alana says that it was my idea, i'm pretty sure that it was hers, but at some point in malta we were inspired by some poolside chewy marzipan cookies to throw a blogged out marzipan kiki for christmas. (what's a kiki?)

unselfishly, our marzipan party is a reminder to listen to or see or play the air tambourine along with the nutcracker at least once this christmas week. the sugar plums! the pirouettes! the behind the scenes at the city ballet instagrams that were a highlight of the internet! and of course the marzipans. you should eat many marzipans.

selfishly, i really just wanted more marzipan content spewed onto the internet because marzipan is easily the best part of the holidays. marzipan, dumplings, the santa clause. and stoop traipsing around the house announcing that her pup has pooped with christmas confidence. (don't ask.)

and the kiki hath delivered! look at the marzipan wizardry that has arrived to you today: lily’s pistachio marzipan ice cream, stephanie’s marzipan chocolate chip cookies, beau’s cardamom marzipan rolls, michelle’s marzipan semlor, betty’s sesame (!) marzipan rose cakes, and alana’s remake of those chewy malta cookies. i am really excited about all of these, i think this marzipan party should become a tradition.

my contribution is macadamia marzipan! which can be made with two (2!) ingredients if you play your cards right. typically, basic marzipan ingredients include nuts, sugar, and some type of binder, like egg whites or corn syrup. but because macadamia nuts are so fatty, marzipaning them doesn't require an additional binder. it's a lot lighter and fluffier than your typical almond marzipan, so it's not necessarily something that would hold up to, say, cutting out a moose shape and sticking it on a cake, but when it's balled up and rolled around in a dish of sparkly sprinkles, it is a painfully easy and amazingly tasty way to add bling to your holiday table. pretty pretty princess-style bling.

macadamia marzipan balls

makes 12

ingredients

1 1/2 cups roasted macadamias (if unsalted, add a pinch of salt)
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

Sprinkles, optional

clues

blend the macadamias in a food processor just until crumbly. don’t over blend or you’ll end up with macadamia butter. add the confectioners’ sugar (and salt, if your nuts were unsalted) and blend for a wee bit longer, until combined and clumpy. it’s ready when it sticks together if you squeeze a bit in your hand.

pile it all together on a work surface and then divide it into 12 small balls. serve them naked like that or roll them in sprinkles. enjoy!

-yeh!

pictured: knife / slab / dish / board