day when the power went out), but when I opened the other chocolate items my husband brought back from NYC (the Ritter Sport Schokowurfel and another bar) I found that it was just this one and then I raised my fist to curse the folks who sold him a SIX DOLLAR bar that had not been stored properly.

But you know, I ate it anyway. ‘Cuz it smelled sooooo good. I feel pretty good about it, too.

Marzipan Cross SectionIt smells like someone has been in the kitchen juicing fresh oranges and perhaps baking cookies at the same time. The orange zest scent is lovely with an added note of vanilla and a sort of caramelly nut smell topped off with a light chocolate. It makes me happy.

Though the chocolate wasn’t as creamy-melt-in-your-mouth as the capuccino one I had before, I’m pretty confident that this was still tasty stuff, with full chocolate flavor to add to the light zest of citrus. The marzipan was firm and a little on the dry side and only lightly sweet (one of the hallmarks of Niederegger). It wasn’t a super-smooth, doughy version like a fondant or anything, this felt like a rustic almond paste. (It’s pretty high in protein too, 4 grams per 1.4 ounce serving.)

I would definitely plunk down $6 again for a fresh and properly stored bar. I saw on the Niederegger website that they little foil wrapped pieces in various fruity flavors (this is how I’ve tried the plain), I’m going to keep my eyes peeled at the holidays at places like Cost Plus World Market. If you’ve tried these before, where have you found them? GermanDeli.com has the orange bar (and on sale for $4.99 right now).

Unfortunately it’s not vegan (milk in the semisweet chocolate) but it is otherwise vegetarian.

Related Candies

  1. Soubeyran Array
  2. Queen Anne Orange
  3. Niederegger Capuccino Marzipan
  4. Hachez Chocolates
  5. Orange KitKat
Name: Marzipan Orange
    RATING:
  • 10 SUPERB
  • 9 YUMMY
  • 8 TASTY
  • 7 WORTH IT
  • 6 TEMPTING
  • 5 PLEASANT
  • 4 BENIGN
  • 3 UNAPPEALING
  • 2 APPALLING
  • 1 INEDIBLE
Brand: Niederegger
Place Purchased: some gourmet shop in NYC on 8th Ave
Price: $5.99
Size: 3.5 ounces
Calories per ounce: 143
Categories: Chocolate, Nuts, Niederegger, Germany, All Natural

POSTED BY Cybele AT 6:59 am Tracker Pixel for Entry    

Comments
  1. Yum - I’ve only had their plan bar and it is good.  I will be keeping my eyes open for this one!

    Comment by April on 9/05/07 at 10:02 am #
  2. I’ve had a similar “orange” chocolate bar and now I’m hooked. There is definitely a certain appeal to the flavor.

    Comment by Jonathan Keim on 9/05/07 at 12:50 pm #
  3. Orange AND marzipan?  Oh my gosh - this bar was MADE for me.  I think they might carry this brand at World Market -  I know I’ve seen it somewhere.

    What are your thoughts on See’s dark chocolate marzipan?  It’s one of my favorites…not alcoholey or cloying, like some varieties Someone just brought me some nasty chocolate apricot marzipan from Ikea… the sort that definitely is doing its part in giving marzipan its undeserved bad reputation.

    Marzipan can be amazing when it is done right.

    Comment by Joanna on 9/05/07 at 8:45 pm #
  4. Oooo I hope they *do* have this at World Market - it sounds so yummy! And I have a gift certificate to use there!

    Comment by Carrie on 9/07/07 at 5:05 am #
  5. I had the pleasure of visiting the main Niederegger store in Lubeck Germany years ago. It was a veritable museum of marzipan—everything conceivable made of marzipan, including whole lobsters! The flavored “loaves” are good, as is the plain marzipan, which is made into various shapes and subtly painted. At Christmas, they make a very cute “lucky pig.” The local weird discount grocery carries several of the gift sets. The pistachio (!) flavor is my favorite.

    Comment by JR on 9/08/07 at 3:43 pm #
  6. Tobler, the people who make Toblerone make a chocolate covered marzipan bar that is to die for! It is impossible to find however…

    Comment by RC on 9/15/07 at 5:43 am #
  7. World Market *does* have these (at least the one I just stopped at did) but not the Orange. They had Strawberry-Kiwi, Mango, Capuccino & Plain. I bought the Capuccino & Strawberry-Kiwi. Both of them are really really good!

    Comment by Carrie on 9/15/07 at 12:07 pm #
  8. Forgot to say that they were only $3.69 at World Market!

    Comment by Carrie on 9/15/07 at 12:09 pm #
  9. I just found them at World Market today.  I only got one and now I wish I had bought out their entire stock.

    Comment by M on 9/30/07 at 7:43 pm #
  10. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for this stuff.  I personally love anything marzipan- that aroma is so addicting.  Anyway, I’m trying to formulate an almond filling from scratch similiar to the See’s one, which I think is perfect- especially at that price.  I once tried Amedei with the almond filling, and it’s nearly the same thing (though the chocolate is obviously higher in quality) so I’m gonna try this one, but keep on searching.

    Comment by A on 7/02/08 at 12:45 pm #
  11. I’ve found Niederegger marzipan in World Market, usually at Christmas. You can get boxes with various flavors.

    The Ritter marzipans are nice, too.

    What is “bloomed”?

    Comment by Linda R. Moore on 7/11/08 at 11:12 am #
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